Effect of microalgal biomass concentration and temperature on ornamental goldfish (Carassius auratus) skin pigmentation

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of different carotenoid sources/concentrations and temperature on goldfish (Carassius auratus) skin pigmentation. In the first trial (trial A), the effect of carotenoid source (natural - microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and synthetic - Carophyll Pink) and carotenoid concentration (45, 80 and 120 mg pigment kg(-1) diet) was tested. Six homogeneous duplicate groups of juvenile goldfish (7.4 g) were fed, for 5 weeks, one of the diets containing 45, 80 or 120 mg of total pigments of C. vulgaris biomass or synthetic astaxanthin per kg of diet (Cv45, Cv80, Cv120, Ax45, Ax80, Ax120), respectively. In trial B, the effect of water temperature on skin pigmentation was studied. Five homogeneous duplicate groups of 25 goldfish each (5.2 g) were fed diet Ax45 over 9 weeks, to test the following temperatures: 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 degreesC. At the end of both trials, samples of skin along the dorsal fin were withdrawn for subsequent analysis of total carotenoid content, intensity of colour, red and yellow hue and visual observation. The best carotenoid concentrations were achieved with astaxanthin diets. There was a tendency to an overall improvement of colour parameters (L and b) in fish fed diets with high levels of C. vulgaris. The results indicated that the best temperature range to maximize skin pigmentation was 26-30 degreesC.