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dnance01
06/03/2004, 05:42 PM
:confused: <body>

<p><font color="#0000FF">I might have an issue with ich with a new powder blue tang that I've recently purchased. I am closely monitoring the situation and gathering information, before I use any unnecessary and potentially dangerous medicines - Since it is new, he is still isolated. I didn't notice the spot on it's fin at the LFS - maybe it was the light - but I did notice it once I got home.</font>
<font color="#0000FF">It is in an isolation tank, but I do have some liverock, livesand, a couple of snails, and 2 hermits that I need to be concerned about.<br>
<br>
In looking around an many threads looking for ich treatments and control, I see that some people are talking about using garlic as prevention and as a treatment. I know that copper is the
most popular treatment - but some don't always work.<br>
<br>
Does anyone have any specific experience with treating fish that has ich with garlic? Is garlic added at every feeding regardless of the ich presence? Is there other benefits of garlic in a reef tank? Will the garlic oil from the grocery store do, or is there a special reef version?</font></p>
<p><font color="#0000FF">All comments are appreciated.</font></p>

</body>
guitarfish
06/03/2004, 06:17 PM
Lots of these threads lately. First of all, congrats on the new fish, and welcome to the ich club.

Garlic - you can use supermarket garlic extract e.g. McCormacks, or you can buy Kent Garlic Xtreme (more costly, essentially the same thing). You can soak it into food, flake food and nori absorb it particularly well. I usually use it once per day. I noticed the newest batc of frozen Formula 2 food I purchased now has garlic in it.

Many claim to have successfully saved their fish from ich by using garlic. It certainly isn't proven to be 100% cure, and I know people who use it regularly and have still lost fish to ich. There are lots of opinions on this. My opinion is it can't hurt, and I'll take all the help I can get.

Here's some recommended reading on ich to help you out...

ATJ's Marine Ich Reference (http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html)

See the series by Terry Bartelme for a more in depth discussion, including possible treatments.

News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans - 1 of 5 (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/mini1.htm)
News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans - 2 of 5 (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2003/mini2.htm)
News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans - 3 of 5 (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2004/mini3.htm)
News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans - 4 of 5 (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2004/mini4.htm)
News from the Warfront with Cryptocaryon irritans - 5 of 5 (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/mini5.htm)
fishome25
06/03/2004, 07:40 PM
try Kent Marine C
cthetoy
06/08/2004, 07:05 PM
I used fresh garlic. Much cheaper. What I do is get a garlic press and press about 5 cloves of garlic. You might get a teaspoon of garlic juice from it. Soak the flakes with garlic juice and feed it to your powder blue for 2 weeks. It worked for my Powder blue and I've had it for 5 years.
AReeferIsExpensive
06/08/2004, 07:12 PM
so if you purchase new fish, you could just automatically feed it w/ garlic soaked food for the first couple weeks and reduce the risk of ich?
JimmyInMD
06/08/2004, 07:33 PM
I'm in the same boat.

I've had a powder blue tang for about 8 days now and he showed signs of ich the day after I got him.

Unfortunately, I don't have a quarantine tank so he's in my main tank.

I've been soaking food in garlic since the day after I got him. He appears to be getting better every day (knock on wood). He still has a couple of spots on his fins, but I'm hoping they'll go away.

It could be the garlic, or it could be that he's building up his immune system.
pwhitby
06/09/2004, 08:11 AM
My Tangs love TheraA pellets. I get garlic (minced) in a jar and mix some garlic and juice with the pellets. Teh pellets absorb the juice and then I add it all. My regal actually prefers the garlic bits and eats those first.

hth

Paul.
dnance01
06/12/2004, 02:53 PM
Thanks for all of the info - It seems to be working.
Wee Man
06/12/2004, 03:51 PM
maybe you should try putting a cleaner shrimp in with him though it wont cure the ich problem it will certainly pick off those dead and living unwanted parasites
fishome25
06/12/2004, 04:23 PM
try Kent Marine C :)
dnance01
06/19/2004, 01:24 PM
We'll I've sort of given up to garlic as a treatment - I've removed the liverock and all of the substrate so that my quarantine tank is now a true quarantine tank.

I've noticed more ich spots from one on the fin to now covering most of the body. I had to react quickly if I am to save this fish - copper. I'll still feed with garlic because the fish seem to like it.
hwynboy
06/19/2004, 02:19 PM
must...resist.....
GAH....I cant hold it in.

GARLIC IS NOT SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN TO CURE ICH. IT IS ANECDOTAL AT BEST. The only scientific ways to RID your system of the parasite is Hyposalinity at 1.009 for 6 weeks or copper at the correct dosage. Thats it! Im done.


Educate yourself and save a fish's life....please.
CoralKing
06/19/2004, 02:39 PM
Yes, but I once had a severe case of Ich in my tank. I chopped up some fresh garlic and it cured the affected fish. It seems to work very well to me. If nothing else, it will boost the immune system of the fish.
JENnKerry
06/19/2004, 03:15 PM
THats all it does. It helps to boost the fish's immune system so they can resist the parasite a little better, but it wont cure the ick. For some reason the smell of it drives fish crazy.