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Jurnal Marikultur Ahmad et al. (2023)


Penambahan Vitamin C pada Ikan Rucah untuk Pertumbuhan dan Efisiensi Pakan
Ikan Kerapu Macan (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)

[Application of Ascorbic Acid in Raw Fish Diets on Feed Efficiency and Growth
Performance of Brown-Marbled Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)]

Khamsiah Ahmad
1*
, Yuliana
1
, Aras Syazili
1
, Surahman
2
, Mutmainnah
2

1
Aquaculture Study Program, FPK of Khairun University, Indonesia
2
Utilizing of Fisheries Resources Study Program, FPK of Khairun University, Indonesia
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
ABSTRAK
Pertumbuhan dan kelulushidupan adalah dua faktor utama yang harus diketahui dalam usaha
budidaya ikan kerapu macan, terutama pada stadia juvenil. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk
mengamati pertumbuhan dan kelulushidupan juvenil ikan kerapu macan melalui penambahan dosis
vitamin C yang berbeda ke pakan. 120 juvenil ditempatkan dalam 12 buah akuarium. Pakan yang
digunakan adalah ikan rucah teri yang diperoleh dari tempat pendaratan ikan lokal. Tiga dosis
vitamin C komersial yang berbeda yaitu 50 mg, 100 mg, dan 150 mg diaplikasikan dan
dicampurkan ke pakan ikan rucah. Pakan komersial digunakan sebagai kontrol. Pengujian secara
eksperimen dengan menggunakan desain RAL (Rancangan Acak Lengkap). Hasil penelitian
menunjukkan bahwa ikan mengkonsumsi pakan yang diberikan secara lahap. Seluruh ikan hidup
hingga akhir penelitian 32 hari (SR 100%). Pertumbuhan bervariasi dimana perlakuan B memiliki
berat mutlak tertinggi yaitu 49,58 gram, diikuti perlakuan C (34,68 gram), A (29,79 gram) dan D
(28,33 gram). FCR terbaik berturut-turut adalah perlakuan A (0,7), C (1,3), B (2,0), dan D (2,2).
Kandungan nutrisi pakan dianalisis secara proksimat di laboratorium pangan dan peternakan
Universitas Hasanuddin, dan parameter kualitas air diukur berkala. Secara umum, penambahan
vitamin C ke dalam pakan ikan rucah yang diberikan ke juvenil ikan kerapu macan memberikan
hasil yang signifikan dan menunjang pertumbuhan.
Kata kunci: Vitamin C, kerapu macan, pertumbuhan, pakan rucah
ABSTRACT
Growth and survival rate are two main factors that should be known to develop tiger grouper
aquaculture, particularly in juvenile stages. The study aims to investigate the growth and survival
rate of tiger grouper juveniles (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) by adding different concentrations of
ascorbic acid to dietary. 120 grouper fingerlings were placed into 12 tanks. The diet used for the
treatment of juveniles was discarding fish from the local fishing port, mainly anchovy species
(Stolephorus commersonii). Three different doses of commercial ascorbic acid were applied and
mixed into the raw fish feed (50 mg, 100 mg, and 150 mg, respectively). Commercial feed was
used as a control. Filling Randomized Design (FRD) was applied with the experimental setup of the
treatments. The results show that fish intake on the treatment diets has a quick response, which is
directly caught and consumed by the groupers. The survival rate of juvenile grouper is 100% for 32
days. Growth rates (in grams of BW/week) vary among treatments which is the highest found in
treatment B (49.58 g) followed by treatment C (34.68 g), A (29.79 g), and D (28.33 g) respectively.
Feed Conversion Rate (FCR) also varies amongst treatments, which is 0.7 (A), 2.0 (B), 1.3 (C),
respectively. Nutrition ingredients, which were measured by proximate analyses laboratory results
(at UNHAS laboratory), and water quality parameters are adequate to maintain the grouper life.
Overall, fish feed fortified with ascorbic acid significantly supports tiger grouper growth.
Key words: Ascorbic acid, tiger grouper, growth performance, raw fish feed
Jurnal Marikultur, Tahun 2023. Vol 5 (No 1): 18-26 e-ISSN: 2830-5973
p-ISSN: 2355-8067

