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FEATURE
Algae
in ornamental
fish feeding
It is virtually impossible to provide ornamental fish with algae from their natural environment so aquafeed manufacturers use cultivated algae or algae taken from the wild on
an industrial scale. The most popular microalga used for aquafeed production is spirulina
(Arthrospira platensis). Its content in aquafeed
usually ranges from several to even tens of
percent. Its properties are well known among
aquarium fish keepers when compared with
other species such as Chlorella, Scenedesmus,
Laminaria, Ascophyllum, Undaria, Ulva etc.
Super Spirulina Forte, Tropicals food with
36 per cent share of Arthrospira platensis, has
been one of the best-selling fish foods on the
market for many years. The changing ornamental fish market and new emerging species
of fish and invertebrates made it necessary
for us to develop and introduce new foods.
Thus the offer of products for herbivorous
and algae-eating fish has been enriched with
a new food based on three species of algae:
Chlorella vulgaris, Ascophyllum nodosum and
Laminaria digitata, the last two referred to
as kelp algae. It is available as flakes, granules
(Fig. 1), adhesive and sinking tablets. It is
Average protein
content [% d.m.]
Arthrospira platensis
65.0
Chlorella vulgaris
53.0
Laminaria digitata
8.5
Ascophyllum nodosum
9.0
Protein
Ascophyllum
nodosum [%
d.m.]
Laminaria
digitata
5.0
5.0 12.0
Fats
3.0
0.5 2.0
Carbohydrates
30.0
50.0 65.0
Dietary fibre
25.0
Algin acid
22.0 30.6
Fucoidin
11.4 11.8
Laminarin
iodine
32.0
2.3 5.9
14.0
0.065
0.5
Arthrospira platensis
FEATURE
can be found in numerous environments. They have been identified in
fresh, salty and brackish waters as well as
in soil, sand and even in hot springs. Due
to the specific conditions of water bodies
from which spirulina are collected, it has also
become a dietary component of people living
in the vicinity of Lake Chad and Texcoco.
Green mats collected and then dried contained almost exclusively cells of Arthrospira
platensis or Arthrospira maxima. The formation of these monocultures has been strictly
correlated with chemical parameters of water
(high salinity and pH level about 10 pH).
These are perfect conditions for the development of spirulina and inhibition of other bluegreen algae, which can be dangerous to health
and life of humans and animals.
In the beginning the main reason why spirulina gained such interest was its exceptionally
high content of protein, which ranged from
62 to 68 per cent. This is an impressive value
when compared to meat (15-25 per cent) or
soya (35 per cent). Moreover, protein from
spirulina turned out to be more valuable than
protein from plants, even legumes and only
slightly worse than milk or egg protein.
Further tests conducted on spirulina continued to reveal an even greater number of
outstanding qualities. It turned out that these
tiny, twisted cells are rich in assimilation pigments such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, and
Chlorella vulgaris
www.andritz.com
FEATURE
organs caused by overfeeding or poorly balanced feeds for ornamental fish.
Kelp algae
increases the concentration level of haemoglobin in the blood (Yaakob et al., 2014).
Chlorella vulgaris, similarly to spirulina, is
a very rich source of carotenoids. In its dry
weight one will find about 0.4 per cent of
these pigments, 80 per cent of them in red
shades (Gupta et al., 2007). The concentration of carotenoids in chlorella cells can
be increased by a strict control of growing
conditions. Chlorella is effectively used for the
coloration enhancement in koi and goldfish
(Gouveia et al., 2003; Gouveia and Rema,
2005).
The role of carotenoids in fishs bodies is
complex and the demand for these pigments
is ongoing. Fish cannot synthesise carotenoids
de novo, hence one must provide them in
food. Colourful species of ornamental fish are
particularly demanding. The minimum carotenoid level in fishs diet ranges from species
to species. Coloration improvement in tetras,
cichlids, gourami, goldfish and danio has been
observed when 30 mg of astaxanthin has
been added to one kilo of formulated feed
In clownfish (Amphriprion ocellaris, Premnas
biaculeatus) coloration enhancement has
been visible after a week of providing food
with 100 mg/kg astaxanthin. At the same time
growth acceleration has been noted (Lorenz
and Cysewski, 2000).
Chlorella added to feed for Plecoglossus
altivelis reduced the excessive accumulation
of fat in tissues. The fats were better utilised,
which is probably the result of chlorella affecting the hormone system (lipolytic hormones
stimulation) (Gholam et al., 1987). Similar
conclusions were reached by Tartiel et al.
(2008), who fed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis
niloticus) with chlorella. The content of chlorella (not exceeding 50 per cent) accelerated
the growth in tilapia, reduced fat in tissues
and increased the concentration of protein.
These properties of chlorella seem particularly
important in case of aquarium fish, who often
suffer from fatty degeneration of internal
Conclusive remarks
References
Available on request
LINKS
This digital re-print is part of the November | December 2014 edition of
International Aquafeed magazine.
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I N C O R P O R AT I N G
F I S H FA R M I N G T E C H N O L O G Y
Utlisation of Roasted
Guar Korma
as alternative for fishmeal and soybean
meal in shrimp diets
Hydrolyzed yeast
as a source of nucleotides and digestible
nutrients in shrimp nutrition
IAF1406.indd 1
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