Garlic: why?

[davidcalgary29]

As I was making my homemade seafood blend at lunchtime (Co-Op frozen "seafood medley", nori sheets, phyto, for the curious), I paused while adding some extra nice garlic extract to think "what the heck am I doing here?" Are there ANY scientific studies that show that the use of garlic in the home aquarium adds anything to the experience but fragrance? This is the typical advice when searches are made:

• Boosts Fish Immune System As mentioned earlier, the use of antibiotics as a disease control method has resulted in the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. ...
• Enhance Growth ...
• Provides Antimicrobial Properties ...
• Anti-bacterial Benefits ...

I mean, sure. It can also make your kids behave, sell insurance as a side gig, and improve your love life. for people.

I've added garlic, on occasion, to the fish in my five tanks and can't say that they notice it at all. Most certainly don't try to eat it, unlike nori, which is consumed by a wide variety of fish that shouldn't have any interest in it (ie. filefish).

This just can't all be apocrypha. Can it?

 

[Rtaylor]

Garlic should only be used to try to tempt a finicky fish into trying a food (it has been shown to increase appetite). Long term use of garlic can actually be dangerous to the health of the fish. If I recall correctly it damages their liver.

 

[TokenReefer]

Always thought it was an odd addition/claim personally. Surely sea creatures can find everything they need in sea food was my thought Good questions though. Learning...

 

[homer1475]

Garlic should only be used to try to tempt a finicky fish into trying a food (it has been shown to increase appetite). Long term use of garlic can actually be dangerous to the health of the fish. If I recall correctly it damages their liver.

Exactly this ^^

 

[shootingstar_reef]

Are there ANY scientific studies that show that the use of garlic in the home aquarium adds anything to the experience but fragrance?

No

 

[Zach B]

I would substitute the garlic for selcon if possible. Best of luck

 

[Harold999]

I can remember a research where garlic didn't even work on finicky fish.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I would substitute the garlic for selcon if possible. Best of luck

I do use Selcon. But garlic is continuously thrown conversations about nutrition and disease "management". I'd really like to know why.

 

[JGT]

A Google search says this:
In various scientific studies, garlic has been show to significantly promote growth, decrease mortality and increase antioxidant activity in fish. Garlic is an effective appetite enhancer and the most powerful component of garlic is called allicin.

But it also says:
Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans (and just about anything else) is easily cured by feeding garlic. Quarantine tanks are an unnecessary expense and hassle (assuming he has even heard of a quarantine tank). Garlic is a proven appetite stimulant, which can compel even challenging-to-feed fish to take prepared foods.
Sooooooo….you decide.
Garlic does a body good…really? Really?

 

[TokenReefer]

What's the mechanism at play in garlic for these claims? Do they mention why?

 

[homer1475]

Think @Jay Hemdal would have something to say about this.

 

[JGT]

Yes, we need a scientific viewpoint.

Although I will say that since I started feeding my fish garlic, I haven’t come across any vampires lurking around my tank.

 

[Zach B]

I do use Selcon. But garlic is continuously thrown conversations about nutrition and disease "management". I'd really like to know why.

. Agreed 100%

 

[KrisReef]

Yes, we need a scientific viewpoint.

Although I will say that since I started feeding my fish garlic, I haven’t come across any vampires lurking around my tank.

I like it on my pizza, fresh pressed and roasted in olive oil
but
I don't feed it (garlic) to my fish. They like raw clams, oysters, mussels, shucked, chopped, then frozen and fed thawed for very happy fishes.

I don't find many garlic chunks washed up on the beaches of the oceans, world wide so I would dare claim that it is not part of their normal diet. I have not searched the literature to assess claims of benefits from feeding it to fishes long term, or short.

A GIF can always be counted upon to settle these disputes,

 

[vtecintegra]

It's another one of those things that people throw around to make it sound like they know something that others don't, in my opinion. I tried it one time about 15 years ago. The fish spit the food out and when I smelled the bottle of juice it was nasty. I don't see how anything would eat it.

 

[davidcalgary29]

It's another one of those things that people throw around to make it sound like they know something that others don't, in my opinion. I tried it one time about 15 years ago. The fish spit the food out and when I smelled the bottle of juice it was nasty. I don't see how anything would eat it.

Well, maybe that's a little harsh. The garlic-pushers seem very sincere about the practice, and the advice is usually embedded in some truly helpful information. I'd love to know who started this, and why.

 

[Aaron75]

I agree, I wouldn't say it's people pushing an agenda to sound smart. It originated somewhere, but where and why? Even New Life Spectrum sells pellets with Garlic, it's not just some home brew conspiracy.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I do use Selcon. But garlic is continuously thrown conversations about nutrition and disease "management". I'd really like to know why.

Alicin in the garlic has a purgative effect and can reduce internal parasites in mammals (but not cure them). Many years ago, researchers experimented with garlic in fish diseases and found some mild effects. However, disease reductions were like 30% or so, not any sort of a cure. However, people extrapolated from that and began touting garlic as a cure.
Look up a paper by JH Kim, 2019 - it failed to work under more rigorous testing.

Back in the late 1990’s there was a women we called the puffer queen - she fed loads of garlic to all her fish. Her house reeked (grin).

Jay

 

[davidcalgary29]

Thanks, Jay. That provides some context why people still feed their fish garlic today. I'm going to surmise that it was particularly popular decades ago, when medicines were few and diseases poorly understood, and any remedy that showed some result was viewed as something wondrous and rare.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thanks, Jay. That provides some context why people still feed their fish garlic today. I'm going to surmise that it was particularly popular decades ago, when medicines were few and diseases poorly understood, and any remedy that showed some result was viewed as something wondrous and rare.

Actually - the genesis of garlic was more recent, due to the need for a "reef safe" medication - we had copper and formalin 50 years ago but people wanted something that could be added to a reef tank and not harm their corals....they're still looking (grin).

Jay