Effect of pumpkin meal (Cucurbita sp.) on color enhancement and the growth performance of Buenos Aires (BA) tetra (Hemmigrammus caudovittatus)

Abstract

The investig:1tion \\as und1:rtaken to de1em1in1: the effects of dir.:tary supplementation of differem p1gmeni ,Lmrces on color enhancement. growth, feed conversion and survival of A1w110s Aires tDA) tctru (H11111mixrc1111111us caudol'illcll11l). The fish (n=72) (0.69:.: 0.02g) \\t:rt: fod "1th dicrs containing 3% pumpkin meal (PD) and commerc1al color feed .. Super Red· ( C,R) lo ,;om pare ,���� ith the fish fed w11h a control diet without any pigments (CD I for -2 days. Dail) food con,11mp11on and length. weight measurements of fish at two \\ eek, inter-al \\ere taken and at the end of the i:xperiment. t0tal carotenoid content of lish was measured The fi5h fed \\ ith PD diets ����howcd the highest total carotenoid ..:ontenl (6.36 ± 1.16 pg/g) m their skin. fins and flesh followed by the fish fed with SR feed (-l.86± 2. 12����1g/g) while thi: lov.cst cnroteno1d conti:nl was observed in the fish fed w 1th CO diet (2.0,a U 58ftg/g). The carotenoid content was significant!) different (p< 0.05) among the fish fed \\ith PD, SR. and CD diets. The <lietar)' carotenoid sources did not :.igniticantl: affect the growth pcrfonnance while the percentage Specific Growth Rate ranged imm O 9:!J. 0 02 to 1.27.,. 0.0S and feed conversion ranged from 0.79± 0,05 to I 97± 0.1-l of BA tetra fed with different diets (p> 0.05 ). Survival rate of the fish was equal for all the treatments. The profit mdcx of the preparation of PD diet (2.27:: 0.90) was ����ignilicuntl) higher than that of SR feed (0.88-= 0.36) (p>0.05). According to the re,ults, the pumpkin meal can be u����cd as a n3tur..tl piµment source fw n h)w cost as it is nN al1i.:c1111g the gm" th. Iced convep;11111 and ,un h al of 13A tetra.