Statement_of_Objectives.pdf

Statement of Objectives (SOO)

NEI Multi-Rack Aquatic System for 3C63 Building 49 Central Animal Facility

Veterinary Resources Research Section (VRRS)

Office of the Scientific Director, NEI

The National Eye Institute (NEI), Division of Intramural Research (DIR), VRRS, functions as lead IC for the Building 49 Central Animal Facility (CAF) which provides animal care services to six additional ICs on the NIH Bethesda campus.

Nature and Description of Project Information Title: NEI Multi-Rack Aquatic System for 3C63 Building 49 Central Animal Facility

POTS Number:

Statement of Objectives:

Period of Performance will be 15 September 2016 through 14 September 2017.

Onsite Initial visit will take place the week of the 27 June 2016. This is a no-cost pre-proposal requirement. The visit will take place at Building 49, (49 Convant Drive, Bethesda MD), Room

B1W28.

Contractor Question and Answer period will be one week after the initial visit. The Contractor Q &

A will end closed of business on 5th of July 2016.

Proposal Deadline will be 12th of July 2016; one week after the Q& A period has ended.

Proposal review period will take place 2 weeks after the July 12th deadline.

Price is to include: work, including all labor, materials, equipment and supervision during install, startup and training and one-year warranty.

Background:

NEI Zebra fish colony has out grown the current capacity of our current systems. NEI is looking to expand their zebra fish colony, and the space in which we have be given is relatively small and confining. Our primary requirement is to maximize the available holding capacity within the room with an optimal number of racks and tanks configured to hold greatest amount of fish per racks. Special consideration will be given to the manufactures that are able to accomplish this with a combination of tanks sizes that allow us as the end user to have the most flexibility within the space. Above all, the fish housing systems that are ultimately selected shall function to provide a stable and favorable environment that produces and maintains healthy and productive fish. Our primary requirement is to maximize the available holding capacity within the room with an optimal number of racks and tanks.

Our tank density is based on volume of the tank, and is determined by our SOP/The Guide.

Room diagram is at the end of the statement of objectives. Importantly, the system shall also be designed to facilitate adherence to regulatory requirements as outlined in the GUIDE FOR THE CARE

AND USE OF LABORAOTY ANIMALS, Eighth Edition. The performance and functionality of these systems is critical to the protection of the animals and the research supported by these systems. In addition to the performance and functionality of these systems we are also interested in latest technology advancement within in the zebra housing units. We have reviewed literature and spoke with industry leaders concerning their newest systems which now include such innovations as fully automated electronic water quality monitoring and control systems that can be accessed and operated remotely over the Internet, specialized spawning chambers, and robotic feeders.

The goal of the new zebrafish housing system is to provide a stable and favorable microenvironment for the animals housed within it. This microenvironment, for fishes at least, is synonymous with the concept of water quality, which incorporates the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water that the animals inhabit. The most important of these parameters are temperature, pH, salinity, alkalinity, hardness, dissolved oxygen, and nitrogenous wastes. The housing systems must be designed in such a way that these conditions can be reliably maintained. The ability to achieve this goal is dependent upon both the preparation of source water before it gets into the housing system and the manner in which the water is treated once it is inside the system with the animals.

The government will furnish the Reverse osmosis system. The system being proposed will need to be able to adapt to the current RO system (Model E2-375-DLX-6; S/N:16-03-1226252-H-01; Permeate

Rate at .26 gpm; RO machine with deluxe features, manufactured by GE water, rated at 77 degrees F) that will be housed in the room. The system shall be a recirculating system. Clean water is pumped into tanks, fish excrete wastes into the water, and the effluent water is pumped into a “treatment” zone where wastes are removed before the water is returned “clean” to the fish. The great majority of zebrafish housing systems are recirculating, and shall have the means for: solids removal, biological filtration, chemical filtration, aeration, and UV disinfection.

