I feel like my aquarium is slowly dying

keep us posted on your progress!!!

 

"...garlic isn't a treatment...it just encourages the fish to eat..." - paraphrased



ok... saying garlic isn't a treatment for ick is like saying exercise isn't a treatment for being fat.

garlic, in and of itself, is not a cure for ick, is not medication; agreed. but it is part of treatment. You're not doing the fish any favors if you're not getting it to eat.

Most hospitals put a lot of thought into the type of calories they give their patients because of this. Nutrition is very much part of treatment and goes hand in hand. (though, taste is another thing all together at the hospital )

Anyway, garlic does treat ick. Often this can single handedly bring ick under control (i.e. by bringing the fish's immune system up to par). Though it often needs to be done in conjunction with other treatments.

I'd go so far as to say if your fish isn't eating, it doesn't really matter what other treatments you use.

 

Garlic is also a great way to get a picky fish to start eating a new food or start eating in a new tank.

I stick with my statement Garlic is not a treatment for ICK. It encourages eating, that is not a treatment.

Again this thread is moving to semantic

 

It is semantics, you are right. And specifically it is understanding what "treatment" means. Correct word choice is important. Since word choice is the only way we have of communicating in a forum and all that...

I also agree with the other uses of garlic.

But how is eating, and therefore boosting immune system, not a treatment?

In other words, how is boosting the immune system not a treatment?

It is very much a treatment. When you are sick, part of your treatment is to make sure you eat and keep energy in your body to fight the problem.

Encouraging eating is very much a treatment. This isn't simply a matter of opinion. It's a matter of life and death (for the fish!). (jk)

Any treatment, for any condition, needs to be well rounded. Nutrition is part of that.

 

Or to put it differently

 

Garlic is an aid for a fishes appetite, it is not in itself a treatment for ich. The OP did not mention whether his fish were eating or not.