Effects of Dietary Spirulina platensis Supplementation on Growth, Feed Utilization and Digestive Enzyme Activities in Cirrhinus mrigala Fingerlings
N. Chandrakala *
PG& Research Department of Zoology, Kunthavai Naacchiyaar Govt. Arts College for Women (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli), Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.
S. Shanmugapriya
PG& Research Department of Zoology, Kunthavai Naacchiyaar Govt. Arts College for Women (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli), Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
In this study, the effects of Spirulina platensis food supplementation on Cirrhinus mrigala fingerling growth performance, feed utilization and digestive enzyme activities were assessed. After being acclimated in a lab setting, healthy fingerlings were given iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric meals for 30 days that contained varying concentrations of Spirulina (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%). The following growth characteristics were evaluated: feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), hepatosomatic index (HSI), survival rate (SR%), specific growth rate (SGR), average total gain (ATG), average daily gain (ADG), and final weight. The findings showed that increasing the amount of Spirulina supplementation significantly improved feed consumption and growth performance. Overall, adding Spirulina platensis to the diet improved the growth, feed efficiency, and enzymatic activity of Cirrhinus mrigala fingerlings, indicating that it might be used as a sustainable, natural feed additive for carp aquaculture.
Keywords: Aquaculture, Cirrhinus mrigala, Spirulina platensis, growth performance, feed utilization, enzyme activity, hepatosomatic index