Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles as Nutritional Additives on Growth Performance and Feed Efficiency in Cyprinus carpio L.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding different levels of Fe₂O₃ and ZnO nanoparticles to the diet of common carp fingerlings on their growth parameters, feed efficiency, and physical properties. A total of 182 fingerlings of common carp fish were used with uniform sizes and weight ranging from 7 to 10 g, regardless of sex. For 70 days, fish were fed with a diet containing 30% crude protein, to which nanoparticles were added at different levels. This experiment was conducted with seven treatments, including a control group with two replicates for each. Iron oxide nanoparticles and zinc oxide nanoparticles were added at varying concentrations to each treatment. Morphological characteristics were recorded for each replicate in each treatment every two weeks. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in weight gain, growth rate, and overall performance in all treatments compared to the control group. Specifically, the treatments fed with Fe₂O₃-NPs at 30 mg/kg (T2) and ZnO-NPs at 40 mg/kg (T5) showed highly significant improvements (P<0.01) In conclusion, both Fe₂O₃-NPs and ZnO-NPs effectively enhance growth performance and feed efficiency in Cyprinus carpio. These nanoparticles significantly improve weight gain and feed conversion, suggesting their potential to optimize growth and feed utilization in aquaculture.