Abstract
This study aims to evaluate the effects of supplementing golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) eggs powder (EP) in the diet as a source of natural carotenoids on survival, pigmentation and antioxidant activity of Blood parrot. A total of 90 fish were divided into three treatment groups with three replicates per treatment. Blood parrot were fed with diets containing 0 (control), 5 % (EP 5 %), and 15 % (EP 15 %) dry powder of golden apple snail egg for 60 days, and nine fish per group were sampled at 20, 40, and 60 days. No differences in survival of the fish among treatments were found throughout the experiment. The body coloration of Blood parrot was enhanced in the skin and caudal fin with increasing content of golden apple snail egg powder in the diet. At the end of the experiment, the carotenoid content in the caudal fin and the number of scale chromatophores of the fish fed dietary with EP were higher (P < 0.05) than those of the control group. The EP 15 % treated fishes showed a significant higher (P < 0.05) in the activities of SOD after 60 days, but we could not observe significant changes (P > 0.05) in CAT activities. Results demonstrated that golden apple snail eggs can be used as a colorant to promote the pigmentation efficacy of Blood parrot.
Highlights
Blood parrot is a hybrid of female Cichlasoma synspilum and male Cichlasoma citrinellum artificially cross-bred in Taiwan as early as 1980s (Yang et al 2012)
Carotenoid concentration After 60 days of the experiment, the carotenoid content was higher in eggs powder (EP) (5 %) and EP (15 %) fed with diets supplemented with apple snail egg powder than that in the control group fed without egg powder
There were no significant changes in CAT activities (P > 0.05), but a significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the activities of Superoxide dismutase (SOD) were observed at the end of experiment in EP 15 % treated fishes after 60 days
Summary
Blood parrot is a hybrid of female Cichlasoma synspilum and male Cichlasoma citrinellum artificially cross-bred in Taiwan as early as 1980s (Yang et al 2012). Blood parrot is one of the most popular and high-value ornamental fish because of its bright body color, their size is often 10–12 cm. At present, they can be breed and produced with commercial feed in fish farm. The fish cannot synthesize their own carotenoid color. As the body color is the major factor that affects the market value of ornamental fish, enhancing it by supplementing pigments in diets is necessary (Gouveia et al 2003; Mills and Patterson 2009; Olson and Owens 1998). Astaxanthin is a pigment widely used in the foodstuff and forage industries as a dietary supplement for developing prospects (Spiller and Dewell 2003).
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