Studies on biological test of formulated diets supplementation of vitamin E for the broodstock of females blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract

Background: Currently, great progress in the artificial propagation of commercially important portunid crabs of the genus Portunus has been achieved, and various methods have been adopted in mass-scale hatchery activities. This study analyzed the biological testing of formulated diets with different dose supplementations of vitamin E for the broodstock of female blue swimming crabs, P. pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) Methods: Female crab samples were collected from the coastal region of Padang, West Sumatra. The method used in this study was completely randomized design, with four treatment regimens (n=5 crabs each) of dietary vitamin E (0, 300, 600, and 900 IU/kg formulated diets). Results: The results show that the supplementation of vitamin E in the formulated diet had a significant effect (P <0.05) on the absolute weight growth, carapace length and carapace width. Conclusions: Supplementation of vitamin E on in formulated diet causes broodstock blue swimming crab molting, with a percentage value of 40–80% on day 20 and 20% on day 30, with a 100% survival rate.