Zantiks Optional Add-ons


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Experimental well plates

Available for Zantiks MWP, AD & LT


Y-maze plate - for use with zebrafish larvae, Drosophila and other similar sized organisms

  • 15 wells (small), 4 wells (medium) or 2 wells (large)
  • Can be made in either black, white or clear acrylic
15 Ymaze Plate
15 well Y-maze plate. Arm dimensions (mm): 12L x 4W x 10D
2 Ymaze Plate
2 well Y-maze plate. Arm dimensions (mm): 35L x 13W x 10D
4 Y Maze plate
4 well Y-maze plate. Arm dimensions (mm): 25L x 8W x 10D

15 zebrafish larvae in the Zantiks Y-maze well plate. Similar in design to Buchanan et al., PNAS 2015.


Light / Dark plate - for use with zebrafish larvae, Drosophila and other similar sized organisms

  • 6, 12 or 24 wells
  • 10 mm deep wells
  • 2 covers for blocking light from the bottom and/or top of the plate
  • Material options include:
    • Black & clear acrylic
    • Blue & red filters (can be used individually to give blue or red, or combined to give black)
light_dark_plate_bottom_cover
12 well light/dark plate with cover on the bottom of the plate
light dark plate both covers
12 well light/dark plate with both covers on the plate

Social interaction plate (larvae) - for use with zebrafish larvae or other suitable organisms

Social interaction plate with a conspecific zebrafish larvae on one end and an empty control in the other. The subject fish is in the larger middle chamber.

Focal fish plate
10 channel social interaction plate. 10mm deep. End chambers are 10mm x 10mm, mid chambers are 10mm x 58mm.

Social interaction plate (juvenile) - for use with zebrafish juveniles or species with larger larvae

Social plate 4 L
The juvenile plate has 4 channels 20mm deep. End chambers are 15mm x 18mm, mid chambers are 15mm x 76mm.

Mirror plate (larvae) - for use with zebrafish larvae or other suitable organisms

Mirror plate
20 chamber mirror plate for social/aggression studies. One end holds a mirror, the other end is white (control). Chamber dimensions D10mm x W10mm x L36mm

Mirror plate (Juvenile) - for use with zebrafish juveniles or species with larger larvae. We have two sizes of juvenile mirror plate. You can choose the plate that matches your requirements. 6 lane or 10 lane.

Mirror plate 6 L
The 6-lane juvenile mirror plate has 6 channels 20mm deep, 73mm in length and 15mm wide.
Mirror plate 10 L
The 10-lane juvenile mirror plate has 10 channels 20mm deep, 34.75mm in length and 19mm wide.

Embryo plate & higher resolution lens - for use with zebrafish embryos

  • 96 wells
  • 12 mm lens for zoomed in, region of interest view

Courtship / Aggression plate - for use with Drosophila or other suitable organisms

  • 8 wells, 15mm diameter, 5mm deep, divided in half with a sliding metal barrier
  • Secure lid
  • Barrier removable to present subjects to each other
  • Can be made in either black or clear acrylic
Courtship_aggression plate
8 well courtship/aggression plate

Two choice plate - for use with any suitable sized organism

  • 12 'dumbbell' shaped choice wells & lid
  • wells 15mm, connector 4mm wide, 8 mm long
  • Plates can be made differently, so you have a suitable plate for your needs
  • We can use clear, black and white acrylic (NOTE: IR lighting does not go through white acrylic)

7 individual aphids with food choice vs control ends.

12chamber choice BW
12 chamber choice assay plates are available in black, white & clear acrylic. The wells are 3mm deep for filling with agar.

Passive olfactory plate and chambers - for use with Drosophila or other suitable organisms

  • Six separate arenas, each made up of 4 quadrants
  • Manual insertion of up to 4 odours
IMG 3182
6odour 2

Drosophila responses to benzaldehyde in one quadrant (darken corner) of the passive flow odour plate in the Zantiks MWP unit.


