Packages for Teaching & Research in the Biological Sciences:

Q-Box AQUA Aquatic Respiration Package

The Q-Box AQUA Aquatic Respirometry Package is designed for measurements of metabolic rate (VO₂) as reduction in Dissolved Oxygen inside the Respirometry Chamber with an Aquatic Animal. Both vertebrates and invertebrates may be studied. Q-Box AQUA uses the principle of Intermittent Flow Respirometry.

Q-Box AQUA Operation: The Animal is placed in a Respirometry Chamber and the decrease in Dissolved O₂ due to consumption by the animal is measured. Raw Dissolved Oxygen Data corrected for Salinity, Temperature and Pressure is displayed and used to calculate values of Oxygen Consumption Rate (VO₂) in the Software. Measurements are made sequentially without removing the animal from the chamber. The chamber is flushed with fresh water between measurements. These intermittent flow measurements of VO₂ overcome disadvantages of continuous closed respirometry where dissolved O₂ level in the chamber may decrease to a hypoxic level. All of the components are housed in a rugged weather proof case for easy transport and storage.

During an experiment water is circulated through the animal chamber and the flow-through vessel with the optical DO probe by the liquid pump. A 3-way valve controlled by Digital Control Unit (DCU) and the software determines if the system is in circulation or flushing mode. During the circulation mode respiration measurements are made and during flush mode the animal chamber is being flushed with oxygenated water from the water bath. The circulation-flush cycle is repeated until the experiment is terminated. The time of the flush and circulation phase are selected by the user in the software.

mini-AQUA for Small Samples: For Aquatic Respirometry Measurements of Small Fish and Insect Lavae (˜1g) Qubit offers mini-AQUA Package, a modified version of the Q-Box AQUA with small Aquatic Respirometer Chamber (9ml) and components for Smaller Total Volume System. mini-AQUA Package also includes a micro-chamber (1.23ml in volume) for measurements of VO₂ in very small samples such as larvae, eggs and juvenile fish less than 0.5g. The micro-chamber is used in the intermittent stop flow mode during measurements and the DO probe is placed directly in the chamber resulting in higher sensitivity and resolution of the system. Contact us for more details.

1. Applications:
2. Aquatic Respirometry Studies
3. Vertebrate and Invertebrate Aquatic Studies
4. Lab and Field Studies

1. Components:
2. G217 Large Respiration Chamber (8.2cm ID, 16.7cm L, 660ml)
3. G216 Small Respiration Chamber (3.8cm ID, 15.3cm L, 140ml)
4. G210 mini-AQUA Chamber (1.6cm ID, 4.5cm L, 9ml)
5. G223 mini-AQUA micro-Chamber (1.5cm ID, 0.85cm Depth, 1.23ml)
6. S122 Optical DO probe
7. A260 Flow-Through Vessel for DO Probe
8. PL175 Liquid Pump (1LPM)
9. PL100 Liquid pump (0.1LPM) mini-AQUA
10. A236 Three-Way Valve
11. C200 Digital Control Unit for 3-Way Valve
12. A750 Water Bath
13. S132 Temperature Probe for Water Bath
14. S181 Absolute Pressure Sensor
15. S130 Salinity Probe
16. 6 Channel Data Acquisition Interface (C610 × 2)
17. C901 Software
18. Rugged Weather-Proof Case
19. Q-Box AQUA Accessory Kit (Tubing, Connectors)
20. User Manual
21. A249 Battery Pack (Optional)

1. Q-Box AQUA Software:
1. Software: Raw Data Page



1. Software: Data Calculation Page