Adding Garlic to food

[steve 1965]

Has anyone have luck using fresh Garlic cloves minced or Garlic powder to their fish food? If so how do you add it?

 

[Timfish]

I wouldn't. If you feel like you need to try it use a product or process where you can closely monitor the amount you are dosing AND have some method for quantifying the results. From what I've seen it seems some have assumed the health benefits we have from eating garlic should extend to fish. I haven't seen any research to support that assumption.

 

[exnisstech]

I've read that garlic really has no nutritional value to our fish but can be helpful to entice finicky eaters to try what's being offered.
Wonder what @Jay Hemdal thoughts are?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Using garlic is an old fishing trick, it smells, and fish have a great sense of smell so they are attracted to it. It graduates to the aquarium hobby to use on picky fish to help get them eating. But as far as I know there is no science to prove any health benefits to fish.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I've read that garlic really has no nutritional value to our fish but can be helpful to entice finicky eaters to try what's being offered.
Wonder what @Jay Hemdal thoughts are?

Back in the late 1990’s there was an aquarist, Kelly Jedlecki. She gave talks about the benefits of garlic. We called her the puffer lady because she was big on using dremel tools to grind her puffer’s teeth down. The running gag was all the garlic she fed made her puffer’s teeth grow too fast. Her house smelled like an Italian restaurant (grin).

So - garlic can be used as a mild expectorant for some internal parasites (but not really a cure). It doesn’t have a lot of nutritional benefits for fish.

Can it work to entice a fish to eat? Maybe, IDK. The trouble is, if a fish isn’t eating due to some disease or water quality issues, garlic won’t likely help unless you correct the issue first.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Back in the late 1990’s there was an aquarist, Kelly Jedlecki. She gave talks about the benefits of garlic. We called her the puffer lady because she was big on using dremel tools to grind her puffer’s teeth down. The running gag was all the garlic she fed made her puffer’s teeth grow too fast. Her house smelled like an Italian restaurant (grin).

So - garlic can be used as a mild expectorant for some internal parasites (but not really a cure). It doesn’t have a lot of nutritional benefits for fish.

Can it work to entice a fish to eat? Maybe, IDK. The trouble is, if a fish isn’t eating due to some disease or water quality issues, garlic won’t likely help unless you correct the issue first.

I have used tube feeding to "jump start" some fish that weren't eating:

https://reefs.com/magazine/chronic-anorexia-in-aquarium-fishes/

 

[steve 1965]

Ok thanks. I see products like garlic power and was wondering what benefit it had besides enticing finicky fish.

 

[Dr. D]

Garlic is employed primarily to fend off the Vampire Tang. Studies on holy water are so far inconclusive, though obviously Angelfish thrive in it.