THE POWER of GARLIC???

[JakeH]

I use the "Ken's Garlic Xtreme" all the time as an attractant & anti-parasite supplement for my Clown Loaches. One drop & every fish in the tank comes runnin! It is pricey, but a bottle will last forever. Oh, and your hands/house wont smell like garlic for a week. Can you make your own?..Sure. Should you?..Maybe not. Ewurm did a review on it a while back: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63103&highlight=garlic+xtreme

 

[mk2000]

I use garlic guard twice a week. I add it to the fish food food and let it dry - then feed it to my fishes. Been doing this for over a year and so far...no parasites or anything that I could see. Not sure if the garlic does work, but I use it.

 

[RD.]

The commercial pellets I feed have garlic in them, at an inclusion rate that has proven to be effective for fish.

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1678-91992006000200003&lng=en&nrm=iso

While the document linked to above is a very long read, in the end the authors state:

Finally, from the obtained results it could be recommended that garlic (Allium Sativum) may be used as a growth promoter and antibiotic for the treatment or prevention of diseases and for enhancing fish tolerance to environmental stress (62); therefore garlic powder should be added to the diet of freshwater fish.


A. M. Shalaby et al. EFFECTS OF GARLIC (Allium sativum) AND CHLORAMPHENICOL ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND SURVIVAL OF NILE TILAPIA (Oreochromis niloticus).

Fish Hatchery and Reproductive Physiology Department, Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Abbassa, Abo-Hammad, Sharkia, Egypt

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis., 2006, 12, 2, p.196

In this particular study the inclusion of garlic at a rate of 3% (via garlic powder) has shown to increase the overall digestibilty of protein, carbohydrates, and fat (ie; better growth), as well as to lower the total bacteria count within the intestine, muscles, and water column.


In Norway, the Austevoll Aquaculture Research Station has studied the use of garlic as a natural biocide against sea lice, with positive results.
http://www.onefish.org/servlet/CDSS...JUEUzMjg5NiY2PWVuJjMzPWRvY3VtZW50cyYzNz1pbmZv

In most of the aquaculture studies that I am aware of the garlic that was used was not fresh, or a derivitive was used.

There are other studies that have also shown very positive results in using garlic as a more natural way to control various pathogens.


Effect of Allium sativum on the immunity and survival of Labeo rohita infected with Aeromonas hydrophila
S. Sahu, B. K. Das, B. K. Mishra, J. Pradhan and N. Sarangi

Aquatic Animal Health Division, Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar, India

Journal of Applied Ichthyology, Volume 23 Issue 1, Pages 80 - 86


Quote:
Summary


The aim of this study was to evaluate dietary dosages of garlic on the immune response and disease resistance against infections due to the opportunistic pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila in Labeo rohita fingerlings. Garlic, Allium sativum, was incorporated into the diets (0%, 0.1%, 0.5% and 1.0%) of rohu, L. rohita fingerlings (10 ± 2 g). Every 20 days, different biochemical (serum total protein, albumin, globulin, albumin : globulin ratio, blood glucose), haematological (WBC, RBC and haemoglobin content) and immunological (superoxide anion production, lysozyme activity and serum bactericidal activity) parameters were evaluated. Superoxide anion production, lysozyme, serum bactericidal, serum protein and albumin were enhanced in garlic treated groups compared with the control group. After 60 days, fish were challenged with A. hydrophila and mortality (%) was recorded up to day 10 post-challenge. Survival decreased in control group (57%) up to day 10 after infection. However, this was increased in the garlic treatment group, i.e. 85% survivability in the 1 g garlic kg−1 (B group) and 5 g garlic kg−1 (C group), and 71% survivability in the 10 g garlic kg−1 (D group), respectively. These results indicate that Allium sativum stimulates the immunity and makes L. rohita more resistant to infection by A. hydrophila.

And yet another study .........

EFFECT OF GARLIC ON THE SURVIVAL, GROWTH, RESISTANCE AND QUALITY OF OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS
Salah Mesalhy Aly, Nashwa Mahmoud Abdel Atti* and Mohamed Fathi Mohamed

The WorldFish Center, Research Center for Africa & West Asia, Abbassa, Sharkia, Egypt.
Dept of Food Hygiene, Animal Health Research Institute, Ismailia Laboratory, Egypt.

http://ag.arizona.edu/azaqua/ista/ISTA8/FinalPapers/Growth pdf/22 salah Meselhy.pdf



In Israel, researchers from the Ben Gurion University aquaculture dept. are also experimenting with allicen, the active ingredient in garlic, for its anti-bacterial properties.
http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/Articles/Column/f0208f4ab52f8010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____



HTH

 

[justin guest]

I use regular fresh garlic from the grocery store...I make my own food for my fish sometimes Here is my super secret recipe!
In a food processor add in 4-5 cloves garlic and a chopped carrot (add spinach too if you want) and beat it to a pulp.
Then cube up beef heart removing all the fatty stuff on the outside and beat this to a pulp wth previous ingredients add to a freezer bag and flatten to approx 1/4" thick and freeze...break into pieces to feed to fish.
I have never had a problem with it making my water dirty either.

If you want to improve growth and health further then add some fish based protein sources as well. The beaf heart protein isn´t as easily digestable for a lot of fish species and this will increase the positive effects of such a diet across a broader range of species.

j<><

 

[tcarswell]

I dip all my massivore , silversides , and krill in garlic guard from seachem. I read an article about its anti parasitic properties by a discus breeder and I was sold. Fish love it. GF hates the smell of feeding time. (Silversides and massivore dipped in garlic solution lol)
But I do water changes and keep the tank clean and it doesn't smell.

BTW bichirs eat more food when its garlic dipped and it sends their little sniffers into hyperdrive.

My community tank loves their NLS dipped in garlic as well

it was an article by Jack watley btw (big time Discus guy )

 

[RD.]

Tcarswell - there is no need to add any additional garlic to NLS pellets, doing so is not only a waste of your hard earned money, but can also be counter productive. (as in too much of a good thing, can sometimes be a bad thing)

 

[tcarswell]

Tcarswell - there is no need to add any additional garlic to NLS pellets, doing so is not only a waste of your hard earned money, but can also be counter productive. (as in too much of a good thing, can sometimes be a bad thing)

Thanks , I only do it as an appetite stimulant for them. It helped my baby pictus cats find the pellets easier. Good heads up though.

 

[johnnycoolxx]

I've been putting finely chopped garlic into my tank to help with preventing disease. Let's say my filter isn't 100%. Will the garlic foul up the water quality?

I know garlic juice is good for the fish, but what about finely cut garlic?

 

[knicks791]

I dip all my massivore , silversides , and krill in garlic guard from seachem. I read an article about its anti parasitic properties by a discus breeder and I was sold. Fish love it. GF hates the smell of feeding time. (Silversides and massivore dipped in garlic solution lol)
But I do water changes and keep the tank clean and it doesn't smell.

BTW bichirs eat more food when its garlic dipped and it sends their little sniffers into hyperdrive.

My community tank loves their NLS dipped in garlic as well

it was an article by Jack watley btw (big time Discus guy )

Awsome info.

 

[msjinkzd]

here are the issues of magazines where more information can be found:
Aquarium Fish Magazine - January 1996 pg. 78 "Garlic & Your Aquarium"

Tropical Fish Hobbyist - June 1997 pg. 58 "Iso-Med for Wild-Caught Discus"

Tropical Fish Hobbyist - August 2001 pg. 112 "Flashing and Flukes"