The independent feeding is considered as a criterion from when on experiments require permission by responsible authorities, which in the zebrafish is accepted to be at 120 hpf.
In fact, the EU Directive 2010/63/EU (Directive on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes), Article 1.3 states: “This Directive shall apply to the following animals: (a) live non-human vertebrate animals, including: (i) independently feeding larval forms; and (ii) foetal forms of mammals as from the last third of their normal development; (b) live cephalopods.”.
Thus, from an ethical permission point of view, "the zebrafish earliest life-stages are not defined as protected and, therefore, do not fall into the regulatory frameworks dealing with animal experimentation." (Strähle et al., 2012)*.
You can find more information here:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:276:0033:0079:en:PDF
*Strähle, Uwe, et al. "Zebrafish embryos as an alternative to animal experiments—a commentary on the definition of the onset of protected life stages in animal welfare regulations." Reproductive Toxicology 33.2 (2012): 128-132.
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