wakeboard3584
Member
Does anyone know if it is safe to mix some garlic powder in water and then soak the food in that? The container for the garlic powder doesn't have any ingredients listed, but i dont know if this is a safe method.
Garlic Powder For Ich
- Thread starter wakeboard3584
- Start date
spiderwoman
Active Member
Garlic powder will NOT help with ick. All it contains is salt and other flavor ingredients. Definitely only meant for enhancing food flavor. Use fresh garlic if you wish to entice your fish to eat. Ick is not cured by garlic.
wakeboard3584
Member
spider, while i do agree that there a most likely additives in garlic powder and that it isnt a good idea to use (and i did not use it), i think ur idea of what garlic is used for is slightly off. yes, fish like the taste of garlic and it entices them to eat. however, it also boosts their natural immune system, assisting their body in fighting off disease. fish CAN fight ich on their own if they are healthy and happy. my valnetini puffer has 3 tiny spots that look like they could be ich on his dorsal fin, but they havent changed in number or size in 6 days. so, if it is ich, its not a bad case so far because Toby (the valentini) is eating well and not showing any sign of stress. soooooo, if i can boost his immune system slightly, i think he may fight it off. garlic is more than just taste 
spanko
Active Member
From Reefkeeping magazine article by Stephen Pro;
" Garlic is another of the alternative treatments for Cryptocaryon to be touted lately. I have read of many people reporting using it "successfully" as a preventative. The difficult part in assessing these reports is whether the fish would have developed Cryptocaryon in the first place. And, when someone claims it to be a "cure," how can they definitively rule out natural, acquired immunity or even confusion over Cryptocaryon's life cycle.
At the very least, garlic does have some proven anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, and antiviral properties (Bartelme, 2003 and and Cortes-Jorge, 2001). I included it here because this treatment has shown enough promise to warrant further scientific evaluation. Unfortunately for us, all the real money in this industry is directed to commercial food fish, not our ornamentals. With other effective and inexpensive treatments available, I don't know if grant money will ever be directed into finding out if this alternative treatment conclusively works. Perhaps we could convince the fine marketing people at Mrs. Gordon's that they should try a pre-flavored version of their famous fish sticks by feeding the fish garlic. I can just hear the ad now, "A hint of garlic in every bite."
My biggest problem with the use of garlic is the mythology that has developed regarding it. This all began quite simply and innocently. Kelly Jedlicki was studying the use of garlic as an intestinal dewormer. For those who don't know who Kelly is, she is affectionately referred to as the "Puffer Queen" as they are her favorite fishes and oftentimes are brought into the trade polluted with various worms. As I said, she was examining the effectiveness of garlic against nematodes and cestodes on impacted puffers when she noticed a general decrease in Cryptocaryon irritans incidence. Later on, she proposed feeding garlic to fish as a preventative for Cryptocaryon irritans. From there the legend of garlic has spread. Feeding garlic to fish is now an accepted cure for Marine Ich by some individuals. Furthermore, I have read of people merely hanging cloves of garlic in their tank in an effort to ward off the parasites, like some sort of bad vampire movie. And lastly, I have recently heard of a surprising number of hobbyists who soak their corals' food in garlic in an effort to combat possible pathogens when target feeding them. It goes to show that garlic has become an all-purpose wonder drug in some peoples' eyes based on little more than anecdotal observations."
" Garlic is another of the alternative treatments for Cryptocaryon to be touted lately. I have read of many people reporting using it "successfully" as a preventative. The difficult part in assessing these reports is whether the fish would have developed Cryptocaryon in the first place. And, when someone claims it to be a "cure," how can they definitively rule out natural, acquired immunity or even confusion over Cryptocaryon's life cycle.
