Effects of dietary vitamin C and vitamin E on the growth, antioxidant defence and digestive enzyme activities of juvenile discus fish (<i>Symphysodon haraldi</i>)

Abstract

A 56-day experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of dietary vitamin C and vitamin E on the growth, antioxidant status and digestive enzyme activities of discus fish (Symphysodon haraldi; initial body weight: 7.96 ± 0.61 g and body length: 5.45 ± 0.65 cm). Animals were fed with 13 different diets including one control diet and 12 treatment diets containing four levels of vitamin C (magnesium-L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate; 40, 80, 120 and 160 mg/kg) crossed with three levels of vitamin E (DL-α-tocopheryl acetate; 40, 80 and 120 mg/kg). The results showed that the fish fed diets containing additional vitamin C (40 mg/kg) and vitamin E (80 mg/kg) showed higher specific growth rate, length growth rate, total antioxidant capacity and protease activity but had lower feed conversion ratio and total superoxide dismutase activity than those fed the control diet. Collectively, these findings suggest that the inclusion of additional 40 mg/kg of vitamin C and 80 mg/kg of vitamin E in the basal diet could have beneficial effect on the growth, antioxidant defence and digestion of S. haraldi.