Active flow olfactometer plate and stand - for use with Drosophila or other suitable organisms

  • Four quadrants created by pumping air through tubing into the stand and chamber’s floor.
  • Automated control of up to 4 discrete odourants
  • Powered directly from the system and controlled from the Zanscript scripting language.
  • Includes:
    • Automated, 4-way pumping stand
    • 4 quadrant, annular chamber for fly placement
    • Air inlet, flow plate
IMG 3170
2024 04 04 11 04 23 385
IMG 3174
A1 full2

Drosophila responses to control (mineral oil) and treatment (benzaldehyde) in the Zantiks MWP unit in an active flow chamber. Labelling of the video, and switching of the odour sources is fully automated from the Zanscript running the experiment. Sped up x2

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Side Screen

Available for Zantiks AD & LT


  • Plugs directly into the unit - no additional power supply needed.
  • Allows for lateral presentation of images against 2 different walls of the unit.
  • With the side screen sitting underneath the food hopper, the lateral presentation of images can take place in the same location as the delivery of solid food.
  • Supplied with a black tank, which has a clear base and back wall, and a two choice insert which enables the screen to be split into 2 different zones.
  • Operates in the same way as the built-in screen underneath the tank.
    • NOTE: only one screen can be used at a time.
Zantiks AD side screen with tank and 2-choice insert
Zantiks side screen with tank and 2-choice insert

For details on setting up the side screen, see the 'Setting up the side screen' section in the Manuals. For a demo script showing how the side screen works, see the Side screen demo page.

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3D tracking unit

Available for Zantiks MWP, AD & LT


Allows for real-time tracking of animals in a three dimensional space (i.e., X,Y,Z coordinates)

  • Fits neatly into the systems' testing chamber. No additional bench space used!
  • Operates with the integrated camera. No need for additional cameras!
  • Works with the Zanscript software without re-calibration or synchronisation
  • Supplied with the tank, mirror box and IR sidelight
  • Units for LT or AD systems include a set of mirror bite inserts for adult zebrafish studies

Contact us for your requirements for use with the Zantiks MWP.

Adult zebrafish in a mirror biting tank. Bottom shows a view of the fish from above and top shows a view of the same fish from the side. A mirror insert is placed vertically on the left side of the tank.

Adult zebrafish in a tank diving assay. Bottom shows a view of the fish from above and top shows a view of the same fish from the side.

Rplot
Plot of X, Y, Z coordinate data from 3D tank diving experiment with adult zebrafish.
Heatmap 20230228 T164445
Heatmap of 3D tank diving experiment with adult zebrafish.
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Side view multi-tank stand

Available for Zantiks MWP & LT


  • Enables for tracking and video capture from the side of the tank, rather than a top down view.
  • Can be configured in a variety of ways to accommodate containers of various sizes.
    • MWP SideView stand can hold up to 16 cuvettes.
    • LT Sideview stand can hold up to 96 cuvettes or 15 cell culture flasks.

NOTE: We recommend using Kartell Labware 'visible range' cuvettes (cuvette code 1960, with 4 clear faces). 

Zantiks MWP Side View Stand


Mosquito larvae during a startle response assay in the Zantiks MWP SideView stand.

Sidestand shelves
Two removable shelves for easy loading
Sidestand assembled
Side view stand with cuvette shelves assembled

Zantiks LT Side View Stand


2 adult zebrafish tracked in the LT SideView stand (timelapse).

6 Tank Front
Recording view of six T-75 cell culture flasks in the LT SideView stand
6 Tank Side
Shelf positions of the LT SideView stand can be adjusted to the tank size.
6 Tank Top
Top down view of the LT SideView stand
6 Tank In
Image of the LT SideView stand from the system's camera.
2 Tank Front
2 T-225 cell culture flasks in the LT SideView stand
3 Tank Front
3 T-150 cell culture flasks in the LT SideView stand
15 Tank Front
15 T-25 cell culture flasks in the LT SideView stand
Cuvette Front
Multi-tank stand with cuvette holders.
Cuvette In
View of the stand placed in the LT unit from the system's camera with cuvettes.
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Add-on equipment for Zantiks MWP


Extra light stimulation plate LED (LSP LEDs) colour

We offer a number of wavelength options including:

  • Royal Blue (445 nm)
  • Blue (470 nm)
  • Green (530 nm)
  • Amber (590 nm)
  • Red (625 nm)
  • Photo red (660 nm)

