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	Laboratory facilities The Department has several laboratories operated by different units, and are well-equipped to carry out the research required by its many projects and offer services to the Greek aquaculture industry. Equipment and analytical capabilities include the following areas: physico-chemical analysis of water (temperature, oxygen, pH, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates) using calorimetric or ion-exchange techniques microscopy using epi-fluorescence, inverted microscope with phase contrast, photo-microscopy and image analysis microbiology lab equipped with low-temperature incubator, laminar flow hood, -80 °C freezer, refrigerated centrifuge, colony counters biochemistry and nutrition with kjeldhal protein apparatus, digestion unit, Soxhlet automatic apparatus for total fat content, Hydrolysis unit, carbohydrate determination unit, muffle furnace and oven Fish Reproductive Physiology unit The main activities of this unit include the environmental and endocrine control of reproduction in marine fishes, and the study of management stressors on broodstock performance. The objective is to improve the management and utilisation of captive broodstocks and to enable the production of good quality gametes from new potential species for aquaculture. This unit is equipped for hormonal determinations (using ELISA and RIA methods) and biochemical. Physiological parameters determined are: Haematology - Blood Chemistry (haematocrit, total proteins, glucose, cholesterol, total fats, calcium, magnesium, iron etc). Endocrinology - testosterone, 17-estradiol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, cortisol, thyroid hormones (T3, T4). The Histology unit The Histology unit is equipped to perform routine and specific examination of tissues from healthy and diseased fish and give diagnosis in support of results obtained (12-station rotary tissue processor (histokinette), embedding station, rotary microtome, water bath, slide warmer plater, portable bench top fume hood, staining system). Haematological studies are also undertaken to assess the effects of diseases on blood composition by means of haematocrit, blood cell differentiation measurements and biochemical determination of glucose, cortisol and steroid hormones. The Fish Behaviour, Ethology and Biorhythms Unit The Fish Behaviour, Ethology and Biorhythms Unit has in-house demand feeders electronically connected to a centralised data collector, as well as tagging systems for fish (fish eagle). The major research activity is the application and improvement of demand feeders (patented by the Institute) under farmed conditions. It also carries out research on stress in reared fish and the application of psychological methods (classical and operand conditioning) in the study of learning and memory of fish. The feeding behaviour and the circadian rhythms of different species is studied, in terms of preference and also the quantitative and the qualitative needs. The unit has an experimental room with 38 cylindrical tanks of 500 l. with controlled photoperiod and water quality and demand feeders electronically connected to a central unit with the appropriate software and hardware for recording their operation.
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