The effect of citric acid on growth and blood parameters of goldfish (Carassius auratus)

The effects of citric acid on the growth and blood indices of goldfish fry (Carassius auratus) were examined in a 60-day period. The goldfish fries (with initial weight of 7.10±0.16 g) were randomly categorized into four experimental treatments with three replications (25 fish/tank). The treatments included a control three groups of 1, 2, and 3 g citric acid per each kilogram of food ration. The results indicated that the growth parameters: The final weight, weight increase, specific growth rate, and condition factor in the citric acid groups had a significant increase compared to the control group (P<0.05). In addition, blood indices in the experimental treatment indicated that the red blood cell count and hemoglobin and hematocrit levels in the citric acid treatments had a significant increase compared to the control group (P<0.05). In general, adding citric acid at 2 g/kg of the diet of goldfish fry improved the growth parameters and blood indices.