The Effect of Leonardite as Feed Additive on Growth of Goldfish (Carassius auratus L.)

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Leonardite supplementation on goldfish, Carassius auratus growth performance and survival rate. The Goldfish (mean body weight 4.77±0.43 g) were fed with experimental diets prepared with Leonardite supplementation (0, 2.5 and 5 g kg-1) for 55 days. The weight gain (3.633±0.192 g), FCR (0.830±0.04), SGR (1.003±0.077) and PER (4.325±0.228) were observed higher in goldfish fed with 5 g kg-1 leonardite than fed with 2.5 g kg-1 leonardite and control groups significantly (P<0.01). Survival at the end of the experiment was high (about 84.44-77.77%) and no significant differences were noted among treatment groups (P>0.05). In conclusion, leonardite inclusion in the diet at 5 g kg-1 was shown to have a positive effect on goldfish growth. This suggests that leonardite can be considered as a new feed additive, which improves goldfish’s growth performance. Keywords:.