still, more questions about garlic...

[moonraker]

i'll be candid about this all-too-common subject so, here goes...does it really work against ich? will it help in eliminating velvet and brooklynella? lastly, does it really improve appetite? i ask these because, of the few times i tried feeding garlic-soaked food to my fish, they always ended up spitting it out.

i would greatly appreciate your response!

ciao!

 

[steve-s]

Does garlic extract help with protozoan parasites? Yes to some degree but it should be used moreso as an aid to a proper cure and not a cure in itself. The active ingredient in garlic that contributes to it's relative success is allicin. It helps the fish become "scent" camouflaged if you will from the parasite.

The feeding part does have alot of truth to it. Most all fish will have a positive reaction to it . If you find they are spitting it out, then you may be using more than needed. Only a few drops per feeding are all that should be used and it is not healthy to use daily either. Garlic will increase DOC and contribute to nitrate so use sparingly. I find a light weekly dose is also a good immune booster as well.

Cheers
Steve

 

[moonraker]

if i understand this correctly, the extract has to be assimilated by the fish for it to work. and, like you said, it acts more in camouflaging the fish rather than killing the attached parasite, right? so, regardless of which protozoan you are dealing with, it should be more of a preventative treatment rather than a cure?

i'm just really intrigued by this mode of treatment. in hindsight, when i was researching about tropheus, i've come across alot of discussions about garlic extracts preventing bloat and other diseases of this fish. to think that that was about a year and a half ago really seems to give credence to the claims of its proponents.

If you find they are spitting it out, then you may be using more than needed.

it figures... i guess i'm putting quite alot of garlic extract in their food after all.

merci beaucoup!

 

[steve-s]

if i understand this correctly, the extract has to be assimilated by the fish for it to work. and, like you said, it acts more in camouflaging the fish rather than killing the attached parasite, right? so, regardless of which protozoan you are dealing with, it should be more of a preventative treatment rather than a cure?

Cheers
Steve