Enhancing Colour Brightness in Barbir Fish (Puntius conchonius) Trough Dietary Supplementation with Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) Flour

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) flour to commercial feed on the colour brightness of barbir fish (Puntius conchonius), as well as to determine the optimal supplementation dose for maximum colour enhancement. The experiment was conducted from October to December 2024 at the Hatchery Building 4, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Padjadjaran University. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used comprising four treatments with three replicates each: 0%, 15%, 30%, and 45% pumpkin flour inclusion. The parameters observed included changes in fish colour brightness using the Toca Color Finder (TCF), β-carotene content, absolute weight gain, survival rate, and water quality. The results indicated that a 15% inclusion of pumpkin flour yielded the highest colour brightness and β-carotene content (6.81 mg), compared the other treatments. There were no significant differences in absolute weight gain among the treatments. Water quality parameters remained within optimal ranges (temperature: 24.4-26.5°C; pH: 7.5-7.8; DO: 6.8-7.8 mg/L) supporting a high survival rate of 97-100%.