Supplementing with garlic?

[NickBee]

I’ve read posts suggesting supplementing with garlic. Knowing our live stock what would be the best way and what product should be used? We currently feed with frozen mysis, blood worms, fresh seafood mix, pellets, flakes, nori.

Thanks

[Waterbury Guy]

I actually use many of the frozen foods you mention above. I put a bunch of them into our cuisinart, let them melt a bit, and a 10-15 drops of pure garlic extract that you would find in the natural foods section of your grocery store. Mix it up, put in tupperware and keep in the freezer.

[luke33]

That works good, i usually thaw out my food with garlix extract, let it set a while, then feed them. Nick, the one suggetion i have unrelated is to not feed your fish bloodworms, this is unnatural for sw fish, bloodworms are for freshwater fish. Like beefheart.

[bobbbm]

What does the Garlic do?

[Waterbury Guy]

Staves off disease.

[luke33]

The garlic raises the immune system, which makes it hard for diseases and parasites to infect the fish.

[michaeldaly]

I just use fresh crushed garlic and mush it in with the food and let it sit for a while.

[NickBee]

You know i've read that about blood worms and was going to post. The fish do seem to love them. But I guess that does not mean it's good for them...

Would the garlic effect other suppliments? I curently thaw with Zoe.

thanks!

[luke33]

Use it both, i use selcon and garlic and they seem to love

[WaterKeeper]

Originally posted by michaeldaly
I just use fresh crushed garlic and mush it in with the food and let it sit for a while.

And that is the way to go about it. Only fresh crushed garlic has the magic ingredient, Allicin, 2-propene-1-sulfinothioc acid S-2-propenyl ester; thio-2-propene-1-sulfinic acid S-allyl ester. Allicin is formed when a garlic clove is injured. It has mild anti-bacterial, anti-fungal effects and allows the damage to heal without a high risk of infection. However, shortly after it is formed it starts to break down and the is hardly any remaining after about a day and ½ to 5 days.

Now garlic was originally touted as a cure for ich but ich is a protozoan and allicin has no effect on those. It may limit some bacteria but often the concentration in the water column is so low that it would be ineffective. Ahhh, you say the fish eat it and it accumulates in their tissue. Nice thought but the decomposition of the allicin is really fast in the digestive tract occurring in hours of less.

Benefits are doubtful but if it gives you pease of mind add it. The fish seem to like it and it doesn't do any harm.

[CarmieJo]

While I don't believe that there is any scientific proof I have often read that it also stimulates the appetite.

[WaterKeeper]

It sure makes pasta dishes more stimulating.