Loaches Online Forum

Yes, just crush up the inner part of the garlic (sorry, I'm no cook, don't know the official terminology) in a blender. Add to that maybe one ounce of water--or less, because it needs to be super concentrated. Immediately add in whatever food for the fish you are going to try, let it sit no more than 15-20 minutes, then into the tank it goes.

It's pretty well known amongst salt water reef keepers who communicate through forums that it is an appetite super-stimulant. However, there is big debate that it is actually an immune system stimulant in fish. You can check salt water products online-garlic guard, etc... actually being marketed AS A TREATMENT for ich. Now, I don't think most people with any knowledge actually believe that is 100% true or any substitute for copper or malachite green, etc...

However, some sort of scientific evidence does indicate that the active ingredient in garlic, if utilized within 30 minutes of being crused (don't ask me how anyone determined that) is indeed an immune system stimulant. So supposedly helps the fish fight whatever disease it has. In any case, even if all of that is bunk, the stuff gets a fish to eat more if it's wild caught and refusing to eat, OR if it's sick and not eating--and that is healthy for the fish. I think even reefers like me who think it is overhyped STILL do a garlic attempt when the fish is still in the show tank hoping we can stimulate an immune response so the fish gets better as plan A, then if no dice, pull the fish out for treatment in quarantine tank.

And you can just strain off any extra garlic juice, then dump it right in--garlic liquid in that small amount won't do anything bad to your tank.

If you try it, keep me posted. I make up my garlic-additive foods for my salt tanks, and so the loaches get it to on those days--but only because it's easiest to make one batch of food each night for all my tanks. Well this post was long enough!
-Doglover

I don't hear much about Clown Loaches from the Malaysian peninsula. Most I hear about are from either Borneo (Kalimantan) or Sumatra.

Can you find out from your fish dealer guy where the Clown Loaches are from. I read that they are caught in Johore, Malaysia near Kulai. It would be very interesting for me to know the origin of your loaches and compare there traits with some clowns that I have. I'm sure a few others here would be interested as well.

Mine are Borneo clowns...

what i mean by legal is that although this clowns are from Borneo, i bought it from Malaysia.

So they are from East Malaysia on the island of Borneo?

Yes, you are right.

...motivated by various recomendations using garlic against parasites and the fact that there is (expensive) fish-medication sold, that has high garlic-content - I put about 3-5 fresh and peeled toes per 50 liters, into the tank. I diced into as small pieces as I could and squeezed some. Half of it I added to the filtertank for easier removal - just in case.

THe effect was huge - the entire room was stinking...

The clowns (3-5" in size) repeatetly chewed around on the garlic. Perhaps swallowed some, but spit out the most - but again chewed around on it.

By that time i tried to cure Colisa (no effect though). Other fish in the tank were, oto´s SAE´s, clowns, pangio´s, red neon, ancistrus, aborichthys,...

The fish, I think to remember (at least half a year ago) seemed to be a little calmer for the first few hopurs (almost like "... guys lets avoid breathing here too much...")

As the clowns found garlic interesting, aborichthys for example took off like getting electricuted, after trying a piece...

Any healing effect was not visible to me... I had some worms (obliga...xxx...whatever-worms, very thin about 1cm, under the micorsope, I found that they have "hairs" - that´s why I think they are no nematodes and harmless, many nematodes are harmless too...) and I still have them... so no real worm-cure (red neons like them as appetizers...I don´t bother).

I left the garlic in, for at least 4 days... than did a good waterchange. The garlic did not have any visible negative impact neither...

... however, I am not recommending it - just sharing what I tried...

wasserscheu,

Not that it is too important, because I'm no great believer in garlic as a cure all. However, the method you used is something I've never heard of in the many threads on this topic on Reef Central. If the garlic proponents are correct, you method didn't work because it doesn't sound like the fish ingested the garlic; and, apparently the active ingredient only lasts 30 minutes from the clove. So when I see it discussed, it's in terms of crushing the clove, mixing with food to saturate the food, then getting it in the tank asap. And repeating daily for immune boost.

However, as I mentioned in last post, and related to the current thread--I can suggest it based on personal experience with marine fish as a serious appetite stimulant.

Hi,

I guess I created a little missunderstanding... did not mean to mix the two subjects of using garlic, my target was getting rid of worms and treating the water - however - I observed that clowns had certain interest in chewing around on garlic...
I did not want to put my experience opposite yours - as you are following a different purpose.

Or with other words: I FEED BLOODWORMS WITH GARLIC AND OMEGA3 myself

here a picture of the package from http://www.petman.de/fisch.aspx , Rote Mueckenlarven = Bloodworms, Knoblauch = GARLIC



Hope that waves any unwanted competition of the postings...I think your idea of adding garlic to food is great. Better than frozen ingredients...

My loaches are weird, except green peas they don´t eat any vegies, they don´t accept any additions to their food, like vitamins. They do eat the frozen- garlic bloodworms. But they go stronger for the normal ones. My friends are absolutely convincede of the frozen "garlic-worms" though...

Cheers

Wolfram

Wolfram--I am quite gifted at misundersanding, so no worries! You are right--I pretty much missed the boat on the topic of your email being garlic and worms specifically.

wow Emma you got a giant CL there It's hard to look for those size here in the US the biggest one's that I'm only able to get are 6" one's do you know anybody selling big one's here?