Determining the optimal range of vitamin C for early red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) juveniles

• Published in: Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Nguyen Thi Thuy, Khuong V. Dinh, Ngo Van Manh, Trung Si Trang
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 2023
• Subjects: red drum; Sciaenops ocellatus; vitamin C; growth; body composition; Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling; SH1-691; Red drum
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.47853/FAS.2023.e45; https://doaj.org/article/9ad5ab7d2e214b37a427dcc24b8ae850

Vitamin C plays an important role for fish survival, growth and disease resistance. However, the optimal vitamin C for rearing red drum Sciaenops ocellatus juveniles in Vietnam is not known. To address this issue, a 70-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the optimal dietary vitamin C requirements for red drum juveniles. Seven isonitrogenous (55.35% protein) and isolipidic (9.07% lipid) diets were formulated to include graded vitamin C concentrations of 23.2, 124.5, 235.2, 423.8, 626.7, 824.6, and 1,027.3 mg/kg, respectively. The results showed that fish fed on 423.8 mg/kg vitamin C diet had the highest growth rate, which can be linked to the increased feed utilization. Broken-line analysis indicated that the optimal dietary vitamin C requirements of red drum juveniles were 342.92 and 405.80 mg/kg for growth parameters, feed utilization, body composition and biochemical parameters of serum. Based on these parameters the optimal vitamin C supplementation level for red drum juveniles was estimated in the range of 342.92–405.80 mg/kg vitamin C in the diets with direct applications in producing artificial feed for rearing juveniles of this species in Vietnam.