Ich Treatment / Garlic Extract

[_range_]

I've searched all over my town and couldn't find a 'liquid garlic extract' that was recommended to me for Ich treatment. Eventually I found a Garlic Oil dietary supplement in the form of softgels.

Supplement Facts
Serving Size 1 softgel
Each Softgel Contains
Garlic Oil 3 mg

Ingredients: Vegetable Oil, Gelatin, Glycerin, Garlic Oil

This is the most concentrated softgel that I could find, it says 'Each softgel is equivalent to oil from 1500 mg fresh Garlic Bulbs'. I was told to soak the flake food (and mysis shrimp) in liquid garlic extract. I can poke open these softgels and empty them into some container that I can soak the food in - but I'm not sure how much garlic I should use, and whether I should dilute it with water before soaking the food. I would also like to know whether it is safe to use this product to treat my fish. I am assuming that the Gelatin and Glycerin are only part of the gel coating and would not make it into the food. There are no preservatives.

I would also like to know about quarantining my fish. Only one of fish (orange shoulder tang) is visibly stressed and infected by the Ich - and it is not improving. The tang is about 3"-4" long. What size tank should I quarantine the tang in, and what should I put into the tank? If I quarantine it, I am assuming that I would use medication. Would I have to quarantine all of my fish in order to effectively eradicate the Ich?

My LFS also sells medicated food tablets for parasite treatment. Allicin (active ingredient in garlic) is not one of them - so I am assuming that the medication in this food is the same as chemical medications. I have many corals in my tank and am wondering if these ingredients in the food would make it into the water and harm them.

 

[ZigZagZombie]

I use the same softgels. I usually break open 3, and soak the food in that. Fish love it, and it worked for me when my fish had ick. Also used Zoe too on alternate days.

 

[_range_]

Zoe?

 

[naesco]

I used the garlic oil for the same reason you did. I couldn't quickly find garlic extract which I eventually found in a health food store.
The oil is stinky and ucky to work with and it coats rather than is aborbed by the dry food.
It will leave an oil slick on the water which you can remove with a pie plate.

Try to find the garlic extract. Put some flakes in a lid and squirt some garlic extract on it . Let sit for 20 minutes so it is absorbed by the flake and put in a current in the tank.
Feed very often. As often as you can. And, feed only garlic extract soaked food. The idea here is to get as much in the fish as possible in the shortest time.
Feed for 30 days which is the life cycle of ich even if the ich goes away earlier.
Try to find out what made the ich surface: crowded tank, (too many fish)similar fish stress each other(more than one tang in a small tank for example), online fish purchase (can't see the fish before you buy) poor quality thin fish (couldn't resist the price)

 

[_range_]

How often is very often? 2x, 3x per day? Should I be reducing the size of the feeding or just pumping tons of food into them? I think I'm going to smell like garlic for the rest of my life.

 

[LA-Lawman]

there is a good product out called Herbal ich attack. they sell it at my LFS. it is great. it is based on garlic and other herbal ingedients. I have used it with great success.

I also use it as a food soak .

I use these items as a food soak.

kent's garlic extreme
kent's Vit C
Kent's Zoe
kents Zocon

then i also add
some invert food in the soak also

Since using vit C, Zoe, and Zocon. I haven't seen Ich in almost 3yrs. the herbal stuff we use at the LFS in our main display. It had no effects on the corals. And you can double dose and not worry because you can skimm it out.

My belief is if you can prevent Ich you are better off. I don't know about you guys but i watch my fish eat. I have a wavemaster Pro. it has a feed button that shuts off the main pump but leaves a powerhead on. when i hit the button. all of the fish come to the top of the tank. I then use a hair dye bottle (new and clean) to feed with. I only feed until they will not eat anymore....

i also prepare the food overnight. then dilute with a little RO/DI before feeding. that way the frozen food re-hydrates with all of the additives rather then just water......

HTH

 

[Anonymous]

The gel cap oil is not the best way to use garlic, you aren't getting much garlic that way as the oil is simply a vegetable oil and if you notice the ingredients list garlic is the LAST thing on the list.

Kyolic is available from GNC which is a nationwide chain and likly is local. However most LFS's that carry Kent products should be able to get Kent's Garlic Xtreme, and I notice that SeaChem has a garlic product out now as well and Garlix Xtreme is available via mailorder from many vendors including ourselves.

 

[naesco]

Many reefers have problems finding garlic extract or Kent extreme and similar products.
For that reason it is a very cheap investment to have a bottle in your fridge just in case.

 

[mountainbiker619]

Here is what I do: I place 5 cubes of Emerald Entree products http://www.sfbb.com/fish_choice/saltwater/tang.html
into a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Once the cubes have thawed out, I remove the thawed water and sqeez a good amount of Ecosystem garlic http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/html/garlic.html
into the measuring cup and I mix the products together. I then place the measuring cup into a ziplock baggie and keep in the frig. I feed this mixture atleast once a day. I use this procedure more as a ick preventive, vice a treatment.

 

[naesco]

Range you should be feeding as often as you can. Five times a day. As much as you can get into them as possible at the early stage. Target your tang if you can and give him the dried food he likes best.

Mountain the reason I switched to dried food from frozen is that the dried food will absorb more of the extract.
Having it prepared in advance is a great idea.

 

[_range_]

Nice I found the garlic extract at my local hippy food store. Just kidding... nutrition store. The GNC around here didn't have any of those garlic solutions mentioned. But thanks for the help guys.