Favorite food

[thincat]

Okay, let's hear from everyone....What is your favorite dry fishfood and why do you like it so much?
I like 3 foods, Reef chile, Spectrum marine formula and ultracolor.....What do you like????

 

[mfdrookie516]

You know, I've only tried New Life Spectrum, but it didn't taste all that great...

 

[thincat]

Try and flush it with some "HotDogs"!

 

[Fishguy2727]

I always use the NLS Thera+A because it has enough garlic to kill parasites. I feed this to all my fish and any corals large enough to eat it (LPS mainly).

I also feed two different sizes of Golden Pearls. I get a better food response from my corals with this than with anything else, including Rod's Food.

 

[HN1]

We feed all live, fresh, or frozen to our reefs. We feed our FW tanks with multiple NLS varieties as part of a very varied diet.

MFD- Try the hikari wafers... a pinch between the cheek and gum.

 

[melosu58]

IMO garlic does not kill parasites. It might up the immune system but not kill parasites. Some good reading

Garlic: What has been Studied Versus What has been Claimed by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

That being said I use Ocean nutrition Prime Reef flakes. Works pretty good for the days I feed dry. Variety is always a good thing.

 

[Fishguy2727]

I did research on this before. I looked through primary research articles (written by the scientists who actually performed the experiments and published in scientific journals). What I found was numerous articles discussing how allicin, a chemical in garlic when it is pressed/processed) can actively kill certain parasites. I have also seen it happen personally multiple times and talked to others who have had the same experience.

I have seen NLS Thera+A be the only thing needed to take care of marine white spot on tangs in reef tanks as well as in ich in clown loaches, discus, and other freshwater fish.

Garlic is not an immune system stimulent like so many claim. I have never seen any support for this claim. It is usually just likened to vitamin C, however vitamin C has known functions physiologically, unlike anything in garlic. I simply do not agree with the idea that it boosts the immune system. I think at best it can get a lot of fish to eat more which can lead to an improved immune system because of the better nutrition and improvement in feeding.

I am not claiming it is a miracle cure or will work every time (just like any other parasiticide) but it does do more than many give it credit for.

I have not had this happen with any of the liquid garlic supplements out there. The only times I know it has worked was the NLS Thera+A or fresh, pressed garlic.

 

[melosu58]

First I`m not discounting your experience. I too have had experiences with myself and others tanks and never seen garlic kill the parasite in SW. Granted the FW claims you made according to the article I can not attest to and the author agreed in his article. But in SW alot of people think they have done something when they have not. All that is happening is that the parasite cycle is going on and the parasite is dropping off and then the tomites come back with a vengence. I personnally have never seen ick (Cryptocaryon irritans) taken care of by garlic. I also am not saying that it takes care of the immune system. Just merely saying it because a lot of folks believe that. I did say "might". As I said I`m not discounting your experience or opinion. I made sure I said in my post "IMO".

 

[Fishguy2727]

Thank you.

I read through that article and it made some good points. But...if you look for any error then you will never prove anything. I ran a LFS and I can tell you that garlic definitely makes a difference when it comes to appetite stimulation. And if scientific articles stating that the allicin in garlic will kill parasites is not proof than nothing is proof scientifically. I will try to see if I still have the references for the garlic articles and post them (in a new thread).

Thank you for the info though. It is definitely NOT as black and white as most medications are and I don't mean to make it seem that way if I did.

I simply think there is more to it than skeptics agree with.

 

[Jimbo7]

I see the Reef Chili stuff all over the place, always looked sketchy to me. Care to elaborate more on why you like it and results?

 

[Innovator]

Not to start an argument, but I agree with Melosu. Garlic has been used in immune efficiency in humans, mammals, fish, etc for many years. Just a simple Google will also bring up a ton of Garlic studies showing the positive responses towards the immune system and there are fish studies conducted showing that garlic does not kill disease, but can extend the health before succumbing. As far as I know, garlic has never been proven to definitively kill parasites (primarily ich) in any ***reliable*** professional aquatics study. Of the freshwater studies, I don't believe any have been conducted without caveats.

As for food, I prefer a self-made mixture of frozen and fresh: sw fish flesh, shrimp, clams, nori, cyclop-eeze, micro-small pellets, spirulina, etc. with a revolving mix every feed.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Any information supporting that it helps a fish's immune system at all?

I have read multiple scientific papers showing that garlic will actively kill parasites. I would have to find them again to see if those were specific to fish parasites, but it does do it in general.

 

[jeremyblevins]

i know this is off topic but it really bothers me. fishguy using science and prove in the same tread is just bad. It's impossible to prove something you can only disprove things. atleast as far as science goes.

 

[Innovator]

It can kill fish parasites in terms of intestinal worms in fw fish, but if I am not mistaken in studies fw fish %'s also prematurely perished, which will always halt any definitive analysis. Here are just a couple recent studies based on garlic stimulation and immune efficiencies. There are others if you take the time to look around
Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases - Effects of Garlic (Alliumsativum) and chloramphenicol on growth performance, physiological parameters and survival of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
Effect of Allium sativum on the immunity and survival of Labeo rohita infected with Aeromonas hydrophila - Sahu - 2006 - Journal of Applied Ichthyology - Wiley Online Library

 

[clark4feathers]

I like BlueZoo mix

 

[hardcore]

lol ok that is just yuk never would i eat fish food, something about eating weird stuff stuff such as fish food ,, don't think i could bring myself to it. lol

 

[thincat]

Reef chile is just a great mixture of zooplankto, phytoplankton, rotifers, copepods, artemia nauplii, daphnia, spirulina powder, vitamins, minerals, and all in sizes that fish, coral, fans and other filter feeders can use. And no refrigeration needed. Just mix with tank water let set and feed.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Very important point Innovator, thank you for correcting me.

In the studies the parasites were there. The scientists added allicin. Then the parasites were dead.

 

[clark4feathers]

Where can t get reef chile?

 

[thincat]

c4f, you can get it at www.bulkreefsuppy.com