Aqueous cinnamon extract as a growth promoter for larvae of the ornamental amazon fish pyrrhulina brevis

Abstract

Phytotherapy has been used in fish farming to promote stability in the rearing environment and for the prophylaxis of diseases, improving animal well-being. Among phytotherapeutic agents, cinnamon (Cinnamon zeylanicum) exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antiparasitic activity, in addition to immunostimulatory effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an aqueous cinnamon extract on the productive performance of larvae of the ornamental Amazon fish Pyrrhulina brevis. Five concentrations of the aqueous extract (0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 g/L) were evaluated in four replicates over a period of 20 days. The use of 1.0 g/L of C. zeylanicum extract favored larval performance, improving final total length and the specific growth rate in length and promoting 100% survival of the batch (P<0.05). This is the first study demonstrating the efficacy of the use of aqueous cinnamon extract as a growth promoter in fish larviculture.

Keywords

• fitoterapia
• peixe ornamental
• sanidade.