The water quality in the system must be both managed and monitored to ensure that it remains within target ranges. The automation facilitates a more continuous level of monitoring and control not otherwise possible in systems of any size. It also provides a tighter degree of control over what is happening in the system, which is important as the margin for error becomes smaller in closed, intensive housing systems. Virtually we have found that all commercially available options for zebrafish housing systems are now designed to allow for some degree of automated monitoring, alarming, and control of water quality. There are various permutations of design, but most setups allow users to continuously monitor, record, and view water quality parameters in the system and control various parameters and system components; they also provide a measure of security by sending alarms and/or automatically shutting components down when selected parameters move above or below threshold set-points. These instruments interface with software programs, some of which allow for access of the system over the Internet, and in some cases, it is possible to view and control the system using a handheld device or cell phone. The controller will have the capability to send email, text and phone messages to the functional users. By and large, these monitoring systems all involve the use of https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/Guide-for-the-Care-and-use-of-laboratory-animals.pdf probes or sensors that are either placed in contact with the sample flow stream or, in the case of physical parameters, are in an appropriate location in the system.

The system shall have the following additional capabilities:

Monitoring and Control of pH

Monitoring and Control of Temperature

Monitoring and Control of Dissolved Oxygen

Monitoring and Control of Salinity/Conductivity

Monitoring and Control of Total Dissolved Gas Pressure

Flow

Filter Vessel Pressure

Filter Vessel Pressure Differentials

Water Level measurements

Local Visual and Audible Alarms for parameters out of range

Remote Alarm vie email, SMS messaging, and phone Paging

System Maintenance configuration and management tool set

Integrated Security Password Protection

Maintaining 24/7 monitoring of the aquatic environment is critical to the survival of the zebrafish. Per our accreditation and the Guide for Animal Use and Care states that monitoring of environmental conditions in animal holding spaces and other environmentally sensitive areas in the facility should be considered.

Automated monitoring systems, which notify personnel of excursions in environmental conditions, including temperature, pH, conductivity, flow, filter pressure, calculated filter vessel pressure differentials, critical and water level are advisable to prevent animal loss or physiologic changes as a result of system malfunctions.

Racks: In its most basic, generic form, a rack in the context of zebrafish housing is a structure that safely holds tanks. The size and shape of the tank will dictate the rack requirements. The housing needs of the zebrafish, usually kept in groups whose numbers are driven by the research, will dictate the requirements for the tank. In its most developed form, a rack supports its tanks not only by organizing them in a 3-dimensional grid but also by providing the infrastructure that helps each tank successfully house the fish. Examples of this infrastructure include influent and effluent water pipes, aeration, lights, integrated control and monitoring capability, and incorporated work surfaces, among others.

Ergonomics is also an important part of rack design. Rack designs should include forethought to ergonomic issues benefit researchers, facility managers, and animal care personnel. Commonplace tasks like feeding, removing and replacing tanks, and daily health checks are aided by creative design elements in lid features and attention to height and accessibility, for example. Racks should be designed with regard to human safety and usability concerns as well as concerns for proper fish housing.

Successful zebrafish rack construction requires attention to the wet, humid, warm environment that results from zebrafish aquaculture and the use of materials that will withstand this environment.

Although zebrafish are classified as a freshwater species, zebrafish system water contains some salts and minerals that can corrode many metals. Therefore, racks constructed of corrosion-resistant material that will endure in this type of environment are required.

Tanks: Tanks used in zebrafish housing systems may vary in shape, size, and materials with which they are constructed. They also vary in terms of how water is delivered and removed from them as well as the manner in which they contain fish (prevent fish from escaping into the system). These factors all impact the well-being of the fish, the functionality of the system (maintenance of stable and favorable water quality), and the pace and efficiency of research being conducted with the animals. Therefore, the choice of a particular system should include careful consideration of its associated tank types and how these types help users achieve their research and husbandry goals. As in rack construction, materials used to hold zebrafish are usually made of polycarbonate, high-quality glass or acrylic. Care should be taken to ensure that all other materials used in setting up the rack, such as tanks, pipes, plastic connections, tubing, siphons and pumps, do not leak toxic compounds into the water.

Most tanks have self-cleaning design features like sloped bottoms and drainage from low points, to prolong periods between washing. Lid design can influence the ease and accuracy of feeding. Some lid designs reduce the likelihood of an escaped fish jumping back into another tank. This could lead to a major genetic line contamination event. Ease of tank use is a complex issue, but is somewhat reflected in the number of hand movements required for various tasks, such as tank moving, tank cleaning, or netting out fish.

