Respirometry Swim Tunnel
Standard Respirometry System
Standard swim tunnels for swimming-performance and respirometry studies, in nine sizes from 0.5 L to 100 L.
Our standard intermittent-flow swim tunnel in nine volumes from 0.5 L to 100 L, with integrated flush pump, flow calibration kit and Aquafab Control for Ucrit, fatigue and respirometry trials. Faster to quote and build than a custom Alpha system.
Designed, fabricated and tested in Cincinnati, Ohio
Runs on Aquafab Workbench — programming, calibration and data logging built in
Lifetime technical support, plus optional installation and training
System builder
Configure your system
Choose a tunnel volume, then add thermal control and sensing. Every tunnel includes Aquafab Control, an integrated flush pump and flow calibration.
The Standard Respirometry System is Aquafab's ready-to-configure intermittent-flow swim tunnel, built in nine standard volumes from 0.5 L to 100 L. Pick the size that fits your animals, add thermal control and sensing, and get the same automation, flushing and calibration as our custom Alpha systems — with faster quotes and lead times.
Every system includes
- Aquafab Workbench software for trial programming, swimming-speed tracking, recording and analysis — every feature, no paywalls
- Integrated flush pump for oxygenated-water replacement during intermittent-flow trials, with software-set flush intervals
- Flow calibration kit for rapid, precise velocity calibration — or upgrade to PIV flow calibration
- High-transparency acrylic for 360° observation and filming
Built for swimming and metabolic studies
Run critical swimming speed (Ucrit), fatigue and endurance protocols, step-velocity tests and intermittent-flow respirometry from one interface. Add set-point or cycling thermal control and integrated sensing to study performance across temperature and oxygen conditions.
Standard sizes
0.5 L, 1 L, 1.5 L, 3 L, 5 L, 10 L, 20 L, 50 L and 100 L. The 1.5 L benchtop model fits a footprint under 55 × 10 in, runs on standard 110 V and delivers stable flow up to 5 L/min. Specifications for other volumes are confirmed on your quote.
Need something bigger or different?
The Alpha Respirometry System is fully customizable — any dimensions, higher flows, rapid thermal cycling and multi-chamber layouts.
| Available volumes | |
| 500 mL | Larval fish and small invertebrates. |
| 1 L | Juvenile fish; compact benchtop footprint. |
| 1.5 L | Our most popular size for small fish and juveniles. |
| 3 L | Sub-adult fish and larger invertebrates. |
| 5 L | Larger specimens; reinforced construction. |
| 10 L | Adult fish and crustaceans. |
| 20 L | Large fish and bivalve aggregations. |
| 50 L | Very large specimens or group trials. |
| 100 L | Maximum-capacity research tunnels and chambers. |
| Included | |
| Software | Aquafab Control (tracking, recording, analysis) |
| Flushing | Integrated flush pump, software-set intervals |
| Calibration | Flow calibration kit |
| Construction | High-transparency acrylic |
| 1.5 L benchtop model | |
| Footprint | ≤ 55 × 10 in |
| Flow | Up to 5 L/min |
| Power | 110 V |
Specifications describe standard builds. Every Aquafab system can be adapted — ask us about dimensions, materials or performance outside these ranges.
| Option | Choice | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Chamber volume | 500 mL | Larval fish and small invertebrates. |
| 1 L | Juvenile fish; compact benchtop footprint. | |
| 1.5 L | Our most popular size for small fish and juveniles. | |
| 3 L | Sub-adult fish and larger invertebrates. | |
| 5 L | Larger specimens; reinforced construction. | |
| 10 L | Adult fish and crustaceans. | |
| 20 L | Large fish and bivalve aggregations. | |
| 50 L | Very large specimens or group trials. | |
| 100 L | Maximum-capacity research tunnels and chambers. | |
| Thermal control | Ambient | Temperature monitored and logged. |
| Set-point control | Stable heating/cooling to a target temperature. | |
| Thermal cycling | Programmable temperature ramps and cycles during trials. | |
| Integrated sensing | None | |
| Basic | Temperature and dissolved oxygen. | |
| Advanced | DO, temperature, pH, conductivity and ORP with automated logging and alerts. | |
| Custom | Select exactly the sensors you need below. | |
| Choose your sensors | Dissolved oxygen | Optical DO for respirometry and hypoxia work. |
| Temperature | ||
| pH | ||
| Conductivity / salinity | ||
| ORP | Oxidation-reduction potential. | |
| Turbidity | ||
| Ammonia | NH₃/NH₄⁺ monitoring for husbandry. | |
| Nitrate | ||
| Chlorophyll-a / fluorescence | Algal and phytoplankton studies. | |
| Light (PAR) | Photosynthetically active radiation. | |
| Pressure / depth | Water level and depth logging. | |
| Flow velocity | In-line or in-channel velocity sensing. | |
| Other — tell us in the notes | ||
| Flow calibration | Standard calibration | Included flow calibration kit. |
| PIV flow calibration | Factory PIV calibration so trials run in true cm/s. |
- Critical swimming speed (Ucrit) and fatigue trials
- Intermittent-flow metabolic measurements
- Behavioral studies in controlled flow
- Thermal and hypoxia performance studies
Every Aquafab system is backed by the people who designed and built it.
- Warranty: standard systems include a 2-year warranty on Aquafab-fabricated components and electronics.
- Lifetime support: phone, email and remote support for as long as you own the system.
- Installation & training: optional on-site installation, commissioning and hands-on training for your lab or teaching staff.
- Maintenance: on-site maintenance visits and replacement parts on request.
Questions?
Talk it through with an engineer.
Not sure which options fit your protocol? We're happy to help you specify the right system — no obligation.