If you think Garlic shouldn't be added. Tell us why!

Discussion in 'Lionfish Lair' started by Renee@LionfishLair, May 27, 2013.

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  1. Renee@LionfishLair

    Renee@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    The diets they receive in our care are generally inadequate and these are ways of supplementing components they are missing. Where we can't provide them with exactly what they would eat in the wild, in the forms they would eat it, we provide them the best we of what we can however we can. Most of the things on the ingredient list of pellet or flake food may not have ever been naturally harvested by your particular fish either.
     
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  3. Jake

    Jake Sea Dragon

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    The effect of dietary garlic addition will likely vary with species.

    I'll provide an example of the effect of an important dietary component (carotenoids) varying between two carnivorous families of fish (salmonids and sparids). The Salmonids, such as the Atlantic salmon in the study you posted, are better pigmented when "free" astaxanthin, a type of carotenoid, is included in their diet. The Sparids on the other hand, such as red sea bream, are better pigmented by esterified astaxanthin. Both the Sparids and Salmonids are carnivorous fish, yet they have different responses to astaxanthin due to subtle, yet very important differences in their digestive/absorption capabilities.

    I know that may seem irrelevant to this conversion, but my point is that we must remember that statements such as "garlic is not good for all tropical fish" are generalizations. In my opinion, like the effect of carotenoids on fish, it is likely the effect of garlic on fish also will vary among species... or at least among families of species.
     
  4. Chris!

    Chris! Banned

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    I like to feed my fish a food containing garlic because it makes me not want to eat them... :)

    J/k..... nom nom nom!!!!!


    Ok seriously tho, I feed it because it is in my main food choice (NLS thera +A pellets).... omg there is a slight trace of copper in that food as well (I thought that was bad too./... shhhhh don't tell my sps tank its there LOL). But I have never lost a fish from Ick, never had any other bs disease wipe out any fish, and I have had alot of fish over the years. I have even brought home fish still in the wholesale bag from the LFS and 0 issues so I stick with it. Oh yeah, and even "picky" eaters have always found it, and enjoyed it quite quickly ;)
     
  5. pgoodsell

    pgoodsell Horrid Stonefish

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    Thats funny because just this weekend I was reading the ingredients on one of kent marines reef supplements and it contains copper too.

    I use garlic and my fish seem fine, thats all the info I really need. If I saw something that made me believe it was harming them I would stop.I dont think the small amount I use in their food is going to do any harm. So until I see some hard proof from more than one source I'll keep using it.
     
  6. Renee@LionfishLair

    Renee@LionfishLair 3reef Sponsor

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    I still can't find anything that says it's bad across the board.... besides forum voices and an online article that doesn't really support much.

    So, so true Jake. The needs of many fish are not similar to their mate. I was trying to come up with a table of the daily needs of saltwaterfish. Like a snowflake, no two were the same.