General, Marine Reef Keeping posted on June 23, 2007 15:21
There is a reason why myths are born, and a lot of times those reasons are centered on truths. The purpose of this thread is to show one more reason why QT is a good idea, as well as to show how to get that stinky garlic into your fish. We all know that the two best ways to ensure healthy, stress free fish is by, one: getting as much nutrition inside them as possible, and two: doing so without compromising water quality. Because most fish feed from the water column, this can often times be difficult. Below I will address this problem.
ON GARLIC:
Does Garlic Work?
Unfortunately, the jury is still out on this. As of now, there is no scientific data to prove garlic does anything at all. However, if you read much on the hobby you will find that most hobbyists who use it swear by it, and I don’t think this is just a fad. To me, the fact that so many are doing this says something in itself. The fact that the fish food companies have jumped onto the band wagon here also says something. More importantly, I have seen first hand a vast improvement in my own livestock when using this herb. Fish just seem to eat better, appear healthier and are easier trained. The stink on the garlic is what makes it a great tool for training, and could very well be one of the reasons why it works.
1. Garlic boosts natural immunity to disease: Maybe
2. Garlic’s strong odor repels parasites: Seemingly
3. Garlic enhances apatite: Definitely
One only has to smell garlic on an empty stomach to understand that it does indeed trigger hunger. Even if you don’t like the taste of garlic, smelling it will make you hungry. Hold a pod in your hand and offer it to your dog. He may not eat it, but his tail will be wagging and stomach growling while he tried excitedly to nuzzle it out of your fingers. Why is this? Because the smell of garlic kicks in hunger hormones, enzymes in the stomach that make us hungry. Regardless, whether or not the smell of garlic makes fish hunger or simply directs their attention to the food, it does work to this purpose, and we can use this to trick fish into consuming the foods, and/or meds we want them to have.
Feeding Method Multiple Tanks:
In order to lessen the spread of pathogens from tank to tank, a good part of your husbandry should be dedicated to preventing the mixing of tank water, especially if you have a problem tank or two. Here is the way I do it.
I use four big coffee cups that are numbered 1 through 4: one for each tank and four separate turkey basters, also numbered, to ensure no water is mixed between tanks. Use indelible markers to mark cups and basters and etch numbers into plastic lettuce clips.
Every night before lights out, I crush one clove of fresh garlic into each cup, then add a capful of Zoe and then put a pinch of quality flake food to each. The dry flake absorbs the Vitamins and garlic immediately Liquid Garlic would make this easier, if you can find it. I don’t like using the minced garlic because it has preservatives in it, and the garlic additives at the LFSs are too expensive. There has been some talk of liquid garlic extract that has vinegar in it. Although this is probably safe, I simply use fresh garlic because I know there is nothing else in it, and it seems to be more potent than the other stuff. At least it stinks more, and I truly believe the stink is biggest reason this herb repel parasites.
Take one turkey baster full of tank water from each tank and squirt it into the appropriately numbered cup. Then clip the fresh, meaty seafoods, such as large table shrimp, squid, octopus, scallop, clams etc into the lettuce clips; each clip is on a string. Then drop one clipped wad of seafood into each cup, and put the four cups in the frig to soak overnight. (Not in the freezer)
I know nothing is easier than just dropping a little flake food in the tank, or even easier having an automatic feeder do it for us. But, also, nothing fouls a tank faster.
However, this is the best way to feed all your fish garlic/vitamin enriched foods without raising nitrates in the tank or compromising water quality when feeding multiple tanks with a lot of fish.
The next day after lights come on just drop the meaty clipped foods in the tanks and let the food dangle about mid tank on the strings, adjusting the depth to the different feed stratus of the fish in question. In large tanks you can drop a clip on opposite sides of the tank to ensure every fish gets plenty without so much aggression.
I like to keep the cups containing the soupy nutrient mix sitting on the eggcrate of each tank for convenience (Not on the lights) or you can put them back in the frig. However, I do leave these clips of meaty foods in the tank most of the day simply pulling them out from time to time to re-dip the clips into the mixture in the cups. This vitamin/garlic/flake mix will not spoil if you keep it away from the light. But smell it before you re-dip. If it smells bad, pour it down the drain.
If you feed this way, keep an eye on the meaty clips. In 80 degree tank water the food will get rancid after a few hours, the shrimp usually goes bad first. Once the shrimp starts turning pink, BEFORE it begins to smell bad remove and discard. There will be enough of the garlic/flake/vitamin mix stuck to and/or soaked into the clipped shrimp/squid to feed all the fish slowly all day. This way the fish can graze, eating at the clip at their own pace without polluting the water with food.
Training Your Fish to Eat Off the Clip:
This training should start in quarantine. Just another reason why a qt tank is a great tool in the hobby. (Training Camp) Training your fish to associate the smell of garlic and vitamins with the frenzy-like activity of feeding at the clip will ritualize the feeding experince and will actually teach fish to “Come to Diner,” when you want them to, and WHERE you want them to. Drawing all your fish to one spot makes it easy to count heads and get a close look at everyone. This is the best time to grab your magnifying glass and look for parasites. If your fish hear the dinner bell every time they see you coming with the feeding cups, or more importantly, when they smell the pungent scent of garlic/vitamins, it will ensure each will be getting his share, especially later in the display where there is more competition. . Even if a fish later becomes ill, or off feed, it will be easier to trap them and/or treat them having been conditioned to associate these smells with feeding.
Exceptions:
The only exception to this feeding method is for those fish that will not feed off the clip. Fortunately, in my case, I have segregated these finicky types of fishes into my number# 1 tank. This is my oldest and most well established tank. Here I have three Firefish, and a Green Mandarin, who will not eat off the clip. For them, I add two cubes of frozen Mysis to their cup. Just the little bit of flake and Mysis that comes off the soaked seafood clip is usually enough for the Firefish, who feed mid column. For the Mandy, I use a long extended turkey baster to squirt the soupy Mysis mix down into a bed of Cheato in his cave.
If you train your fish to eat this way, they will be fat and happy, and your nitrates will be low. My Prams are always 0-0-<5. However I do have to really keep an eye on aptasia control in tank #1 due to having to feed the Mandy in this way. Just the price one pays for keeping a mandarin in a sumpless tank.
But most all fish can be trained to eat this way. They tend to learn from one another. You just have to start early, during Quarantine