garlic for ick

[RhondaJ]

I just started using garlic for an ick outbreak in a reef tank. I have never used it before so does anyone have any advice? I am using in once a day. What I am doing is soaking the food in the gel from the garlic liquid gels. I was wandering how long it is safe to feed garlic to the fish. I heard you should feed for a week and then wait a few weeks and do another week. But I was thinking of going for 2 weeks just to be sure but didn't know if that was safe. The fish seem to like the garlic flavored food better.

I have been feeding garlic soaked food for about 5 days now. Today I notice ick on the sailfin tang, a little on the yellow tang and a few spots on the foxface. The banngais don't look as if there is any ick on them. what I have been doing in feeding selcon enriched foods in the mornings and garlic soaked foods in the evenings. I am worried this is not working and I don't want to lose any fish. Is this normal? Should I be doing something else?

[billsreef]

The best results are likely to be obtained with several feedings a day. The idea is to get as much garlic into the fish as possible. As part of the ichs life cycle is to drop off (after about 7 days) to reproduce and then reinfect the fish, I would suggest daily feedings for about 4 weeks even if seems to have already cleared up.

BTW the garlic treatment while seeming to be the best choice of any of the so called reef safe treatments is not always effective. The only 2 methods that always work are copper and hyposalinity, which obviously can't be done in the reef tank.

[JB NY]

I use it with great success anytime someone shows signs of ick. I use the liquid garlic bought at GNC, put 4 drops in with the frozen food I feed at night. I let it soak for about 15-20 minutes, then feed the fishies. I usually see results in about 5 days. I does garlic until I see no more ick, then continue for another week. I have not found anything detrimental with this method.