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Jurnal Marikultur Ahmad et al. (2023)


INTRODUCTION
Brown-marbled grouper or tiger
grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) is a
highly economic species valued
worldwide, which is widely distributed
throughout the tropical and subtropical
waters of the Indo-Pacific. According to
the IUCN Red List of threatened species
(2003), the grouper has imported from
Indonesia between 1999 to 2003, which is
the highest at 26.746 kg in 2002. Due to
the intensively wild caught in years,
aquaculture is considered a solution to
preserve species availability. It was
commercially domesticated in floating net
cages in Indonesia since the 1990s (WWF,
2015). Grouper aquaculture can basically
be classified into two primary activities,
complete hatchery and household-scale
hatchery (Zainuddin et al, 2016). A
household or small-scale hatchery is a
business where capital and technology can
be affordable at a relatively low cost and
focused on the maintenance of larvae and
nurseries for seed production. No
household scale hatchery includes the
handling of brood fish, but the
procurement of fish eggs that have already
been prepared fertilized or hatched larvae
from larger hatcheries, for instance, the
complete hatchery (Sugama et al., 2013).
Also, the broodstock of tiger grouper is
usually cultured in recirculating
aquaculture systems under suitable
environments and good feeding conditions
(Mustafa et al., 2015).
Larvae and juvenile rearing are the
main activity in the grouper hatchery that
is aimed to produce seeds, which depend
heavily on the broodstock situation
(Mustafa et al., 2015). The steps in the
maintenance of the larvae include the
preparation of culture tanks and feeding
fish including either live or raw fish feed
and artificial diets (Fitriadi et al., 2020).
Maintaining and measuring water quality
management on aquaculture media is also
an essential part of a successful business.
Some publications mentioned the most
critical part of conducting grouper
hatchery is feed nutrition whether
activities related to feed formulation or
feeding time (Zainuddin, 2016). Grouper
is a carnivorous species and an active
predator type, which usually chases prey
for its eating habits. According to Sugama
et al (2013) and Fitriadi et al (2020), the
types of grouper food sources in the larval
stage are rotifers, micro-crustaceans,
copepods, zooplankton, small fish, and
cephalopods.
Ascorbic acid or vitamin C
supports growth, reduces stress levels, and
can accelerate wound healing in fish (Lin

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Jurnal Marikultur Ahmad et al. (2023)


and Shiau, 2004). According to Tucker
and Halver (1984) in Lenient et al (2006),
deficiency of vitamin C in fish can cause
damage to the gills and lower growth rates
and recovery of life in salmon and rainbow
trout. Vitamin C also functions as a
collagen network builder and antioxidant
that can elevate various antioxidases, such
as glutathione-transferase (GST),
superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione
reductase (GR), catalase (CAT) and
glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in fish (Cai
et al., 2022). Jafari et al. (2020) stated that
collagen is a bone-forming component in
fish that is absorbed quickly in the skin,
dorsal fins, head, gills, cartilage, jawbone,
supporting cartilage, and mouth. Therefore
the need for vitamin C in fish is absolutely
necessary. Lovell (1989) states that the
need for vitamin C is different for each
animal depending on the species, age, fish
size, growth rate, environmental factors,
and metabolic function. The objective of
this research at investigating the growth
performance and feed efficiency of tiger
grouper juveniles by adding different
concentrations of ascorbic acid into raw
fish feed.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
120 juveniles of tiger grouper size
10 cm were used as the object of
treatment. Each fiber tank (80x80x60 cm)
was filled with 10 individuals, then 12
tanks used were placed randomly for an
experimental setup. The anchovy raw fish
was collected from Bastiong fishing port
and cut into small pieces and mixed with
different concentrations of ascorbic acid.
A 3x4 randomized completely design was
used to evaluate the effect of diet in four
different doses as below:
Treatment A : 50 mg per gram of raw
fish feed
Treatment B : 100 mg per gram of raw
fish feed
Treatment C : 150 mg per gram of raw
fish feed
Treatment D : Control (commercial feed)

