A Review on the Dietary Requirements of Trace Minerals in Freshwater Fish

Trace minerals are essential for growth and immunity in animals including fish. It’s presence either in excess or low quantity in feed, leads to dwarfism, mortality, mineral specific diseases and toxicity. Hence, knowledge about the most favorable dietary requirement of trace minerals by fish will help in formulation of a nutritionally well balanced feed and maximize the production. Several trace minerals have been reported as essential for development in fish, but only Zn, Se, Fe, I, Mn, Cu, Co, and Cr have been studied in detail. Besides, information on trace mineral necessity and effects on physiology of various freshwater fishes are limited. All these aspects of trace mineral are discussed in the review, emphasizing on its growth and immune-modulation in freshwater fish.