Dietary requirements of juvenile white shrimp, Penaeus indicus for water soluble vitamins

Abstract

Growth trials were conducted to determine adequate dietary ascorbic acid, choline, pantothenic. acid and niacin requirements of juvenile white shrimp, Penaeus indicus. Purified diets with different levels of L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate Mg 0, 50, 100,250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg diet), choline (0, 250, 500,750, 1000 and 1250 mg/kg diet), pantotbenic acid (0,25,50,75, 100 and 125 mg/kg diet) and niacin (0, 10,25, 50,75 and 100 mg/kg diet) were fed to Penaeus indicus for 6 weeks. Each trial had 6 treatments with 3 replicates each. Results indicated that shrimp fed diets supplemented with 250 mg of L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate, 500 mg of choline, 75 mg of pantothenic acid and 25 mg of niacinlkg diet had higher weight gain and better feed conversion ratio. Broken line regression analysis indicated requirement levels of 178.50 mg of L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate, 450.2 mg of choline, 69.5 mg of pantothenic acid and 18.25 mg of niacin as optimum for maximal growth of Penaeus indicus.