Parameter of measurements such as
survival rate, growth performance in body
weight increase, feed efficiency, and water
quality condition was investigated during a
research study.
The survival rate is measured
followed by (Djajasewaka, 1985):
SR = Nt/No x 100 %; where SR stands for
survival rate (%), Nt is the number of fish
alive at the end of the study (ind), and No
is the number of fish at the beginning of
the study (ind). The feed Conversion Rate
(FCR) was calculated using Watanabe’s
(1988) equation. FCR = F/(Wt-Wo); where
F is the amount of given feed (gram), Wt
is fish weight at the end of the study (gram

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Jurnal Marikultur Ahmad et al. (2023)


BW), and Wo is fish weight at the initial
study (gram BW).
Grouper juveniles were reared for
32 days and given 20% feed from biomass.
The frequency of feeding fish was 3 times
a day. Diet nutrition was obtained using
proximate analysis in the Food and
Veterinary Laboratory UNHAS, whereas
the water quality parameter was measured
in situ. Data obtained were calculated
using SPSS 20 statistical packages.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Species survival means the number
of cultivated organisms that live for a
certain period of time during rearing
activity. The results show that the tiger
grouper (E. fuscoguttatus) survived for 32
days and reached a 100% survival rate in
each tank. The survival rate of an
organism is influenced by stocking
density, age, and environmental factors
such as temperature, pH, salinity,
dissolved oxygen, and the ability to
metabolize food. Raw anchovy can be
easily consumed by all juveniles because it
was given when the grouper is starving,
the small shape is effective to digest, and it
has an attractive odor. According to
Paruntu et al (2012), using anchovy as a
main feed for monoculture and polyculture
of tiger grouper with rabbitfish in floating
net cages, the appetite behavior was
increasing and affected their daily growth
rate.
The absolute growth of juvenile
tiger grouper fed with different doses of
ascorbic acid in raw anchovy is shown in
Figure 1. The highest growth is performed
by treatment B (100 mg of Vitamin C in a
gram of raw fish), which is about 49.58 g
BW per day. It is followed by treatments C
(34.68 g BW/day), A (29.79 g BW/day),
and D (28.33 g BW/day), respectively.
The results show that juvenile groupers are
able to adapt to the food sources given and
increase their body weight. On the other
hand, Muhammadar et al (2013) study
mentioned that raw fish is only suitable for
wild grouper, and cultivated juvenile
grouper in the hatchery is preferring to
choose commercial pellets. When
comparing wild and hatchery tiger
grouper, it was revealed that wild juveniles
could not adapt properly to the diet, and
hatchery juveniles were difficult to adjust
to trash fish. However, some studies have
shown that the use of trash fish and
commercial pellets or a combination of
both sources gives a good result (Sugama
et al., 2013). The proper additions of
Vitamin C can increase the performance of
fish (Nurcahyo et al., 2013). A
micronutrient called vitamin C is required

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Jurnal Marikultur Ahmad et al. (2023)


for the body of the fish to operate
properly. It is essential for nutritional and
ion absorption, and fish with a deficiency
show structural malformations such as
curved spines, fractured skulls, and
hemorrhages. Add vitamin C to fish meals
at the required amounts for active
absorption. It has a significant role in the
manufacturing of collagen, which helps
fish preserve the integrity of their
skeletons and structural integrity. Because
a significant amount of the micronutrients
might be lost during feed processing and
storage, the usage of the phosphorylated
form should be used during feed
formulation for the best stability in feeds
(Omoniyi and Ovie, 2018).


