The effect of citric acid on growth and blood parameters of goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Abstract

Introduction: The effects of citric acid on the growth and blood indices of goldfish fry
(Carassius auratus) were examined in a 60-day period.
Materials and Methods: The goldfish fries (with initial weight of 7.10±0.16 g) were
randomly categorized into four experimental treatments with three replications (25 fish/tank).
The treatments included a control three groups of 1, 2, and 3 g citric acid per each kilogram
of food ration.
Results: The results indicated that the growth parameters: The final weight, weight increase,
specific growth rate, and condition factor in the citric acid groups had a significant increase
compared to the control group (P<0.05). In addition, blood indices in the experimental
treatment indicated that the red blood cell count and hemoglobin and hematocrit levels in the
citric acid treatments had a significant increase compared to the control group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: In general, adding citric acid at 2 g/kg of the diet of goldfish fry improved the
growth parameters and blood indices.