Working with Xenopus laevis or Xenopus tropicalis often means managing dozens of small, critical tasks every day: breeding schedules, weight and size measurements, tank hygiene, water parameters, health monitoring, and detailed records for every frog. For many research teams, these records are still maintained using Excel spreadsheets, paper notebooks, or whiteboards in the animal room. It’s a fragile system—one that often breaks down as soon as someone goes on holiday or a spreadsheet is mistakenly overwritten.
Fishlab was created in response to this reality. It’s not just another piece of lab software, but a purpose-built platform for aquatic animal management, with the specific needs of Xenopus facilities in mind. The goal is simple: to offer a tool that reduces human error, simplifies collaboration, and helps researchers and technicians focus on their core work—rather than on chasing files or trying to decode unclear notes.
1. Why Xenopus Facilities Need Better Software Than Excel
Manual tracking works—until it doesn’t. If you’ve ever tried to backtrack the breeding origin of a tadpole batch or explain a missing data point during an audit, you already know the limits of traditional methods. Mistakes multiply when systems and datas are fragmented. A weight record logged on paper, a reproduction note saved on someone’s computer, a health concern mentioned during a team meeting but never recorded—these little gaps quickly become major risks in daily operations.
What makes Fishlab a solid alternative to spreadsheets is not just its ability to store data, but its ability to centralise it in a clear, consistent, and collaborative space. Everyone on the team accesses the same platform—whether they’re entering data during morning rounds or reviewing lineages before planning a new experiment. Fishlab makes sure that nothing slips through the cracks.
2. A Software Platform Designed for Xenopus Workflows
Fishlab was developed with close input from teams who manage amphibians in research settings. Rather than trying to fit Xenopus care into a general framework, it offers a structure tailored to the biology and logistics of these animals.
The platform allows you to track animals by batch or individually. For facilities using RFID tagging, each animal’s profile includes individual weight, length, lineage, and history. This becomes especially useful in long-term studies or facilities with complex breeding programmes. From the first induction to metamorphosis, all steps can be traced and retrieved in a few clicks.
Reproduction events are documented in a dedicated module. Hormonal inductions, pairings, egg collection and larval rearing can all be logged and connected to the parental records. Fishlab links breeding history to the resulting offspring automatically, offering full visibility over genetic and experimental background.
Health events are tracked in a separate module, with room to document treatments, anomalies, routine observations, or clinical follow-ups. Each entry is timestamped and linked to a user profile, ensuring total traceability. This is particularly helpful during veterinary checks or when responding to ethical board queries.
3. Software That Supports the Team, Not Just the Data
What sets Fishlab apart is its attention to real-life workflow in animal facilities. The platform runs on desktop computers, but also on tablets and smartphones. That means data can be entered during rounds in the animal room, reviewed on the go, or checked from the office.
This multi-device access means no more end-of-day data entry, no more lost notes, and far fewer transcription errors. It also makes collaboration easier. Each technician, researcher or manager sees what they need to see, when they need it. The result is smoother communication and less confusion about what’s been done and what’s pending.
The platform also brings a sense of calm to facility management. When every tank, animal and event is logged and searchable, you reduce the risk of mistakes and improve your ability to respond quickly to issues. That translates directly into better care for the animals and a more efficient environment for the team.
4. Traceability and Compliance Without the Stress
For facilities operating under regulatory oversight, traceability is essential. Whether it’s an internal audit, an inspection from an ethics committee, or a request from a designated veterinarian, being able to show a clear and consistent record is non-negotiable.
Fishlab generates time-stamped logs that can’t be modified retrospectively. This provides a clear chain of responsibility for every breeding, treatment, tank change or health event. Reports can be exported easily, so you’re not scrambling to compile data across multiple files or formats.
The software also allows you to prepare for inspections more calmly. Instead of building documentation from scratch each time, you simply export what you need—complete with animal histories, intervention dates, and staff involvement.
5. Used by Leading Xenopus Platforms in Europe
Fishlab is already in use at several of France’s leading Xenopus facilities. At the University of Paris-Saclay, it supports the management of the TEFOR Xenopus animal room, helping staff track animals and ensure consistency across projects. Further west, the CNRS facility at Aquapôle in Rennes uses Fishlab to manage its Xenopus colonies, while the Watchfrog laboratory has integrated the software to support both husbandry and research.
These platforms face different research questions and logistical challenges, but they all share a need for a system that is precise, robust, and easy to use.
Fishlab as a Long-Term Partner for Xenopus Research
Switching from Excel doesn’t mean disrupting your routines. On the contrary, Fishlab was designed to support and enhance existing workflows. It helps make good practices more consistent, without adding administrative burden.
Setup is quick, and the interface is intentionally simple. Most Xenopus teams start using it effectively within a day or two. From there, it becomes a natural extension of how the facility works.
Whether you’re managing 30 Xenopus tanks or 300, Fishlab grows with you. Its modular structure allows you to activate only what you need—Xenopus reproduction, health, water monitoring, tagging, reporting—while keeping the interface clean and focused.
If you’re curious to see how it would look in your own setup, the Fishlab team offers demonstrations and can advise on the best way to match the platform to your current organisation.
For more information or to request a demo, visit Fishlab software for Xenopus facilities.