Garlic Extreme and Selcon

[Rascal]

Rascal, what do you think about bottled vitamins like selcon?

James, sorry to hear... so if I have it right, you just crush up a bit of garlic, (as fine as possible?) and put the bits and pieces into the tank along with the food?

 

Tygger: As far as I understand it (which may not be very far), the reason fresh garlic is more effective than stored is that allicin, which is released when garlic is crushed, just isn't very stable. I found a couple of other studies verifying both garlic's effectiveness against bacteria (E. Coli), and the advantage of fresh garlic over garlic powder. http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2004/Projects/J1310.pdf;

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...p;dopt=Abstract

That said, I don't know whether some of the companies selling garlic remedies for aquaria have found a way to change that and make a stored version just as potent as the fresh stuff. It just seems so easy, safe, and effective to use real garlic. Plus there is usually some left over for cooking.

 

I don't know whether vitamins have the same problems with maintaining their properties during storage, but I suspect most do not. The ingredients in Selcon are "Selco Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids; Marine lipids 200 mg/g.; Vitamin C stabilized 200mg; Vitamin b12 Cyanocobalamin 240 mcg." So it's basically HUFA fortified with B & C. Although expensive (what isn't in this hobby), I think it's great stuff and I use it in my food mix. As far as any disease-fighting properties, it's probably one of those "best offense is a good defense" sort of things. Healthy, well-nourished fish are more likely to be able to fight off parasites on their own.

[tygger]

Glad we got another knowledgeable member. Thanks for the explanations.