Aloe Vera

[lozronz]

Hey,

I don't know if this might be of help to anyone but once a week or so I split a piece of aloe vera in half and pin it in my tank, the cory's seem to enjoy rubbing themselves in it and its improved that kind of 'green shine' they get when they are healthy. The kribs seem to like eating it to.

I have to admit that this I was a totally uneducated guess to do and if anyone knows any reason why I shouldn't, constructive critisism is alway welcome.

Cheers!

 

[sparky_555]

Aloe Vera... soap?

 

[Egmel]

Aloe Vera... soap?

Surely the cactus?!!

 

[sparky_555]

lol, i have no idea

 

[black angel]

You can get additives for the tank that contain aloe. You have to be careful though as it can clog up the gills.

 

[guppymonkey]

Isn't aloe vera poisonous if eaten?

 

[Callum]

you feed your fish soap? does it get rid of teh smell as well?

 

[raptorrex]

Isn't aloe vera poisonous if eaten?

no aloe vera has no known hazards, its used in medican, food and beauty products

 

[lozronz]

No... Not soap. As far as I'm aware that is very bad for them... unless you want them reeaaally sparkly (but dead)

Aloe Vera the plant, its a succulant.

Seems to work, but I like putting wierd things in my tank just to see. My shrimp are partial to sliced olive would you believe but not too may cos they can make the tank oily.

 

[starrynightxxi]

well, it doesn't harm people at all which i know doesn't always carry over to fish, but my chlorine/amine remover has aloe in it, so in small doses there's probably nothing that will hurt the fish. They probably like it for the same reasons people like it, it's soothing. I can't imagine wanting to eat it though (i personally hate the smell of fresh aloe).

anyhow I don't think i would leave it in the tank all the time. i don't trust gooey things

 

[Bignose]

The phamaceutical documented benefits of aloe vera include numbing of nerve endings and preventing drying of damaged tissues. For that reason, it is definately appreciated in the kitchen for minor burns or scrapes.

However, since when has drying of the tissues been an issue in an aquarium? And I am not sure whether you want your fish's nerve endings slightly numbed, or if it even has that effect on fish.

This is pretty much a case of "people know what aloe is, and they know its natural, so we'll market a product that people know and think is better because it is natural," but the manufactures and the customers skipped the most important step, proof. There is no proof whatsoever that aloe benefits fish in anyway.

Can anyone supply some proof? Not anecdote, not friend-of-a-friend said, not links to manufacuter's websites, but unbiased documented proof? Until then, I think it is just a waste of money.

 

[lozronz]

Hey,
Wow, I did not realise that this would rile people! It is actually a very mildly poisonous plant if ingested, or a mild irritant anyway but only in older plants when the 'goo' is yellow.

My logic was that it has anti-bacterial and healing properties, and was a slime, I'm not sure how I thought the fish would know this but they seemed to, particularily a cory who had quite a graze on his nose from being grabbed by a shrimp, he used to rub his nose in it loads until it healed.

I might be making something out of nothing, but it seems to be ok.

starrynightxxi, I don't leave the leaves in long just till the slime is gone.

 

[Bignose]

My logic was that it has anti-bacterial and healing properties, and was a slime,

But aloe has very little proven anti-bacterial properties. A very quick perusal of the scientific literature showed 1 very recent study where there was some mild anti-bacterial properties. Compare that with at least 5 other studies I saw that showed no anti-bacterial properties whatsoever.

Besides, why would you want to introduce an antibiotic into the tank anyway? There are lot of bacteria that are doing lots of useful things in your tank.

Aloe does have anti-fungal properties. It has been used to keep as a preservative to keep fungus from growing on foodstuffs. But, that doesn't necessarily translate into fighting fungus in an aquarium.

And, as I posted above, what is proven, is that it keeps tissues from drying out and slightly numbs nerve endings.

Tissues drying out in an aquarium is not an issue, obviously.

I also don't think you want the front part of a cory to be slightly numbed, as they use their barbels' sensitivity to locate food and to navigate. In fact, I would suggest that maybe the cory was using it almost like a recreational drug, you know how some people like that numb feeling, maybe he's doing the same thing.

The fact is, right now, there is no science to support the reasons you put aloe in the tank. Right now, the science says that aloe has no place whatsoever in the tank. Perhaps you could start a study?

 

[starrynightxxi]

well, as far as marketing a product vs reality (which i'm assuming was aimed towards my comment about my water conditioner), i have absolutely no proof. I didn't buy it because of the aloe, i needed another bottle and was in a hurry so i just grabbed the first one I saw.

My only point is that it hasn't caused any ill effects in my tank in the period of time (several months, now) that i've been using it. The fish don't look better or worse than they did before, so by that i can say that it doesn't [appear to] have ill effects in the aquarium. I agree fully that it may well just be a marketing ploy and does nothing at all. Trust me, I know how advertising works


edit for spelling

 

[jarcher1390]

my anty is a herbalist and she said to me its to help numb nevers and start to help regenrate skin like if u got sun burn. I think they put it in comestic soaps and stuff to make skin feel nice due to it help make some skin but it dont have any antibacterial i dont think.
I dont know what efect it would have on fish maybe u should do a test and find out and post the results