Effect of dietary supplementation of Vitamin C on growth performance, survival rate and some hematological parameters in red pacu (Piaractus brachypomus)

Vitamin C is an important nutrient in aquatic animal nutrition and has great importance in boosting resistance against stressors and animal growth. Effect of dietary supplementation of different levels of vitamin C in the form of L-ascorbyl-2-polu phosphate on growth, survival and some hematological parameters of red pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) were investigated in ten weeks. A number of 240 fingerlings with mean initial weight of 3.51±0.22 g (20 fish in each aquarium and each with three replicates) were fed with four levels of 0, 200, 400 and 800 mg vitamin C per kg of diet. Results showed that fish fed vitamin C included diets had higher amount and percentage of body weight increase and mean day growth than control fish (P<0.05). The increase of specific growth rate and improvement of food conversion rate were obvious in fish fed vitamin C compared to control treatment although the difference was not significant (p>0.05). The level of hemoglobin and blood total protein were not significantly different between treatments but fish fed 400 and 800 mg vitamin C had a higher level of hematocrit than control fish (P<0.05). Usage of vitamin C is recommendable in Red Pacu diet due to the improvement of growth indices and the increase of hematocrit level.