Control of the Ich parasite on fish

About 5 years ago (2004) a scientist came to a national hobbyist convention with the astounding finding that Garlic helped control the common Ich parasite that has been the death of far too many marine fish. The Ich parasite appears to live, albeit subdued, in all aquariums but does not become a problem until some tank condition stresses the fish allowing the parasite to gain a foothold. Most often Ich is associated with adding new fish.

Shortly after hearing about this woman scientist's findings, I had my first experience with using Garlic to take care of Ich. I was maintaining a friends aquarium while he was away for three years in Brazil. This tank had been doing well for two years since it's set up. His daughter, living there to care for the house and feed the fish, called me with the news that the Blue Hippo Tang was sick and looked terrible.
I raced over to find that it definitely had Ich and that it had begun a few days prior.
Garlic Oil was purchased from a health food store that same day and the treatment began.
A few drops of the oil marinated for a few minutes in thawed frozen Brine Shrimp with no water added, completely cleared the seriously infected Blue Tang overnight.

Directions:
Add about one drop of stinky Garlic Oil per cube of frozen food and allow to thaw naturally without adding water.
Mix the food and oil together with a toothpick and allow to marinate for about 5 minutes.
Again without using added water, drop small clumps of the mixture into the water, allowing the fish to completely eat each clump before dropping in the next clump.
Ensure that the affected fish eat some garlic food for approximately 3-5 days.
When adding new fish, feed this garlic preparation once each day for about 5 days.

This does not come up very often, but all Garlics are not the same. If one Garlic fails to work within a day or two, quickly switch to another. I have tried and discarded at least 2 or 3 bottles of Garlic Oil over the 5 or so years since it's discovery as a treatment and preventive for Ich. When I find a bottle of Garlic that works, I keep using it. Currently the one that is working is a 100 count bottle of Natures Bounty Gel Caps that I bought for only $4 (on sale) at Smiths Grocery store. I use a pin to puncture the gel cap and squeeze it out drop by drop.
If you are not getting the kind of immediate result described above with the Blue Tang, change to another brand or form of Garlic.

I've had dismal results with some brands of Garlic Oil and my brother had disastrous results with raw garlic, though it has worked for some hobbyists.

Because Ich is the result of stress that is brought on by change and/or by deteriorating tank conditions, it is also important to evaluate the general health of the aquarium environment. Garlic can only be a temporary fix in some situations. If you have concerns about this, feel free to create a new topic here on this MB asking for an evaluation of your tank. Posting pictures is extremely helpful for those doing the evaluating and giving their opinions. Everyone has different opinions, so do not be offended if some seem overly critical. Just take it all in and make the modifications you feel are best for your tank and situation.

Two other things to consider in the control of Ich are the use of Ozone in the skimmer or passing the tank water slowly through a UV Sterilizer. Both of those can effectively prevent Ich. These can be discussed elswhere when needed.


Edited by Mark Peterson - May 19 2011 at 10:19am