Fancy carp were fed seven dietary treatments with natural pigment
sources (tea, mulberry, cassava) at a specific rate to achieve a total
carotenoid (TC) concentration in the diet of 25 mg/kg. Growth
performance among treatments was not significantly different
(p ≥ 0.05). TC and skin redness (a∗) of fish fed tea leaves was
higher than the other treatments (p ≤ 0.05). Fish fed with tea
extract and cassava leaves had higher serum astaxanthin concentrations
than the other groups (p ≤ 0.05). This group also retained
serum astaxanthin and red color better than other groups two
weeks post treatment (p ≤ 0.05). Phagocytic activity was signifi-
cantly greater in fish fed carotenoid supplements compared with
the control group (P ≤ 0.05). Therefore, dietary supplementation
with 25 mg/kg tea leaves is sufficient to obtain good coloration in
fancy carp as well as enhance immunity.