Using fresh garlic to combat ich?

[MerlotAndFamily]

So dose and test the copper into the new water before you put it into your QT tank? That makes way more sense actually. dang, now I need a new mixing bucket... Oh no! And new pumps! Christ, this sucks...

So you're saying no fish for 2.5 months/ 10 weeks in DT to allow for all strains of Ich to run their course and die off? Are you copper treating that long too?

 

[kp1991]

Also there is no way to be assured there isnt any ich parasites left in the tank other than counting the life cycle with out a host correct or is there a method used?

 

[MerlotAndFamily]

I do believe that's his whole theory, yeah. Let the ich all hatch out and starve off. No fish = no food = all die. I've been reading his book on it too. I linked it at the bottom under his video. Haven't finished it but it follows the same basic info.

 

[kp1991]

Man that sux lol

 

[MerlotAndFamily]

So- that's a pile of rubbish then? Because I'd really love to never deal with this ich crap ever again...

 

[CherBear811]

Garlic does help stimulate appetite and if you're feeding a good enriched food, then the nutrition will help the immune system.

Regarding the study that showed liver damage.... If you do the math, the amount of garlic they fedthe fish daily seems small but was the equivalent of a 150 lb human eating 1/4 POUND of garlic per day. Im quite sure that amount would adversely effect humans as well. Using such an insanely large quantity was bad science, IMO.

The efficacy of garlic helping - not curing - ich is indeed anecdotal, but it's a lot of anrcdotal evidence. It will be enough to assist some fish in fighting off and not enough for others, but if it's all you have right this moment, it's better than nothing.

 

[kp1991]

Garlic does help stimulate appetite and if you're feeding a good enriched food, then the nutrition will help the immune system.

Regarding the study that showed liver damage.... If you do the math, the amount of garlic they fedthe fish daily seems small but was the equivalent of a 150 lb human eating 1/4 POUND of garlic per day. Im quite sure that amount would adversely effect humans as well. Using such an insanely large quantity was bad science, IMO.

The efficacy of garlic helping - not curing - ich is indeed anecdotal, but it's a lot of anrcdotal evidence. It will be enough to assist some fish in fighting off and not enough for others, but if it's all you have right this moment, it's better than nothing.

Right cause imo i think the garlic had an actual adverse affect on my poor lil tang i feel i shouldnt have given the garlic at all

 

[ca1ore]

Just because people think garlic improves the fish immune system, doesn't mean it actually does. I've always found the claim highly dubious. Feed your fish a balanced, appropriate diet so they are healthy and can develop a nice thick mucus coat. That's what will keep the ich at bay.

 

[Tek]

Garlic to treat ich ;Stop

Hahahhahhahahhahahahha!

 

[Tahoe61]

Additionally there are several studies that show it can lead to liver damage in aquatic animals. If your fish are eating well it adds nothing IMO.

The anecdotal stories about garlic/ich are very likely due to the life cycle of ich itself. The stage of the parasite that creates the visible white dots falls off on it's own in a few days whether treated or not. This leads people to think their fish are "cured" or that they were helped by (fill in the blank with any number of reported but unproven treatments) when in fact their fish are still infected.

One <3 like is not enough. Spot on.

 

[Salty Carlo]

Garlic will only help fish eat to keep them strong but will do nothing for ick. For ick you need to pull the fish out and any other fish in the same tank and put them in quarantine for a minimum of 27 days and dose copper to kill the ick

 

[saltyhog]

So you're saying no fish for 2.5 months/ 10 weeks in DT to allow for all strains of Ich to run their course and die off? Are you copper treating that long too?

Yes on the first question. No on the second question. The directions on using copper are in this thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/copper-treatment.193343/

If you look on page 3 you can see that you can treat with copper for 14 days if you then transfer the fish to a different sterile tank (to hold them till the tank fallow period is up). The other option is to treat for 30 days but then you have to do something with the fish while waiting for the fallow period to end.

