Feeding garlic to freshwater fish

[stillnzcookie]

I read something a while back about feeding garlic to your fish as an anti-parasitic and health booster. I wonder if this is a good idea, and how many people do it?

The initial questions I have are:

1) Are there any risks with feeding garlic? We have a 60L planted tank with panda cories, dwarf neon rainbowfish and harlequin rasboras.

2) How do you get fish to eat garlic? Is it as simple as crushing a raw clove and putting a bit in the tank, or is there a way of preparing garlic to make it safe/palatable?

3) As far as I can tell, our tank and our fish are all healthy at the moment. Should I use garlic as a preventative, or is it only of benefit if I suspect our fish may have parasites?

4) If I can use garlic to keep my fish healthy (as opposed to cure them when they are sick), how often should I give it to them?

Thanks!

[Aquila]

I'll answer what I can...

Garlic can be used in preventative cases and it also said to help boost fish's immune systems. What you do is just lightly crush a clove or 2 and then drop then in your tank for a couple of days. This can be repeated every so often like once every couple months.

To help prevent a internal parasite outbreak or to treat a mild one, you can pre soak some food like brine shrimp or bloodworms in water with a crushed clove for about 30 min to 1hour and then feed the fish. Not all fish will like the taste so if they are being picky try reducing amount of time left pre-soaking. This can be combined with the garlic clove in the aquarium as well. Feed them like this for about a week if you can.

[ryanjury]

It is good for the fish and perfectly fine for them to eat I add it to my frozen food to add to the flavor..

It isn't any good for worming or the immune system boost unless it is freshly crushed and fed out if it is left to sit or frozen or refrigerated then it looses its goodness.

[Bilbo]

Fresh garlic is really good for fish as has been said to kill internal worms and cure other intestinal parasites and it also acts as to attract so fish eat it. I have heard of people just putting chunks in a tank but I usually add it to food.

The health benefits diminish greatly after a few hours but don’t fully disappear. Fish still like the smell though.

[Caryl]

It also keeps the vampires away

I know garlic is claimed to be good for humans too. Does the "have to be fresh" rule apply to us too or just fish? I use garlic flakes and salt.

[SamH]

It also keeps the vampires away

Ahh, so that's why Mystic hasn't posted :lol:

[stillnzcookie]

Thanks for all the replies - I have some fresh garlic, so will try lightly crushing a clove and putting it in the tank.

I know garlic is claimed to be good for humans too. Does the "have to be fresh" rule apply to us too or just fish? I use garlic flakes and salt

I'd guess fresh garlic is best for humans too - in the same way that you usually get more nutrients from fresh food than pre-prepared or supplements. My brother used to chew on a clove of raw garlic when he started getting a cold, and it always seemed to work for him (if nothing else, it stopped the spread of germs, as no-one else wanted to be near him!).

I haven't made it yet, but there's a french chicken recipe I want to try one day that has 40 cloves of garlic in it Might wait until after bubs is born, as I doubt it goes well with pregnancy heartburn!

[bdspider]

So will using crushed garlic from a jar not be the same as using fresh??? I've been wondering about this for a while.

[Zev]

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product ... Guard.html

[henward]

i have tried guarlic guard and i msut admit, its a good appetite enhancer.

arowanas tend to go through fasting periods, when mine do, i simply buya gold fish, inject it with garlic guard. just a few mls, 1 to 2 mls.

sound mean but i litereally just get a syringe with tiny needle and pump the goldfish with it.

it brings them out of the fasting period.

live food does that, but when idid this, it seems to be a more violent appetite increase.

i find that this happened after water changes and stress.

i dont do it anymore as my fish never endure any temp drops greater than 1degree through natural ambient temp drops.