Overhead light stimulation plate 🡕

  • Can be used in addition to or instead of the standard light stimulation plate which is included as standard with the MWP system.
  • The overhead light stimulation plate can be used in a number of cases including:
    • Providing specific wavelengths of light from above rather than below.
    • To increase the amount of light of a specific wavelength by using both light stimulation plates from above and below.
    • Switching between two different wavelengths during an experiment. One wavelength can be provided from above and another wavelength from below.
Overhead Light Stim
Overhead light stimulation plate, foam door & LEDs
All Overhead Light Stim Equipment
Equipment for using both overhead and below light stimulation plates with an extra LSP LED
Overhead Light Stim Lightson2
Example of white light in the overhead light stimulation plate at full power and blue light on the lower plate at reduced power
Overhead Light Stim Close
Assembled overhead and below light stimulation plates with foam door in place and LSP LED attached

Please see the Assembling the Overhead Light stimulation plate section of the manuals for full instructions on set up including video tutorial, connecting the LSP LED to the side socket and links to the appropriate Zanscript support pages.


Peltier temperature control unit 🡕

  • Control of the temperature from 6°C below to 12°C above ambient.
  • Powered entirely from the MWP unit and controlled from the Zanscript scripting language.
  • A separate unit that easily connects to the MWP units.
  • Allows for a greater range of control of air temperature compared to the standard temperature control system.
  • Operates via circulating the air in the testing chamber.
Temp Control
Adjusting the temperature in the MWP unit above and below ambient room temperature.
Both Tc From Above
Aerial view of both temperature control systems. The MWP on the left has the peltier system and the unit on the right has the standard system. Note that about 9 x the area is required for the peltier system

NOTE: As it operates by moving air through the unit, it may be beneficial for some experiments (such as long-term or animals that require humidity) to use lids or covers on multi-well plates / petri dishes to reduce evaporation from the chambers containing animals.

Please see the Peltier temperature control for MWP page for instructions on set up.

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Add-on equipment for Zantiks LT


Standard AD sized tanks and shocking plates

  • Ideal for use in the LT system when wanting to standardise across Zantiks systems
  • Increases through put
  • Can be used for locomotor monitoring, operant studies, and aversion learning
Ad Tanks In Lt
Two AD sized tanks fit into the Zantiks LT.
2 Adtanks Lt
View from the system's camera of two AD tanks in the Zantiks LT system.

8 x zebrafish Y-Maze inserts

  • Can assess memory and cognition of 8 fish at once
Zebra Ymaze
Zebrafish Y-maze dimensions. Eight of these can fit within the LT system

Adult zebrafish in 8 Y-maze inserts in the LT system.


1 x rodent Y-maze insert

  • Can assess memory and cognition of mice
Rodent ymaze dimensions
Rodent Y-maze dimensions, 187H x 140L x 50W. One of these can fit within the LT system
Ymaze LT HR
Rodent Y-maze as viewed from the system's camera.

Plus maze 🡕

  • One animal can be placed in the plus maze at a time.
  • Includes a black acrylic cover with a cut out to create darkened and light arms of the plus maze and a central zone.
    • The cover can be rotated to determine which arms are dark and which are bright.

Adult zebrafish exploring the light/dark plus maze under alternating light and dark cycles.


Rodent fear conditioning cage  

  • Offers both overhead and side view 
  • Includes:
    • Cage with grid floor 
    • Shocker unit (Ugo Basile) 
      • Shock Intensity: 0.1 to 3mA, in 0.1mA steps
      • Shock Duration: 0.5 to 60 seconds
    • Sets of textured wall inserts for contextual fear conditioning 
    • 3D mirror box for sideview recording
  • Audio output comes standard in the LT and can be used for cued fear conditioning
Shocking kit for rodents
The fear conditioning cage with an electrified grid floor. A speaker is mounted at the back. 3D mirror box is located on the right to capture a side view of the animal's behaviour.
3 D rodent fear conditioning
Mouse in fear conditioning cage with overhead and side view. Image courtesy of Paul Marshall, Australian National University.

Rotating climbing wheel - for use with Drosophila or other suitable organisms

  • Can hold up to 32 tubes.
  • Uses the built in motor to operate. 
  • The wheel rotates the vials 180° compelling the flies to climb towards the top.
Wheel

Rotating climbing wheel with 15 adult Drosophila individually placed in vials.