 

[pappdr]

I started to use UV after I had a bad outbreak.
Fish survived and no recurrence

 

[40B Knasty]

To answer your question. Combating ich leaves it opened end.
Better to be straight to the point. Ich and velvet are both parasites. The ONLY way to KILL ich completely out of a display tank is by pulling all your fish out and starve the parasite out. Okay now that you know this. Next is to treat the fish. Treating the fish is done with copper. Make sure you get the right one for each fish. Some have trouble with the other type of copper. Next you need sustain the level of therapeutic treatment of the copper being used for certain amount of days. Doing the tank to tank method helps with this, because you are leaving ich or velvet behind in the other tank. Then after I think it is either a week or two. You transfer them back to the other tank you started with. Then back to the other tank. Ammonia spike & maintaining the therapeutic level is the hardest part. If the copper falls out of the desired level. You reset the clock and start over again(more stress).
Now there is a thing called "living with ich." That means it is in your tank and you are going to live with it being there. Just like the ocean.
How your fish gets the parasites is when they are usually sleeping. The parasites will latch onto them, because they are not active.
I will recommend beefing up their slime coat with an Omega 3 that the fish can get from eating Tigger pods.
I will also recommend trying Medic by PolypLab. It is a 20 day treatment of the tank. I have used it twice. It is said(not by me) that it can kill the parasites in the the 2nd and 4th stage of the parasites life cycle. There is 4 stages of it. It is basically a crystallized peroxide salt. It is very simple to use, but you have to be pot committed to using it. It has worked both times for me to get my fish up to par and be healthy in the tank. Feed your fish meatier foods. Like mysis, shrimp, lobster, squid, clams, scallops, salmon etc..

 

[Tony Thompson]

First video was excellent, maybe some discussion over levels of copper for treatment, but no arguments about the overall message. Brilliant instructions for beginners and experienced reefers alike. I just don`t` understand people's resistance to Quarantine. Compared to the costs of setting up even a basic reef tank, a quarantine tank is so simple and inexpensive to run it just doesn't make sense not to have one. I personally quarantine all my corals, snails, Crabs, Shrimps for 45 days before they enter any of my Display tanks. I admit it so tempting to get your new purchase home and get it in the DT to admire it, but its just not worth the risk. Although I find it very frustrating to have to wait before I can buy more corals. the 45 days helps me choose my purchases more wisely. Most important for me is I have a responsibility for these wonderful animals once I purchase them.They deserve at least the effort of quarantine.

 

[Tony Thompson]

The first part of the video is excellent!

Unfortunately, the second part will cause lots of people misery. Fallow period is not 42-56 days it's 72 days, minimum . Follow the directions for dosing copper found in the fish disease forum here. He also didn't mention that water changes without dosing the new water with copper before using it is mandatory. Otherwise you lower the dose to an ineffective level and will likely not eliminate the parasite.

Hi SaltyHog, Why 72 days, I thought the data that showed a strain over the 45 day period was under very low water temps. Suggesting the incubation period had been restricted due to lower metabolism. Do you have a link to the data that proves the 72 day cycle. Would certainly make me consider my quarantine procedure time. Thanks.

 

[schooncw]

There is a ton of anecdotal BS advice about garlic and the "serious" studies debunk its effectiveness. In my experience, garlic only works on vampires.

 

[saltyhog]

Hi SaltyHog, Why 72 days, I thought the data that showed a strain over the 45 day period was under very low water temps. Suggesting the incubation period had been restricted due to lower metabolism. Do you have a link to the data that proves the 72 day cycle. Would certainly make me consider my quarantine procedure time. Thanks.

That is correct, the 72 day theront release was in only one study. That is being conservative and the recommendation of our resident Ich expert. Is it over kill? Maybe, but if you are going to go to all that trouble what's a few more weeks.

 

[ca1ore]

In my experience, garlic only works on vampires.

True! I hang a rope of garlic in my kitchen and we've never had any vampires.

 

[Thales]

Any suggestions gotta baby blue hippo and shes clinged to the bottom of a rock no heavy breathing so far. Ate very good this morning concerned

I know the fish died, but in this situation the transfer method (using buckets) would have been the easiest effective treatment.

Garlic and Ginger do nothing for the parasite. The anecdote that seems to support there use tends to only pay attention to the cases where the parasite went away, but not to the at least equal reports of fish dying while using garlic and ginger.