Transparent Plexiglas cylinders for forced swim test protocols, measuring antidepressant-like behaviors through immobility time quantification in rodents.
Director of Science · ConductScience
Ask Louise about Forced Swim Test fit, setup, configuration, or quote prep.
Already working with us? Sign in to connect this with My Scientist.
The Forced Swim Test apparatus consists of transparent Plexiglas cylinders designed for behavioral assessment of antidepressant-like effects in rodents. Water-filled chambers prevent floor contact and wall climbing, creating a controlled environment where animals exhibit measurable behavioral responses. The test induces learned helplessness by placing subjects in an inescapable aquatic environment, allowing researchers to quantify immobility time as a primary outcome measure.
Available in three configurations to accommodate different species and body weights, the apparatus features odor-resistant acrylic construction for consistent experimental conditions across sessions. The standardized design supports reproducible protocols for antidepressant screening and behavioral despair studies. Assembly is required, with storage solutions included for laboratory space management.
The forced swim test operates on the principle of behavioral despair, where animals placed in an inescapable water-filled cylinder initially attempt active escape behaviors (swimming, climbing) before transitioning to passive floating or minimal movements. The water level is calibrated to prevent foot contact with the chamber bottom while the smooth walls prevent climbing escape, creating a standardized stressful environment.
Behavioral scoring focuses on immobility time, defined as minimal movements necessary only to keep the head above water. Active behaviors include swimming (horizontal movements) and climbing (vertical movements directed at walls). The transparent Plexiglas construction allows clear visualization for manual scoring or video analysis systems. Test duration typically ranges from 5-15 minutes, with immobility measurements serving as the primary dependent variable for statistical analysis.
| Feature | This Product | Typical Alternative | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber Material | Transparent Plexiglas with odor-resistant properties | Basic plastic or glass chambers without odor control | Maintains consistent experimental conditions by preventing odor accumulation between test sessions |
| Size Options | Three diameter configurations (20cm, 25cm, 30cm) | Single-size chambers requiring adaptation for different species | Optimized chamber dimensions ensure appropriate testing conditions across mouse and rat studies |
| Warranty Coverage | One-year manufacturer warranty | Limited or no warranty coverage | Provides equipment reliability assurance and ongoing technical support for sustained research programs |
| Storage Integration | Included storage solutions | No storage components provided | Facilitates laboratory space management and equipment organization between experimental sessions |
The apparatus combines species-specific sizing options with odor-resistant construction and integrated storage solutions. The transparent Plexiglas design supports both manual observation and video analysis protocols with one-year warranty coverage.
| Model | SKU | Listed price | Status | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | ME-3702 | $1,190.00 | Available | 43.2 x 38.0 x 45 cm |
| Mouse | ME-3701 | $890.00 | Available | 30.48 x 30.48 x 55.88 cm |
| Large Rat | ME-3703 | $1,490.00 | Available | 43.2 x 38.0 x 60 cm |
Maintain water temperature at 23-25°C throughout testing sessions using a thermometer to monitor consistency.
Why: Temperature variations can influence animal activity levels and confound behavioral measurements.
Clean chambers thoroughly with appropriate disinfectant and allow complete drying between subjects.
Why: Residual odors can influence subsequent animal behavior and compromise experimental validity.
Establish clear behavioral scoring criteria and train observers to achieve consistent inter-rater reliability above 90%.
Why: Subjective behavioral scoring requires standardization to ensure reproducible and reliable data collection.
Have towels and warming equipment readily available for immediate animal care post-testing.
Why: Rapid drying and warming prevent hypothermia and ensure animal welfare following water exposure.
If animals consistently show excessive climbing behavior, verify water depth meets protocol specifications.
Why: Insufficient water depth allows floor contact, enabling escape behaviors that compromise test validity.
Verify chamber dimensions and water depth before each experimental series using standardized measuring tools.
Why: Consistent physical parameters ensure reproducible testing conditions across experimental sessions and studies.
ConductScience provides a one-year manufacturer warranty covering material defects and construction quality, with technical support for setup and protocol optimization.
Background reading relevant to this product:
What is the Forced Swim Test?
The Forced Swim Test (Porsolt test) is a behavioral assay used to assess depression-like behavior in rodents by measuring the duration of immobility when placed in an inescapable cylinder of water.
How does the Forced Swim Test work?
A rodent is placed in a cylinder filled with water from which it cannot escape. After initial vigorous swimming, the animal adopts an immobile posture. Immobility time is measured as an index of behavioral despair, which is reduced by antidepressant treatments.
What research applications use the Forced Swim Test?
The Forced Swim Test is one of the most widely used screens for antidepressant drug efficacy. It is also applied in stress resilience research and studies of monoaminergic and glutamatergic system function.
Use this apparatus with
No exact ConductVision forced-swim page is currently published. Immobility, climbing, and swimming are normally scored from a front-view video against a calibrated mobility threshold rather than overhead tracking; keep this as a roadmap gap.
Supporting page not yet builtNo exact ConductMaze forced-swim protocol page is currently published. Cylinder dimensions, water temperature and depth, pretest and test durations, and immobility-scoring rules belong in a protocol entry; keep this as a roadmap gap.
Supporting page not yet builtSummarize immobility time, latency to immobility, climbing and swimming time, and the immobility fraction with quality-control flags.
Forced Swim Immobility Calculator ->Configuration considerations
Use these notes to scope species, cohort, tracking, and automation needs. Only verified product or support routes are linked from this section.
Clear cylinder with controlled water temperature and depth and a front-view camera mount
Standard configuration for the behavioral immobility and stress-coping assay, reporting immobility time and the balance of passive versus active coping from a single calibrated cylinder.
