tangale

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Hi there,

Has anyone ever used fresh garlic instead of the garlic extract/solutions they sell online (i.e. Garlic Xtreme). Does it work the same way?

If so, how should I use it? I'm trying to entice my zebra moray eel to eat.

Thanks for any tips.

Alex
 

marrone

The All Powerful OZ
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Your not going to get your Zebra eel to eat by using garlic. You should be feeding it pieces of clams, shrimps, and other shell fish. What are you trying to feed it?

Try getting some mackerel oil or mackerel fish and mix it into the food. Mackerel seems to be a good way of starting some Zebra eel to eat. Also eel can go for months without eat and Zebra eels are known for not eating right away. So I wouldn't worry to much if it isn't eating right now and just give it sometime.
 
Last edited:

tangale

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Murray Hill, NYC
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Been trying krill, scallops, and silversides. Would frozen/defrosted clams work?

It's been only 2 weeks, so I guess I'll give it some more time.

In any case, do you know if I can use fresh garlic? Also have a blue tang which I would like to get to eat garlic soaked food.

Thanks!!!
 

marrone

The All Powerful OZ
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Frozen Clams will work, Zebra eels are crustacean and not fish eaters, even though some will take pieces of fish.

I have used fresh garlic. What I did was cut the garlic into pieces and place them into a bottle. I then added some warm water and capped the bottle, which I let sit for a number of hours. I then poured some of the liquid onto the food and let it soak in. You can also feed small pieces of the garlic directly to the fish as most will eat it.

By the way a number of food, like Forumlar I & II and Spectrum, contain garlic now.
 
Location
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I agree taht the eel may not be enticed by the garlic, but your other fishes surely will. The easiest way is to get the already-chopped-in-a-jar garlic at the grocery store and mix it in. I used to get that and put it in a blender with some shrimp, some flake food or better some Spectrum pellets, whatever other marine-based meaty stuff, blend it with SW (just enough so it chops up well), then put the goo in a ziplock bag, enough to just fill the bag in a thin layer, and freeze it. Then to feed you just break off a chunk and defrost it. For algae eaters I'd do the same with garlic, but use flake/pellets, nori from the asian grocery store, spirulina, even some zucchini maybe.

They definitely like the jarred garlic--the oil or whatever is really fragrant.

Christine
 

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
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G.V NYC
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I used fresh garlic to feed my fish some meds when I was treating for ich once. they loved it! I forget the name, but I read there's a chemical or vitamin that's present in fresh garlic, once it's crushed it disapears after a bit. That was the reason I went with the fresh garlic.
 

jhale

ReefsMagazine!
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Cool thanks :)

from wikipedia,

Allicin is a powerful antibiotic and anti-fungal compound obtained from garlic.
Allicin is not present in garlic in its natural state. When garlic is chopped or otherwise damaged, the enzyme alliinase acts on the chemical alliin
Allicin is not a very stable compound. It degrades slowly upon standing and is rapidly destroyed by cooking. Allicin can be used for some medicinal purposes - it helps fighting arteriosclerosis, it has the ability to dissolve fats and it can also be used as an antioxidant to some extent.
Allicin is also the chemical constituent primarily responsible for the hot, burning flavor of fresh garlic.
converting it into allicin. Alliin is an aminic acid that does not build proteins.

so it's the allicin that many believe gives garlic it's healing powers.
there are entire web sites devoted to it
 

LeslieS

Advanced Reefer
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Manhattan
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OK, I tried the fresh garlic. I only had the jumbo variety so one clove was as big as my pinky. Chopped up, it was about 1/4 cup, but the alliin degrades quickly so no use saving it for later. I added all of it to my tank. My apartment smells like an Italian deli. The fish did not eat it. A bunch of it went into the convict blennies burrow, and they stacked it in a neat pile outside their rock.

A big water change is in order.:eek:
 

ReeferGoneMad

I Smoke Live Rocks
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LMAO. If you can manage to squeeze and remove some of the garlic oil and take the rest to a mortar and pistle, and add it to some frozen mysis, cyclopeeze, or whatever you feed. Mash mix and freeze it like Spracklcat stated this should be a good method. But just add, unless you use the oil only, one small clove per ziplock of food.I recomend adding the garlic itself if you know you have fish that gobble it up. Otherwise just add the oil from 2 or more cloves.
 

emps

Tired Member
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Great Neck
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goofy note on garlic...if you get it on your fingers and don't like the lingering smell on them. Rub your fingers on stainless steel and the lingering garlic odor on you finger disappears. I do this right after I cut some garlic by rubbing my fingers on the side of the knife when i'm washing it.
 

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