Microalgae Species Used as Natural Pigment Sources on Skin Coloration of Various Aquarium Fishes
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Date
2018-11-12
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International Agriculture, Environment and Health Congress
Abstract
Skin coloration is one of the most important marketing criteria in aquarium fish. Aquarists desire brilliant and vital
colours on their fish. But the coloration of fish is very sensitive and is affected by many physical or chemical stressors.
In adverse environmental conditions fish lose colour and some colour pigments cannot be synthesized by their bodies.
Carotenoids are one of the non-synthesizable pigments in fish species and must be taken from the outside. Most of
photosynthetic organism have various colour pigments in their natural structure, such as β-carotene, phycocyanin,
astaxanthin and chlorophyll. Fish recover colour pigments when they fed with the algae species. These algae are used
in aquaculture as a protein source for larvae of marine and freshwater fish and shellfish. Also, they are used as a
pigment source in aquarium fish and invertebrates. In this study, effects and benefits of algae species on coloration of
aquarium fishes were reviewed.
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Keywords
aquaculture, microalgae, spirulina