Abstract:
Effect of dietary supplementation with synthetic carotenoid for Spine-cheek anemonefish had been carried out for the marketable desired red skin. There were two subexperiments in which the first experiment was conducted with 6x3 factorial experiment in CRD to determine two factors. First factor was 5 synthetic carotenoid types (betacarotene, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin) and a non-carotenoid supplemented as a control. Second factor was supplementation time (1, 2 and 3 months). Fish were fed to each diet at a level of 100 ppm feed twice a day (ad libitum) with 3 replicates. The results showed no significantly different between carotenoid type and growth rate, survival rate and feed conversion ratio (p>0.05). Fish fed on astaxanthin supplemented diet showed significantly higher in redness and astaxanthin content infish skin than that of the rest (p<0.05), Meanwhile, longer supplementation time were significant differences in lower growth rate, survival rate, and feed conversion ratio (p<0.05). Nosignificant differences of redness and the accumulated astaxanthin contents of fish skin were observed between 2 and 3 months of supplementation (p<0.05), but showed higher significantly differences than that of 1 month (p<0.05). The more supplemented specific carotenoids type of feed, the more accumulation of that carotenoid type in fish skin. The highest redness fish skin found in fish fed on feed supplemented with astaxanthin.
Second experiment was conducted with 6x3x6 factorial experiment in CRD to determine three factors. First factor was astaxanthin at a concentration of 25, 50, 100, 150 and 200 ppm feed and without astaxanthin as a control. Second factor was supplementation time (2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks), and third factor was the position of color measuring (head, body above pectoral fin and body under dorsal fin). Fish were fed to each diet twice a day (ad libitum) with 3 replicates. The results showed no significantly differentof skin redness among dietary supplemented astaxanthin at a concentration of 100, 150 and 200 ppm feed (p>0.05), but showed significant higher than that of other feeds (p<0.05). There were no significant differences of skin redness among supplementation times at 8, 10 and 12 weeks (p>0.05), but showed significantly higher than the rest (p<0.05). There were no significant differences of skin redness among supplementation times at 8, 10 and 12 weeks (p>0.05), but showed significantly higher than the rest (p<0.05). No significant difference of redness were found between body above pectoral fin and body under dorsal fin (p>0.05), but showed significantly higher than that of the head (p<0.05).
It could be included that synthetic astaxanthin was the optimum pigment for supplementing in Spine-cheek anemonefishfeed at a concentration of 100 ppm and rearing for at least 8 weeks.