effect of different live foods source (culex larvae, chironomus larvae and artemia) on pigmentation of electric yellow fish (labidochromis caeruleus)

Objective: the orange-red spectrum of the skin of electric yellow (labidochromis caeruleus) is one of the idealistic and necessary schemas sought by aquarists and commercial producers. in this study, the effect of live foods meal on the skin coloration of juvenile electric yellow was examined. methods: 270 fish with an average living body weight was 0.42 ± 0.11 g, and average total length was 3.3 ± 0.35 cm. their sex was not taken into consideration. . the fish were fed twice in the morning and afternoon by 3-5 percent of the biomass for 8 weeks. the six different treatments (three replicates/treatment) used in the experiment were used. skin color was measured in below the dorsal fin of all fish. measurements were recorded at the end of the feeding trial using a konica minolta chroma meter cr400. results: at the end of the trial, the carotenoid supplemented diets significantly increased the values of redness (a*), yellowness (b*), and chroma (c*), and decreased the values of lightness (l*) and hue (hoab) on the tail, body, and head areas (p<0.05). luminosity (l*) and hue (h°ab) were less in fishes fed the diets with live foods and astaxanthin than in fishes fed the control diet with no pigment sources (p<0.05). yellowness (b*), and chroma (c*) were greater in fish fed the culex and were less in fish fed the control diet(p<0.05). results show that live foods used in this trial can be used as an alternative natural carotenoid source in electric yellow diets.