Dietary garlic essential oil on development parameters of severum post-larvae

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of garlic essential oil (GEO) on the growth performance and morphometric variables of severum (Heros severus) post-larvae. A growth trial was performed using 150 severum post-larvae (1.6 ± 0.03 mg and 5.58 ± 0.1 mm), distributed in fifteen 1-L aquaria, with constant aeration. The fish were essayed in a completely randomized design with five treatments, using diets containing graded levels of GEO (0.00, 0.05, 0.50, 1.00 and 1.50 g kg-1) and three replicates. The diets were offered four times a day, until apparent satiation, for 30 days. At the end of the experiment, the fish were counted, weighed and measured, to evaluate growth performance and morphometric variables. Increased diet levels of GEO resulted in a linear reduction in growth performance parameters, except for the survival rate, weight and length uniformity of the batch, and morphometric variables which did not present significant differences. Elevated concentrations of dietary GEO may be detrimental to larvae and post-larvae of fish, which could be more sensitive to the potential damage that high concentrations of this essential oil may cause. Therefore, the inclusion of GEO in levels above 0.05 g kg-1 in diets for severum post-larvae is not recommended.

Dietary Euterpe oleracea Essential Oil, the Amazon Açaí, as Feed Additive to Amazonian Ornamental Fish, during Post-Larvae Growing Stage: A Preliminary Study

“…Thus, using plants rich in bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds and carotenoids, can act as a feeding strategy for reducing oxidative stress in aquatic organisms [2][3][4]. In this context, essential oils (EOs), which are a mixture of hydrophobic liquids from some kinds of plants [5], must be evaluated as a feed additive for fish [6].…”