Figure 1. The number of juvenile body weights (g BW per day) in different raw fish feed
given.







Figure 2. Juvenile tiger grouper rearing for 32 days fed by raw anchovy.

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Jurnal Marikultur Ahmad et al. (2023)


Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) has
differed among treatments. Treatment A
has 0.7 and C has 1.3. Both numbers are
considered good for the hatchery business,
which means that when running a grouper
fish farming business, it will not cause
business losses. FCR is defined as the
proportion of feed intake to weight
increase. By increasing FCR within a
species, feed intake can be decreased for
the same amount of growth, lowering feed
costs, and having a smaller negative effect
on the environment (Elvy et al., 2022).
Treatments B and D have FCR 2.0 and
2.2, respectively.
Nutritious and vitamin feed will
accelerate the maturity of the gonads as
well as improve the quality of eggs and
sperm (Nasrullah, 2018). The nutrient
compounds in the fish diet are important to
prepare for aquaculture activities.
Regarding the raw fish that has been
chosen for fish feeding during treatment
days, the proximate analysis of anchovy
with additional ascorbic acid was
performed to measure its ingredients. The
laboratory analysis with some publication
results can be seen in Table 1.



Table 1. Nutritional composition of given anchovy (Stolephorus commersonii) and other
species from some references.
Ingredients
(g/100 g)
Species of anchovies

S.commersonii S.heterolobus Coilia
dussumieri
Enrasicholina
devisi

E.anchoita
Moisture 79.32 81.00 75.56 76.20 75.70
Protein 16.32 19.32 17.24 19.00 22.20
Fat 2.41 1.62 2.57 2.40 3.50
Ash 1.31 1.90 1.40 ND 1.50
Carbohydrate 0.11 ND ND ND ND
ND: Not determined

Water quality is also one of the
factors that affect growth and larval
survival. The larvae will be able to grow
and live well inside optimum water quality
conditions. The observed water quality
variables include salinity, DO (dissolved
oxygen), temperature, and pH. The water
quality measurement can be seen in Table.

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Jurnal Marikultur Ahmad et al. (2023)


Table 2. Water quality parameters during rearing study
Treatment

Replication
Water quality parameters
Temperature
(
0
C)
pH Salinity (ppt) DO (ppm)
A
B
C
D
25-26.7
25-26.7
25-26.7
25-26.7
7.8-7.92
7.0-7.92
7.0-7.95
7.8-7.95
31-34
32-35
32-35
31-34
5
5
5
5

Based on Zainuddin’s (2016) study,
the results of measurements of water
quality parameters during the observation
period are still within the limits of
eligibility and survival of tiger grouper
juveniles. Temperature media ranged from
27.5
o
C to 29.6
o
C. The pH of the media
water ranged from 8.05 to 8.30. Dissolved
oxygen 4.00 to 5.34 ppm, salinity 33 to 34
ppt, ammonia 0.004 to 0.007 ppm, and
nitrites around 0.28 up to 0.34 ppm.
Subyakto and Cahyaningsih (2003)
mentioned that the water quality good for
the maintenance of tiger grouper is 25
o
C to
32
o
C, water pH ranges from 7.3 to 8.4,
dissolved oxygen ranges from 4 to 8 ppm,
whereas according to Boyd (1990)
ammonia levels not more than 0.1 ppm and
no nitrites more than 0.5 ppm.
CONCLUSION
The feed given to the juvenile stage
of tiger grouper/ Brown-Marbled Grouper
(Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) is appropriate
and sufficient for the needs of absolute
growth and survival rate, with sufficient
FCR number. The nutritional ingredients of
raw fish anchovy are adequate for fish in
rearing time, and water quality parameters
supported the growth significantly.
COMPETING INTERESTS
The authors have declared that no
competing interests exist.

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