Taurine is an essential component that becomes limiting in plant based diets. Organic acids
and their salts could be utilized as acidifiers to improve the performance, wellbeing and resistance
status of aquatic living beings. Fishes have low degrees of acidic secretions in the gut as compared
to warm blooded creatures. Incorporation of natural acids in their feed decreases pH in the gut and
improves the phytate hydrolysis, diminishes the pace of gastric exhausting and improves
mineralization and supplement ingestion. Current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of
dietary taurine addition in linseed meal based diet on growth performance, nutrient digestibility
and mineral retention of Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings. C. carpio fingerlings were
fed with graded levels (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10gkg-1) of dietary taurine for 60 days. The diets were fed
to triplicate groups of fish fingerlings (6.22 g average initial body weight) to apparent satiation
twice a day and feces were collected. Fish performance was significantly improved (P<0.05) by
dietary taurine up to optimal level of 4gkg-1 after which a noticeable decline in fish growth was
observed due to poor retention of various essential nutrients and minerals. Highest digestibility
values of crude proteins (73%), crude fat (66%) and gross energy (72%) were observed at this
optimum inclusion of dietary taurine in linseed meal based diet. Likewise better absorption
(P<0.05) of majority of minerals (Ca, Cu, Na, P and K) were found in fish fed at 4gkg-1 taurine
level. Highest survival (98%) rate was recorded with fish fed on 4 gkg-1 taurine supplemented diet.
So it seems that taurine could be used as feed additive in linseed meal based diet to confer better
growth and health of common carp at the level of 4 gkg-1 in linseed meal based diet.
Keywords: Taurine, linseed meal, Cyprinus carpio, growth performance, Nutrient
digestibility and mineral absorption.