newbie101

How do you euthanize a sick fish? Lots of different opinions on this one. If I forgot something (I think I did) tell me and I'll add it

chickadee

I chose the "clove oil" option. It was kind of a toss up between it and the alcohol option but the reason I ended up with the clove oil was I had heard from my vet friend that you don't have to use much and they just "go to sleep" so I thought this was perhaps like putting another animal to sleep. Not that I think I could do it unless I really thought they were suffering. I came close to wishing I could have with Azul, but then he would look better and I would think maybe he was recovering.

Rose

dano569

i wrap them in a paper towel and stick them in the freezer.
i only do that when it seems there is no hope of recovery.i give them as much of a chance as possible[i hope]

Parvath

Do u think dropping a slick fish into a lake or pond would help would it recover cause it is back into more natural habitat?

newbie101

No you should never do that!!!! Here is a good article on why not to, from freshaquarium.about.com

newbie101

Some fish, including snakeheads have been banned from some states because someone dumped one in the waterways and it wreaked havoc: (this is from the same site)

Parvath

Thanks for the info Emma.

newbie101

A slick fish lol

Parvath

LOL... didnt realise I had typed "Slick" instead of "Sick"

newbie101

And that is why Mike added a good ol' spellchecker.

Marc

But slick is a word... it's only a spell check, not a grammar check

newbie101

Ah, you have me there

sirdarksol

Anesthetic overdose.

I want to throw one note in here.

No arguing about euthanasia methods, please. We've closed one thread of that nature already, and don't need to do it again. If someone posts something particularly insensitive, please report it and the mods will take a look at it. However, if you just don't like a particular method (there are several of the methods that I would consider cruel, for example), let it be. No need to bring up more bad blood about this.

This does not apply to people asking questions, of course. If they genuinely want to know about something, like Parvath asking about releasing fish into the wild, it's entirely fine to answer.

rainman

i take the fish and put it in some club soda, so that the carbon dioxide knock's the fish out, then i freeze them.

Lucy

I've never heard of this, is it humane? When you say 'knocks the fish out', do you mean like an anesthetic?

Where did you hear about this method?

Barbrella

Here is a method that is considered to be totally humane. I've used it and found it to be very gentle and easy for the fish.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-...ize-a-fish.htm

luna

This does seem to be the most humane option...but I have a problem with it. The alcohol. My family does not drink and we do not allow alcohol in our house for any reason...so is there an alternative substance that would be suitable after using the clove oil to knock the fish out?

Ideally, I hope I never need to do this, but it would be nice to know ahead of time what my options are.

Peterpiper

We lost a lot when the tread was closed.. I take most of the blame, meanings can sometimes be distorted.. and the way something is said in the US, can be taken a different way in Australia, and vice verser. Guess I should have let it slide ( in hindsight ).
Anyway if your looking for MS 222, this is the same stuff.. you can get it here

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=12271

sirdarksol,
Maybe the Moderators could post the methods that they use, and the benifits in using the methods, and how the method used will end the suffering and not prolong it?

Chief_waterchanger

I know there are people that do not like this method because they say it forms ice crystals inside the fish that harms them... let me say, the fish is surely completely dead before their bodies get cold enough to freeze.

We put them in a bag, such as the plastic ones you get when you buy a fish at the store (we buy those things by the hundreds) and enough water for them to be completely covered. We put that bag in the freezer and then take it out a day later. The tropical fish aren't going to survive down to 32 degrees farenheit, so they aren't going to survive long enough to feel the freezing. The water in the bag has to cool down to the freezing point, and since water cools slower than air, they get a more gradual go to sleep kinda death.

It would be nice to have one thread of this topic survive with only mature discussion, lets make it happen. (Thank you, Pete, for taking responsibility for whatever part of the failure of discussion in the past that may have been your fault, that's good of you. )

tan.b

i've always chickened out of euthansing. i really wish i had the guts to do it, as i've seen sick fish really poorly and i know they are going to die within hours, but i'm just too soft to be able to hurry along the inevitable. i think its because i'm scared i'll do it wrong and actually cause suffering if that makes sense? yet when i worked in a vets i had no problem with euthanasia, but i think thats because i trusted the method caused no suffering.

Gargoyle

I had a guppy impale himself on a fake plant. When I pulled him off the plant his gill was destroyed and his eyeball was hanging out. Honestly I was surprised he was still alive and felt badly for his continued suffering. I got a glass of water and added 2 ice cubes to it. When the ice cubes finally dissolved in the glass of water it was very very cold. I placed him in the water and his death was instant. I could have used another option I suppose but I wanted his suffering over ASAP and that was the best way I knew of. A complete shock of his system and shut down which was what he needed. I still feel bad thinking back on it now.

tan.b

with injuries like that even i would have found the courage to do something to end the suffering. dont feel bad.

Neville

Hey tan.b! it's good to see ya, i haven't seen u posting for a long time. good to have u back.

Clove oil is the best way to euthanise a fish; the fish feels nothing, it is very peaceful and humane. It seems mad that a few drops of something can have such an effect, but it IS very strong. Don't think that if you initially put more in it will act quicker - it will only freak the fish out - it has to be done gradually so the fish doesn't notice the change in the water.

tan.b

thought you'd have forgotten me!

what type of shop would you buy clove oil? what's its intended purpose?.....guessing not made for euthanasia!

King_Snuggles

toothaches, and sold in Walgreen's and the such.

I have never really put much thought on the most humane way to euthanize my fish but they would go the way very suddenly aka a fast phone book. it might sound cruel but it the fastest way i can think of.

Angela_96

unless I have an aligator gar, or bass in my tanks there is no way I would do that. you should never put a fish from your aquarium into a local pond/lake/river that is not their natural habitats. most of the fish we keep are from overseas (india africa, etc)

my husband has a degree in enviromental science/wildlife management and he has very much advised me on this subject. these fish would harm the other fish in our local area.

not to mention, if you read about the african cichlids for instance when the "white" people went to africa they introduced perch to the river systems. when that happend a bunch of the cichlid speices at that point either went extinct or endangered now there are a lot of those species that the only ones that exist are the ones in aquariums that us fish hobbiyist keep thanks to people introducing fish into un-natural enviroments. (sorry I got off the subject of the euthinasa...


I do prefer the fastest method I can do, its the closest to chopping their heads off, and I do basicly wait until they are almost dead before I will even do that much, I try everything possible I can do for the fish and that almost always includes the old fashion salt bath as a last ditch effort....

sirdarksol

While I hope they do (some have), I do want to point out that our being moderators doesn't necessarily mean that we know any more about keeping fish than any of the others.

Neville

clove oil is a type of painkiller, it is used mainly for toothache, u can find it at pharmacies.

capekate

Health food stores carry the clove oil as well.

rainman

yes, and yes. My T.F.H. book, it is almost instantaneous, then to the freezer.
but mostly it depends on the fish. only small fast fish like danios and tetras are affected instantly. larger fish take longer. and in most gouramis it wil just cause pain.