Fish Aggression

[seaweeds]

Is it me or garlic seems to make fish really aggressive? I just started the fish hobby and found online that people add garlic to fish food to help with picky eater.

Anyway, I got a bunch of new fish and during quarantine, I add fresh garlic to fish food. The fishes eat anything I add in. I noticed that fish will fight over food after I added garlic and continued even after I stopped adding garlic. It turned my pearl gourami really aggressive and chased anything I put in when they try to get the food.

 

[fishorama]

Doesn't everyone love garlic? lol, it might encourage, let's call it enthusiastic feeding. Some fish are greedier than others. What fish beside the pearl do you have in QT? I've kept pearl gouramis a few times, but they've never been what I'd call aggressive or even food hogs. Some foods have garlic as a minor ingredient.

Maybe try a small amount of food & wait before adding a bit more. There are only a few fish that will overeat. Some will strike food even though they're full, but they spit it out.

 

[GaryE]

It's not something I've noticed. Some male pearl gouramis can be aggressive whatever you feed them.

What are the fish?

 

[Colin_T]

Fish don't naturally eat garlic because it's a terrestrial plant bulb so they shouldn't get it as part of their diet. To my knowledge there is no scientific studies that show garlic is good for fish and what it might be doing to their bodies. It might make them more aggressive but it could also be poisonous to them like it is to some other animals.

 

[fishorama]

I thought garlic has mild antibiotic & antiprotozoan activity. Of course, a land based bulb has no "natural" place in our aquaria, nor do antibiotics, salt, etc. I've never read of "garlic poisoning" in freshwater fish. Do you have references? I'd like to read more about that.

 

[Colin_T]

I thought garlic has mild antibiotic & antiprotozoan activity. Of course, a land based bulb has no "natural" place in our aquaria, nor do antibiotics, salt, etc. I've never read of "garlic poisoning" in freshwater fish. Do you have references? I'd like to read more about that.

It does for people but fish are not people and have completely different bodies.

I haven't come across any scientific literature/ information about feeding garlic to fish, let alone the possible long term side effects it might have. Some years ago a human thought they would try garlic on their fish (not the cooked type with lemon juice and herbs) because it helps people. So if it helps people then it must help fish. It's become a fad since then. Other fads include adding herbs, spices, vitamins, grains and other things to fish foods in an attempt to make them appear healthier. Fish can't digest this stuff and it's simply added to make people buy it thinking "it's good for me so must be good for the fish too".

 

[seaweeds]

I crushed the garlic, strained it through a filter and used the oil on the fish food. The tank has a pearl gourami, female beta, and cherry barb. The pearl gourami was shy at first but wasnt after I fed it garlic. It started eating with other fish. Then the female beta start eating all the food and got dropsy. The pearl gourami then started getting aggressive and chase every fish in the tank. I added two florida flag fish to the tank later and it bully those too.

I also fed a reticulated hillstream loach with garlic. When I put it in with 4 gold laser corydoras, it bully the 4 corydoras whenever one approached the food.

I am cautious now when adding garlic to food for new fish.