Effect of the combination of fluoxymesterone and a commercial blend of additives on the sex proportion, growth, and survival of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fry

Abstract

In the commercial culture of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), monosex, all-male populations obtained through steroid sex reversal is the most commercially used method to eliminate unwanted reproduction and increase final productive and economic yield. However, the rapid growth of Nile tilapia culture has led, in some regions, to an increase in infectious diseases and mortality in all stages of commercial culture. To reduce this, without the abuse of antibiotics or similar substances, feed additives are currently used in all stages, including the fry period, during the sex reversal process. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of synthetic steroid Fluoxymesterone (FM) at various concentrations in combination with a commercial Blend of additives (BA) on the percentage of males, growth, and survival of Nile tilapia fry. Five treatments (FM20, FM5+BA, FM10+BA, FM20+BA, and BA+FM20) and a control group were evaluated. Treatments differ in the order in which the commercial blend (2 g) was added and the FM concentration (5, 10, and 20 mg). The feeding trial lasted for 30 days using a sexually undifferentiated population of Nile tilapia. The results showed a decrease in the percentage of males in all treatments supplemented with the BA, compared to the FM20 treatment (containing 20 mg without BA). Growth and survival were positively affected by the inclusion of the BA in all treatments, showing higher values than those observed in the control group. Further studies are necessary to determine the FM-BA interaction.