I was reading the forum pages and the feeding pages. I see suggestions to use garlic to soak food. I never had to do this before but I have a few questions just in case.
My questions are:
Can you use garlic powder or does it have to be fresh garlic?
If you use fresh garlic do you have to chop it up?
How long do you soak it before feeding?
Using Garlic to soak food
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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edmlfc1
- Mbu Puffer
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125G:Fahaka (Annabelle) - Location (country): U.S.A.
- Location: Texas
Using Garlic to soak food
Need to know what kind of puffer you have? Click on Puffer ID.....Puffer ID: ug.php/v/PufferPedia/
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What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
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Re: Using Garlic to soak food
I use it but I always use a liquid garlic solution sold in aquarium shops especially for use in food.
Just a few drops per feed soaked for about 30 minutes before feeding.Much easier than buying fresh or powdered I would think.
Just a few drops per feed soaked for about 30 minutes before feeding.Much easier than buying fresh or powdered I would think.
Jayne
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taureandragon76
- Green Spotted Puffer
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1 Tetraodon lineatus - Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Re: Using Garlic to soak food
Yup just get garlic from a fish store or you can make your own liquid easy enough. Another option is to soak your food in liquid vitamins
My home forum http://www.bcaquaria.com
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StormySkiez
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Re: Using Garlic to soak food
My bottle of garlic extreme says to add 2 drops to 1 teaspoon of food each time you feed. It does not say you need to soak, but I do. I soak mine for at least 30 mins and will let it soak for 2 days along w/ vitamins when I thaw out what I'm feeding.
Never heard of using garlic powder. If I were to use fresh garlic I would mince a small amount of it but don't put the minced garlic into the tank just to be on the safe side. Soak the food in it for 20-30 minutes or however long you want. This method is much cheaper but I prefer to use what is already liquid garlic made for fish. The liquid garlic is much easier for me to use.
Never heard of using garlic powder. If I were to use fresh garlic I would mince a small amount of it but don't put the minced garlic into the tank just to be on the safe side. Soak the food in it for 20-30 minutes or however long you want. This method is much cheaper but I prefer to use what is already liquid garlic made for fish. The liquid garlic is much easier for me to use.
55g-2 green spotted puffers 1 year old Nov 08!
20g-5 leopard danio,4 whiteskirt tetras, amanos, nerita snails, 2 neon tetras
Re: Using Garlic to soak food
I've never heard of this before. So I just have to ask, why garlic?
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crazedpuffer
- Former Staff Member
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1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Using Garlic to soak food
Garlic is a natural stimulant for fish. They go crazy for it, and it helps fight disease.
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edmlfc1
- Mbu Puffer
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125G:Fahaka (Annabelle) - Location (country): U.S.A.
- Location: Texas
Re: Using Garlic to soak food
Don't feel bad I had never heard of it either until I joined the forum. That's why I asked. I had no idea they sold liquid garlic at the petstore.swapperz wrote:I've never heard of this before. So I just have to ask, why garlic?
Need to know what kind of puffer you have? Click on Puffer ID.....Puffer ID: ug.php/v/PufferPedia/
What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
Feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Have a GSP, need more information......Click on GSP Article.....
GSP Article: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
What to feed your puffer? Click on Feeding......
Feeding: library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/
Have a GSP, need more information......Click on GSP Article.....
GSP Article: library/puffers-in-focus/an-introductio ... d-puffers/
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crazedpuffer
- Former Staff Member
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1xValentini - Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Using Garlic to soak food
I use minced garlic and it works great. I wouldn't use garlic powder though, either buy the liquid stuff, or buy minced or whole garlic and cut it yourself.
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zombiefetus
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Re: Using Garlic to soak food
I used to mince up garlic myself and soak frozen foods, but then I got lazy and bought Garlic Guard, which comes in liquid form. I also soak all the food in vitamins 
Re: Using Garlic to soak food
Ok thanks. Perhaps I should try it some time.
Perhaps I should try it some time.-
sparks42
- Figure 8 Puffer
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Re: Using Garlic to soak food
when y'all say you soak in vitamins as well, what exactly do you mean by "vitamins" ?
and if you mince up your own garlic, how much garlic per how much water ???
and if you mince up your own garlic, how much garlic per how much water ???
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SpockthePuffer
- Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: Using Garlic to soak food
I bought vitamins from drs foster and smith. They are specifically for fish.
And when I soak food in garlic I just put some garlic in the cup of water with the food, I don't really pay attention to how much. I guess I put enough to smell the garlic instead of the food that I'm feeding.
And when I soak food in garlic I just put some garlic in the cup of water with the food, I don't really pay attention to how much. I guess I put enough to smell the garlic instead of the food that I'm feeding.
"How inappropriate to call this planet Earth, when clearly it is Ocean." - Arthur C. Clarke
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10g betta & snail tank, 30g GSP named Milton, 55g sw fowlr
~Shannon~
10g betta & snail tank, 30g GSP named Milton, 55g sw fowlr
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zombiefetus
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Re: Using Garlic to soak food
If you're using fresh garlic, then the best way to do it is to chop up one clove and add that, along with a small amount of tank water and the food, let it sit for 20-30min, then take out the food and feed it, it's probably not good to give them any actual chunks of garlic. And there's really no actual measurements, most people just guess, you really can't mess it up.sparks42 wrote:when y'all say you soak in vitamins as well, what exactly do you mean by "vitamins" ?
and if you mince up your own garlic, how much garlic per how much water ???
As far as vitamins go, I ordered mine from http://www.drsfostersmith.com I use VitaChem Marine Formula for my GSP and my clownfish and Kent Zoe Freshwater for all my FW fish. I'm sure I could use the Kent Zoe for my GSP, but it's easier to use the Marine stuff since I've also got the clownfish in there.