Garlic!?

i have read somewhere (dont know where so i cant supply a link) that garlic, in large amounts, actually causes a brain issue in tangs. I forget the name, but it is said to deteriorate the tissue in the brain lol
maybe a google search will turn it up?

 

let us know! ;D

 

garlic testing has give anecdotal and weak correlation results, (which are generally positive, but there were lack of controls in the testing). There are some bacterial strains that it may have worked better on, but if you go through them there is usually no control for feeding the fish with a food not soaked in garlic. Here is a good article:
Garlic: What has been Studied Versus What has been Claimed by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

It is important to note in the "garlic vs. bacteria" section that the immune system of the fish treated antibiotics was less because of the known immunosuppressive (yeah I had to get that word from the article - )effect of antibiotics, not because the garlic boosted the immune system of the other fish.

Lots of other tests have been done with in aquaculture, (it may be important to note that no major aquaculture facility in my region uses it), but they all come up inconclusive and had weak correlations. Water temperature for example has had far stronger correlations with fish health and healthy immune systems.

 

This article only really deals with one scientific study. Others have been performed which have shown a increase in the immune system. This paper looks at garlics effect on the immune system and blood work of tilapia and shows that in small amounts 0.5% garlic improves the immune system.
http://iodeweb1.vliz.be/odin/bitstream/1834/1478/1/garlicpaper2.pdf
An interesting study was done with a carnivorous catfish Chrysichthys auratus. When they were dosed with garlic; orally, it improved carbohydrate metabolism. In the high doses it was being administered, the garlic was shown to affect and damage the liver and kidneys of the fish.
http://ajol.info/index.php/ejb/article/view/29978/0

 

Mortalities following challenge with Pseudomonas fluorescens were lower in the groups that received garlic compared to the other two treatments. At the end of winter a significant increase in body weight gain was seen in fish fed a 1% garlic-enriched diet. Significant changes were also noted in condition factor in fish fed with 2% garlic and 1.5% Biogen. Non-specific mortality was reduced in all groups that received immunostimulants, except Biogen. Immunostimulants improved the general health of the fish, enabling them to overcome stress due to cold during winter,
thereby improving growth.

http://ajol.info/index.php/ajas/article/view/19780

 

The aqueous extract of A. sativum showed huge
potential as antimicrobial agent to alternate commercial antibiotic for aquaculture use as all the tested fish
systemic pathogenic bacteria were found to be sensitive to the extract.
http://www.idosi.org/aejaes/jaes3(5)/4.pdf

 

IMO garlic has been scientifically proven to help fishes digestion and immune system. It isn't always the best cure though, it depends on other things going on in a reef tank. If water qualities are bad, no matter how much garlic you feed your fish they will still have problems. This is the same if a fish is being attacked by another aggresive fish, it will still have a problem regardless of how much garlic you feed it.
Providing an infected fish with a stressfree environment and with good water qualities, garlic will aid and improve recovery.

 

In conclusion, it can be suggested that adding 3% Allium sativum to fish diet can promote growth, reduce total bacteria, and improve fish health.
Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases - Effects of Garlic (Alliumsativum) and chloramphenicol on growth performance, physiological parameters and survival of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

 

Tilapia farmers dont use it though to my knowledge, and I know a few farmers. When I worked with the IFAS extension office in Tallahassee that worked with aquaculture farms, garlic additives were considered unnecessary, and we worked with the industry leaders in America. (One of the great things about that office is I got a behind the scenes look at aquaculture in the state that does more of it then anyone else. Unfortunately, I would never eat anything that is aquacultured anymore. )The paper dealing with tilapia are fed very low quality foods to begin with though, 36% protein is pretty low, poultry byproduct for tilapia? Wow, that is pretty bad. The results in that study also veered from garlic's immune effects from fish and went into general remedies and the effect on hamsters to support the reasoning it is beneficial. The immune system of hamster is far different than that of fish.

http://iodeweb1.vliz.be/odin/bitstream/1834/1478/1/garlicpaper2.pdf

- is non-conclusive. The one sentence in this paper from the good folks in Senegal who concluded it is beneficial skipped over the results of the test it seems.

http://ajol.info/index.php/ejb/article/view/29978/0
-this shows a negative effect from the abstract of the article, although I must admit I didn't read the whole thing (I read the abstract, but the whole article is not available unless that is the whole article....) It uses the words "may", concerning any immune improvement are only suggestions for future research at best, I think the data here doesn't help the cause of garlic at all. Liver damage was noticed at garlic levels much lower than that is you were soaking the food, much lower.

http://www.idosi.org/aejaes/jaes3(5)/4.pdf
- garlic had the lowest results of all the fish in the study, the fact that some survived with garlic use doesn't lead me to believe it is better than medicine...the paper is of dubious publishing quality at best.

Without exception, the "Reef Gods" do not believe in garlic:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27158 (Lee Birch, the Fish God)

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/ (go to link that says "Myths" - Chuck Raabe)

I think borneman also wrote about...have to find that link...

 

agreed.