Biochemical composition and nutritional value of Streptocephalus simplex as live feed in ornamental fish culture

A feed trail was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of Streptocephalus simplex as a live feed in freshwater ornamental fish culture. The efficiency of live feed was compared with that of artificial/pellet diet to determine the growth rate biochemical parameters and carotenoid concentration of Carassius auratus for a period of 45 days. As a result the proximate composition on the S. simplex indicates that they are rich in protein, lipids, essential amino acids and fatty acids. Availability of these growth factors was perfectly reflected on the successful growth rate of C. auratus. Moreover, presence of carotenoids viz., astaxanthin (36.4 ± 2.4), canthaxanthin (23.6± 1.7), and beta-carotene (1.7 ± 0.6) has improved the intensity of the skin color of commercially important ornamental fish C. auratus after feeding with S. simplex.