At the very least, garlic does have some proven anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, and antiviral properties (Bartelme, 2003 and and Cortes-Jorge, 2001). I included it here because this treatment has shown enough promise to warrant further scientific evaluation. Unfortunately for us, all the real money in this industry is directed to commercial food fish, not our ornamentals. With other effective and inexpensive treatments available, I don't know if grant money will ever be directed into finding out if this alternative treatment conclusively works. Perhaps we could convince the fine marketing people at Mrs. Gordon's that they should try a pre-flavored version of their famous fish sticks by feeding the fish garlic. I can just hear the ad now, "A hint of garlic in every bite."
My biggest problem with the use of garlic is the mythology that has developed regarding it. This all began quite simply and innocently. Kelly Jedlicki was studying the use of garlic as an intestinal dewormer. For those who don't know who Kelly is, she is affectionately referred to as the "Puffer Queen" as they are her favorite fishes and oftentimes are brought into the trade polluted with various worms. As I said, she was examining the effectiveness of garlic against nematodes and cestodes on impacted puffers when she noticed a general decrease in Cryptocaryon irritans incidence. Later on, she proposed feeding garlic to fish as a preventative for Cryptocaryon irritans. From there the legend of garlic has spread. Feeding garlic to fish is now an accepted cure for Marine Ich by some individuals. Furthermore, I have read of people merely hanging cloves of garlic in their tank in an effort to ward off the parasites, like some sort of bad vampire movie. And lastly, I have recently heard of a surprising number of hobbyists who soak their corals' food in garlic in an effort to combat possible pathogens when target feeding them. It goes to show that garlic has become an all-purpose wonder drug in some peoples' eyes based on little more than anecdotal observations."
meowzer
Moderator
spanko
Active Member
From reading this and other articles on the use of garlic as an Ich fighter and or preventer, I am saying that any evidence is purley anecdotal at this point and I would also wonder if there will be any valid scientific study into its effectiveness. That's all. No hidden agenda. However, and I am still looking for the article, I have read that anything but freshly squeezed garlic is not effective in that there is some chemical that loses it's "potency" (ha wonder if that word will get blocked by the parental controls) soon after it hits the air. So the over the counter stuff you can get is only effective as an appetite stimulantenhancement.
meowzer
Moderator
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3020033
From reading this and other articles on the use of garlic as an Ich fighter and or preventer, I am saying that any evidence is purley anecdotal at this point and I would also wonder if there will be any valid scientific study into its effectiveness. That's all. No hidden agenda. However, and I am still looking for the article, I have read that anything but freshly squeezed garlic is not effective in that there is some chemical that loses it's "potency" (ha wonder if that word will get blocked by the parental controls) soon after it hits the air. So the over the counter stuff you can get is only effective as a stimulant enhancement.
it's still there...and now it's RED
http:///forum/post/3020033
From reading this and other articles on the use of garlic as an Ich fighter and or preventer, I am saying that any evidence is purley anecdotal at this point and I would also wonder if there will be any valid scientific study into its effectiveness. That's all. No hidden agenda. However, and I am still looking for the article, I have read that anything but freshly squeezed garlic is not effective in that there is some chemical that loses it's "potency" (ha wonder if that word will get blocked by the parental controls) soon after it hits the air. So the over the counter stuff you can get is only effective as a stimulant enhancement.
wakeboard3584
Member
ok, well regardless of whether or not garlic has been scientifically proven to improve the fish immune system, it has been proven to boost the immuse system of humans and other animals. not enough testing has been done to prove its effectiveness on fish, but i know people have seen positive results using garlic for mild ich. seeing as how garlic is proven to have immune boosting properties in humans and animals and it seems to work on fish for some people, i think it is definately worth a try.
wakeboard3584
Member
well, i chopped up some fresh garlic today and soaked some frozen shrimp in it. the fish loooove that ----. i am going to keep doing this, but i'm starting to get convinced that the marks are tears in his fin. i know he has been nipped at a few times and when i got a really good look at his fin today, they look like they may have been caused after George (my strawberry basslet) bit down and pulled. up close, they look more like tiny vertical lines and are in the shape of a mouth... haha maybe i'm just stoned and makin this up, but i'm becoming less worried. keep ya posted.
sepulatian
Moderator
For future reference, Beth has information about garlic in her Common Treatments FAQ at the top of this forum https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/show...4&postcount=12
Fresh garlic has to be used. Allicin, the active ingredient, breaks down within minutes. Powdered garlic would have no benefit at all.
