EFEKTIVITAS PERENDAMAN INDUK BUNTING IKAN GUPPY (Poecilia reticulata) DALAM EKSTRAK DAUN MENSIRAK (Ilex cymosa) PADA DOSIS DAN DURASI BERBEDA TERHADAP NISBAH KELAMIN JANTAN

Male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) possess more attractive coloration and morphology than females, making them commercially more valuable. This study investigated the potential of mensirak (Ilex cymosa) leaf extract as a natural agent to increase the proportion of males (masculinization) in guppies through the immersion of pregnant broodstock. An experimental approach was employed using a two-factor Completely Randomized Factorial Design (CRFD). The first factor was the extract dosage (0, 2, and 3 mg/L), and the second factor was the immersion duration (0, 12, and 24 hours). Each treatment combination was conducted in triplicate. The results showed that increasing the mensirak leaf extract dosage from 2 mg/L to 3 mg/L significantly enhanced the percentage of males. The 3 mg/L dosage treatment yielded a male percentage of 61.21 ± 4.75% at a 12-hour immersion and 58.21 ± 4.98% at a 24-hour immersion. Varying the immersion duration between 12 and 24 hours at the same dosage did not show a significant effect. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of mensirak extract remained lower than the positive control of 17α-methyltestosterone (2 mg/L for 12 hours), which achieved a male percentage of 90.23 ± 1.16%. Overall, mensirak leaf extract shows potential as an alternative natural agent for guppy masculinization, with a dosage of 3 mg/L identified as the optimal treatment among the variations tested.