Originally Posted by
normanknight
http:///forum/post/2550677
Hi,
here is a simple question. I hear a lot about adding garlic to the diet when a fish is having problems. How do you do this. Do you soak the food in garlic. Do you chop the garlic very fine and sprinkle it in with the food. I don't have any problems right now, but I would like to know the best method of using this.
Many thanks, Norman
Welcome to the forums. We hope you stick around.
No question in this hobby is simple
The current theory (as far as I know it is simply a theory. I am not aware of any scientifically conducted studies on the actual benefit of feeding fresh garlic to a fish's immune system) is that fresh garlic contains the active ingredient allicin. However, Allicin breaks down quickly outside of a fresh clove of garlic.
So, in order to get allicin to your fish you need to press a fresh clove of garlic and soak fish food in the oil you get from the clove.
Now... here's the thing.
I've used liquid garlic extracts to get finicky fish to eat. I have seen it work enough to believe it works. I have not, however, seen treating fish with garlic soaked foods work on a parasite like Ich so I cannot vouch for the success rate of it in that regard.
Originally one theory suspected that the intake of garlic killed internal parasites and could boost an immune systen in that way. Another theory was the garlic was absorbed into the fish's blood stream and secreted in the slime coat, affectively masking it's smell. Now the theory is allicin boosts the immune system.
The truth is, no studies have proven any of the above.
