Enhancement of Coloration Performance of the Ornamental Parrot Fish (Amphilophus citrinellus x Paraneetroplus melanurus) Using Fed Earthworms Reared by High Natural Pigment Plants

Three treatment and control groups were established in a CRD experimental plan with three repeats on 144 fish of approximately initial weight of 2.7 ± 0.1 gr. to study of the ornamental parrotfish skin colorization fed earthworms Eisenia fetida reared by many natural pigment plant resources as carrot, red beetroot and red cabbage. Feeding trial was conducted to assess the effect of supplementary dietary these reared earthworm with commercial dialy diet (one time a day of total three). Control groups were fed supplementary on the common reared earthworms for the entire experiment. The pigment accumulation (red-orange pigments) on the many tissues of the reared fish as skin, dorsal fins, tail, operculum and so the flesh, obtained by the possibly effect of special fed earthworm diets were measured spectrophotometrically. Final measurments of the skin coloration were done with Color Meter set TES 135 (L*a*b parameters) andso by carotenoid concentration measurement method.
Therefore, it was determined the natural plant pigment sources of the red beetroot had an increasing effect on the colorization of the dorsal fin and tail, skin and flesh of the reared fish as well the red cabbage on the operculum of the fish (P