Fresh garlic has to be used. Allicin, the active ingredient, breaks down within minutes. Powdered garlic would have no benefit at all.
al mc
Active Member
This is one of my favorite topics......Please show me a peer reviewed scientific study that shows that garlic boosts the immune system in mammals and/or fish. I may be proven wrong someday, but I have yet to find one.
For years people have given anecdotal evidence about the medicinal immune boosting properties of garlic, but no scientific ones.
Most of my readings on garlic indicate that it is accepted that the allicin in the garlic cell is responsible for the positive medical benefits. This allicin, once released by the cells degrades rapidly (minutes). So, bottled or powdered garlic should be next to worthless unless it stimulates the fish to consume more food (calories) to help it's existing natural defenses stay healthy enough to combat disease.
Just my two cents.
For years people have given anecdotal evidence about the medicinal immune boosting properties of garlic, but no scientific ones.
Most of my readings on garlic indicate that it is accepted that the allicin in the garlic cell is responsible for the positive medical benefits. This allicin, once released by the cells degrades rapidly (minutes). So, bottled or powdered garlic should be next to worthless unless it stimulates the fish to consume more food (calories) to help it's existing natural defenses stay healthy enough to combat disease.
Just my two cents.
wakeboard3584
Member
Originally Posted by Al Mc
http:///forum/post/3020540
This is one of my favorite topics......Please show me a peer reviewed scientific study that shows that garlic boosts the immune system in mammals and/or fish. I may be proven wrong someday, but I have yet to find one.
For years people have given anecdotal evidence about the medicinal immune boosting properties of garlic, but no scientific ones.
Most of my readings on garlic indicate that it is accepted that the allicin in the garlic cell is responsible for the positive medical benefits. This allicin, once released by the cells degrades rapidly (minutes). So, bottled or powdered garlic should be next to worthless unless it stimulates the fish to consume more food (calories) to help it's existing natural defenses stay healthy enough to combat disease.
Just my two cents.
which is why i used fresh garlic and soaked for 2-3 mintues before feeding it.
http:///forum/post/3020540
This is one of my favorite topics......Please show me a peer reviewed scientific study that shows that garlic boosts the immune system in mammals and/or fish. I may be proven wrong someday, but I have yet to find one.
For years people have given anecdotal evidence about the medicinal immune boosting properties of garlic, but no scientific ones.
Most of my readings on garlic indicate that it is accepted that the allicin in the garlic cell is responsible for the positive medical benefits. This allicin, once released by the cells degrades rapidly (minutes). So, bottled or powdered garlic should be next to worthless unless it stimulates the fish to consume more food (calories) to help it's existing natural defenses stay healthy enough to combat disease.
Just my two cents.
which is why i used fresh garlic and soaked for 2-3 mintues before feeding it.
I don't think that boosting the immune system is at work relating to garlic and ich. The theory is that garlic is more of a repellent. Also, garlic has allicin which supposedly is the ingredient that works at combating fish diseases. Allicin starts degrading as soon as the glove skin is compromised, which is why it is necessary to use fresh garlic, not bottled garlic, with any attempt to address fish ailments with garlic.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/127007/faqs-fish-diseases-treatments-quarantine-health-info#post_1509974
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/127007/faqs-fish-diseases-treatments-quarantine-health-info#post_1509974
wakeboard3584
Member
Thanks Beth. I did read you're post on the use of fresh garlic and used the techniques you suggested. I'm not even convinced that the fish has ich. It has 3 small spots that have not changed in over a week. The garlic is more of a preventative for the other fish in case it is ich and to POSSIBLY assist in whatever may be the cause of the spots on his fin if its not ich. all around, garlic seems to do some good, making it worth while.