Quote
Request QuoteCylinder diameter, water depth, and fill volume scaled for mouse or rat body size
Cylinder depth and diameter change whether the animal can touch the bottom or brace against the wall, so the geometry should match the species and cohort being tested.
Quote
View options ->Several screened cylinders with synchronized front-view recording for batch sessions
Best when throughput is the constraint and several animals run in parallel; opaque screens between cylinders keep one subject from cueing the next.
Quote
Request automation help§ 1
The Forced Swim Test is a behavioral immobility and stress-coping assay that records how a rodent shifts between active escape behavior and passive immobility when placed in an inescapable water cylinder. Porsolt and colleagues introduced the procedure, and it is historically used to screen for antidepressant-like activity in rodents as research context. 1
The primary readout is immobility time, scored as the period in which the animal makes only the movements needed to keep its head above water. Latency to immobility, climbing time, and swimming time separate the onset and the balance of passive versus active coping across the test session. 1
Water temperature, water depth, pretest and test duration, strain baseline activity, and the immobility-detection threshold all change scored immobility independent of any underlying coping difference. A defensible protocol fixes the water conditions, the session timing, and the scoring threshold, and reports strain so results are comparable across runs. 1
§ 2
Inescapable-cylinder swim session with immobility, climbing, and swimming scored against a fixed mobility threshold.
Critical methodological constraints
Core forced-swim endpoints for passive versus active coping and quality control.
Immobility Time
Passive coping
Latency To Immobility
Coping onset
Climbing Time
Active coping
Swimming Time
Active coping
Mobility Tracking
Quality control
+ Additional metrics: water temperature, water depth, pretest use, session duration, strain, body weight, and per-cylinder video notes.
A compact fraction of the scored window the animal spent immobile rather than actively coping.
Estimate the N per group needed to detect a literature-anchored coping effect at the endpoint you plan to report. Override the defaults with your own pilot numbers.
§ 3
Aggregate publication data, sample apparatus output, and recent findings from the live PubMed feed.
PubMed volume and co-occurring behavioral methods for forced-swim coping studies.
Representative output from a 6-minute test session scored from front-view video against a fixed mobility threshold.
Forced-swim methods continue to emphasize fixed water conditions and a calibrated mobility threshold.
Static methods note aligned with Porsolt et al. (1977), Can et al. (2012), and Cryan et al. (2005).
Review forced-swim studies for fixed water temperature and depth, standardized pretest and test durations, and a pre-specified mobility threshold before interpreting immobility as a passive-coping shift.
Separating climbing and swimming sharpens interpretation of active versus passive coping.
Static methods note aligned with Slattery & Cryan (2012) and Yankelevitch-Yahav et al. (2015).
Scoring climbing and swimming separately, rather than as a single mobility count, localizes where a behavioral shift occurs and is most defensible when paired with an independent open-field or elevated-plus-maze measure in the same cohort.
§ 4
Limitations of the paradigm, methodological caveats, and current directions.
Variables that shift Forced Swim Test results independent of anxiety state.
Cooler water raises immobility and introduces a thermal stressor unrelated to coping. Fix and report temperature.
Shallow water lets animals touch or brace against the bottom, deflating immobility. Standardize depth so the cylinder stays inescapable.
Immobility accumulates over time, so different pretest and test durations are not comparable. Hold session timing constant.
Strains differ in baseline swimming and immobility. Compare within strain and report it rather than pooling across strains.
The line between immobility and active movement is observer- or software-set. A fixed threshold and ideally a blinded scorer reduce variance.
## Forced Swim Test — methods controls Confounds controlled in this protocol: - **Water temperature.** Cooler water raises immobility and introduces a thermal stressor unrelated to coping. Fix and report temperature. - **Water depth.** Shallow water lets animals touch or brace against the bottom, deflating immobility. Standardize depth so the cylinder stays inescapable. - **Pretest & test duration.** Immobility accumulates over time, so different pretest and test durations are not comparable. Hold session timing constant. - **Strain baseline activity.** Strains differ in baseline swimming and immobility. Compare within strain and report it rather than pooling across strains. - **Immobility-detection threshold.** The line between immobility and active movement is observer- or software-set. A fixed threshold and ideally a blinded scorer reduce variance.
The forced swim test is a research methods model of passive versus active coping in rodents; it is not a clinical measure and clinical interpretation is out of scope. It is strongest when water conditions, session timing, and the mobility threshold are fixed before testing, with climbing and swimming scored separately and confirmed against an independent behavioral assay. 1
Yes. The modified scoring separates climbing from swimming as distinct active-coping categories, which is more informative than a single mobility count and helps localize where a behavioral shift occurs.
Rat protocols often use a pretest day followed by a test day, while many mouse protocols use a single session. Decide in advance, hold it constant across groups, and report which design you used.
Fix water temperature and depth, refresh water between subjects, and report both. Cooler or shallower water changes immobility independent of any coping difference.
Quarterly editorial review of emerging Forced Swim Test methodology. Q2 2026
Calibrating the software mobility threshold across rigs improves comparability of immobility time between labs and scoring systems.
Video-based classifiers that separate immobility, climbing, and swimming reduce observer burden and improve consistency of active-coping categories.
Reporting water temperature, depth, and session timing is increasingly expected because each shifts scored immobility independent of coping.
The forced swim test is paired with open-field and elevated-plus-maze measures to separate coping behavior from general locomotion and exploratory activity.
§ 5
6 selected methods and validation references for Forced Swim Test.
