Benfotiamine in high carbohydrate diet enhances growth and reproductive performance of the Asian native catfish Clarias macrocephalus subadults

Clarias macrocephalus has been extirpated in most regions in the Philippines and as a preliminary study towards its reintroduction, we aimed at enhancing the growth and reproductive performance of the broodstock. Several studies have identified thiamine deficiency as a factor in the extirpation of some important fish species in the wild. The present study aimed to determine the effects of elevated dietary carbohydrates and benfotiamine, a more bioavailable analog of thiamine (vitamin B1). Three diets were used, namely, a commercial diet specific for catfish was used as the control diet (Com), a high carbohydrate (HC) diet, and a benfotiamine-supplemented HC diet (HCB). Results show that survival of the subadult catfish in captivity for 10 weeks was remarkably high, exhibiting an average of 99% for all three treatments (P>0.05). HCB diet resulted in significantly higher final average body weight (FABW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), and significantly best food conversion ratio (FCR) (P<0.05) than the values for both Com and HC groups (P>0.05). For the reproductive performance, female Asian catfish fed the HCB diet exhibited significantly heavier ovary and liver (P<0.05) than those female catfish fed either the Com or HC diet (P>0.05). GSI of the female catfish and fecundity were significantly higher in the HCB group (P<0.05) than in the Com or HC group (P>0.05). In the male catfish, testes were significantly heavier in the HCB group (P<0.05) than in the Com or HC diet (P>0.05). HSI, male LW, and LL were significantly higher in the HC and HCB groups (P>0.05) than in the Com group (P<0.05). GSI values of the male catfish were significantly highest in the HCB (P<0.05), followed by the HC group, and significantly lowest in the Com group (P<0.05). The larval survival rate for one week was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the Asian catfish fed the HCB diet than in those fed the Com or HC diet (P>0.05). In conclusion, elevating dietary carbohydrates in the diet from 7.70% to 22.73% (i.e., Com to HC diet, respectively) did not negatively affect the growth and reproductive performance of the Asian catfish. Further supplementation of benfotiamine at 0.02% to the HC diet enhanced significantly both the growth and reproductive performance of the Asian catfish.