FEATURES
- Swimming performance system for aquatic organisms
- Forced exercise in swimming animals
- Swim tunnel with fully automated water velocity control
- State-of-the-art AutoSwim v2 software for Windows 11 included
- Direct data export as an Excel file
- Multi-channel setups for high throughput
- Many different swim tunnel sizes and volumes to match your swim tunnel organism
- Specialized swim tunnels for filming or with built-in treadmill
- Made for use in freshwater and full-strength seawater
Use our swimming performance systems for force-swimming aquatic animals. Applications include Ucrit and swimming performance physiology, behavior, bioenergetics, biomechanics, and kinematic studies in fish and invertebrates of many sizes. The core swimming performance system includes user-friendly AutoSwim v2 software, a swim tunnel, and everything needed for fully automated water velocity control, device control, and data collection and export.
Multi-channel = High throughput
Once you have a CORE system, you can expand the number of channels/swim tunnels with our ADD-ON system to work with multiple swim tunnels – all operated from a single PC.
All the tools in one place
The foundation of our swimming performance systems is our state-of-the-art software solution, AutoSwim v2. AutoSwim v2 lets you automate your swim tunnel experiments including automated water velocity control, real-time data acquisition and export. Visit the AutoSwim v2 site for more information.
Swimming performance in small organisms
Our smallest swim tunnels are the 170 and 1500 mL models. These swim tunnels are of the “blazka type”, and are typically used for force-swimming individuals of small fish like adult zebrafish, killifish, medaka, sticklebacks etc.
The test section of the swim tunnel is located inside an inner glass tube surrounded by an outer glass tube. A stopper can be removed for quickly adding/removing fish. The swim chamber sits in a water bath for temperature control and water quality regulation.
The swim tunnel is fitted with an external electric motor controlled by a motor control box. The motor control box connects to the DAQ-BT instrument, which connects wirelessly to AutoSwim v2 via Bluetooth. This allows for automated software-driven control of water velocity (e.g., via protocols) while not disturbing the animal during the trials.
A submersible water pump is included with the system. The pump is placed inside the water bath and connected to the flush inlet of the swim chamber. A flush outlet makes sure that the water inside the swim chamber can be replenished throughout a swim trial.
A complete flow tracking system (DPTV) is included for easy and automated water velocity calibrations against motor RPM. When you have performed the calibration in DPTV 2 software, simply load the exported calibration file into AutoSwim v2 and you are good to go.
The DAQ-BT connects to AutoSwim v2 on your PC via Bluetooth, and so you can keep your PC in a separate room away from any water hazards while collecting data for further in-depth analysis.
Swimming performance in large organisms
Our large swim tunnel models range in size from 5-850 L. These swim tunnels are made mostly from acrylic, and are typically used for determining swimming performance and force-swimming individuals of fish with wet weights from 20 g and up to 15 kg, or even for shoals/schools/groups of smaller fish.
The test section of the swim tunnel is located towards the side of the water bath. This allows for an unobstructed view of the animal – ideal for filming or visualizing flow. A removable lid is screw unto the test section for access/removal of the animal. For quick access to test organisms, e.g., for schools of zebrafish, consider our quick removal lid.
The swim chamber is mounted inside a water bath for temperature control and water quality regulation. The entire swim chamber can be removed for cleaning and maintenance.
The swim tunnel is fitted with a powerful external motor controlled by a variable frequency drive, i.e., motor control box. This motor control box connects to the DAQ-BT instrument that connects wirelessly to AutoSwim v2 via Bluetooth. This enables you to automatically control water velocities (e.g., via protocols) while avoiding disturbing the animal during the trials.
A submersible water pump is included with the system. The pump is placed inside the water bath and connected to the flush inlet of the swim chamber. A flush outlet makes sure that the water inside the swim chamber can be replenished throughout a swim trial to avoid suffocating the animal.
A high precision vane wheel flow probe and meter is included with the system for easy water velocity calibration directly inside AutoSwim v2.
Swim tunnel with a treadmill
Our treadmill swim tunnel is a specialized 28 L swim tunnel for walking fish or invertebrates with a built-in, motorized, and transparent belt as floor of the test section. The speed of the belt can be controlled independently of the water velocity making this model ideal for physiology, behavior, bioenergetics, biomechanics, or kinematic measurements on walking fish/inverts.
Swim tunnel for filming
Our 360O swim tunnel is a specialized 51 and 130 L swim tunnel for 3D imaging of swimming animals with an expanded dry mid-section for installation of cameras and other optical equipment. The transparent top, floor, and side walls of the test section allows you to film swimming animals or visualize flow from all four angles, i.e., from above, beneath, and both sides.
Need help?
If you need help to set up your swim tunnel system, get started with the AutoSwim v2 software, or if you need inspiration for your next experiment, have a look in large resource base of quick guides and user manuals, our YouTube channel for useful video tutorials, and our ever-expanding list of peer-review published papers using our swim tunnels.