A major operating goal of any zebrafish tank is to ensure that fish are completely contained within a given unit and do not intermingle with fish from other tanks. This issue is of no small concern because zebrafish tend to be very good at fitting through small spaces. Preventing escapes is critical for maintaining the genetic integrity of strains as well as for the control of specific communicable diseases.

Tank design facilitates this via the implementation of tight-fit-ting lids as well as screens and baffles that, respectively, allow for water delivery and removal but prevent fish escape. The design strategies employed to achieve this goal change with the size and life stage of the fish being housed. Larval fish, in particular, present a specific challenge because of their small size. This challenge is usually met by employing specialized screens or “baby baffles” that exclude the passage of small fry out of tanks.

Some tank designs also offer in-tank dividers as a means to isolate discrete groups or single animals from others in the same enclosure unit. Lids, too, can be manufactured to prevent fish escape, and vertical feed holes can discourage escape via jumping better than horizontal feed holes.

Zebrafish systems vary to some extent in the manner that water is delivered to and removed from tanks on a rack. The general strategy that all commercial zebrafish housing systems employ is that tanks on a given rack are connected in some way to both supply lines and return gutters. In general, water is plumbed to racks in supply lines that run above tanks on each shelf. Water flows into tanks, and effluent overflows out through baffles or screens (that also serve to keep fish in tanks) into a gutter or raceway that drains to the treatment zone in the system.

The variation in current designs involves the manner in which the water is actually delivered into and drained from individual tanks. There are various strategies for delivery. In a few applications, water sprays directly into the tanks through holes drilled in the supply lines, meaning that control of flow is controlled at the level of the shelf (row) and not the tank. The supply lines may run within the tanks themselves, just above the water level, or spray down from above directly onto lids. Because this lack of control is not desirable, movement has been toward individual water tubes connected to the supply lines above the tanks. In this design the flow rate of water into tanks is controlled by valves or drip emitters.

Sentinel Tanks: Health monitoring or sentinel programs are an integral part of a professionally run zebrafish research program. In most program designs, sentinel tanks containing the fish to be analyzed are set up within housing systems, the ideal situation would offer both prefiltration and postfiltration.

This approach not only allows for the monitoring of disease but also allows managers to assess system function and ultraviolet performance. Depending on the vendor, specialized housing tanks plumbed to receive effluent (postfiltration) water either are available as options for currently offered systems or can be customized for individual applications.

The project will be completed when system is installed; tested and training conducted. It will be the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the equipment that will be brought in the final area of assembly fit the pre-existing space. In addition, the contractor will ensure that the equipment will fit in the passageway. The contractor will provide documented training to the customer and associated contract personnel

Submittals:

a) Product Data: Submit manufacturer's data for each item of equipment specified. Include dimensions, configurations, construction details, and attachments. Indicate location, size, and service requirements for each utility connection.

b) Shop Drawings: Provide large-scale plans and sections showing rough in and anchor placements, clearances, and location of all utilities for coordination with other trades.

c) Manufacturer's operating and maintenance manuals (2), and one (1) electronic version in a

Adobe Acrobat file, and a copy of the program for the system.

Warranty:

Provide manufacturer's standard to include parts and labor for a 1-year, against defects in materials, design, and workmanship from date of acceptance at site. The warranty shall commence upon acceptance at site.

Deliverables: Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Manuals

a) Two (2) copies of the Operations and Maintenance Manuals are to be provided for all equipment. The manuals are to be model specific and contain, at a minimum, detailed information for equipment safety, operation, and maintenance. The manual shall be provided with the following information: System Description; Operating Instructions; Component Functions, Preventive

Maintenance; Flowcharts for Troubleshooting; Parts Listing; Vendor Literature / Cut Sheets; Technical

Drawings; and programming.

b) A detailed explanation to include an illustration of valve operations and identification of values are to be provided. Maintenance is to be broken down into two chapters: scheduled (preventive) and unscheduled. Preventive maintenance schedules for equipment service, at fixed time intervals, shall be designed to prevent the system from mis-operation. Troubleshooting section shall help identify the cause of the problem and describe corrective actions. Troubleshooting section will have a flow chart with if/then decisions to help trouble shoot the initial problem.

Scale: 1/32 : 1

0 ft. 2 ft. 4.8 in. 4 ft. 8 ft.

3C63

30.00in.

40.50in.

125.00in.

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43.00in

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10.50in.

.5 in

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.5 in

18.50in.

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