Effect of Different Enriched Crickets (Gryllus sigilatus) on Growth and Pigmentation of Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus) Var. Super Red

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of crickets enriched with a source of carotenoids on fish’s growth, colour, and total carotenoid content in juvenile Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus). Six juveniles were fed with different enriched crickets (G. sigilatus) based on the following treatments: (A) Crickets fed with fish feed without enrichment, (B) Crickets fed with fish feed containing 500 ppm of synthetic astaxanthin, and (C) Crickets fed with a combination of 50% fish feed, 48% sand crab meal and 2% marigold petal meal. The results of the study revealed that The weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), feed efficiency (FE), length gain (LG), and survival rate (SR) for treatment A were 110 g, 1.16% head/day, 45.79%, 10.98 cm, and 100% respectively. There was also no significant difference (P>0.05) with the other treatments. However, treatment B had a positive effect on the redness (a*) of the Arowana tail with a value of 9.52, and treatment C increased the yellowness (b*) of the Arowana body with a value of 2.77 (P<0.05), which was different to the other treatments. There were no differences between any of the treatments concerning the effects on lightness (L*), chromaticity (C*), and hue (H*) on either the body or the tail. The astaxanthin enrichment produced the highest carotenoid content (P<0.05) with a value of 45.09 µg/g. Enriching crickets with astaxanthin influence colour and carotenoid content but not the growth of the Asian Arowana fish.

SAND CRAB (Emerita sp.) MEAL AS A NOVEL FEED INGREDIENT FOR KOI CARP (Cyprinus carpio)

“…The results of the present studies also showed that the concentration of carotenoids in sand crabs was as high as 1696 µg/g, much higher than the last reported with a range of 40-50 µg/g (Gilchirst & Lee, 1972). This different migh caused by many factors such as an age, developmental stages, metabolism, sex, molting, environmental conditions, carotenoid concentration in feed, and diseases that affect carotenoid deposition in the same aquatic animal species (Contancio, 2011;Meyer & Latscha, 1997;Sukarman et al, 2023). If compared with other fish feed ingredients from crustacean by-product, the sand crab has better carotenoid concentration than crab meal of Figure 1.…”

Carotenoid pigment content and skin microscopic appearance of cultured Ajamaru Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia ajamaruensis)

“…Astaxanthin is a type of fat-soluble carotenoid with a chemical structure of C40H52O4, physically it has a red color [17], making it easier to deposit in the tissues of male Ajamaru rainbowfish. This pigment is likely to be deposited in the erythrocyte cells, as these cells are known to deposit carotenoids and emit orange to red colors [7,18]. Meanwhile, lutein is a pigment in the form of yellow crystals [19], which is common in freshwater fish [20,21], so it is thought that it is more easily stored in the tissues of female fish, which are naturally yellow.…”

Growth Performance of Silver Arowana Fed with Gryllus mitratus (Local Cricket) and Blaptica Dubia (Dubia Roach)

“…The research result conducted by Sukarman et al (2023) reported that the feeding of crickets, crickets with enrichment, and combination The survival rate is the percentage ratio of the number of fish that live at the end of the rearing period to the number of fish that live at the beginning of the rearing period (Mulyani et al 2014). The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that feeding Arowanas with local crickets (Gryllus mitratus), Dubia roaches (Blaptica Dubia), and combination diets did not have a significant effect on the survival rate of the Brazilian silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) (P>0.05).…”