Fish swim bladder problem

[Harris]

I have Tetra with damaged swim bladder. Bobbs up and down with head straight up. Changed water, added salt and fed peas but no change in 3 weeks. Should I euthanize? How can do without flushing?

 

[Byron]

I have never heard of fish with buoyancy problems recovering. There are several things that can cause this, from genetic to disease to water parameters to ammonia/nitrite/nitrate issues...but once the internal damage is done, it is permanent.

I have sometimes left fish if I see they are still able to eat, and are not being bullied or picked on. But they do die at some point, from a few days to a few weeks. If I see signs of not being able to eat or bullying, I euthanize the fish.

Adding salt actually made this worse, and it affects other fish. Do a major water change to remove most of it. The salinity level will decrease with water changes, but you want this sooner rather than stretched out to avoid harming other fish with the salt.

Euthanizing fish is fairly simple. Net the fish out and place it on a couple of paper towels. Quickly wrap the towels around the fish, place the "package" on a sturdy surface (counter top) and give it a hard whack. I use my hand, some prefer a solid piece of wood like a bat or whatever. This kills the fish instantly, with no more suffering than any netting of a fish will cause.

 

[Harris]

I can’t put a fish down that way. I once filled a bag with ice and added water. Then put the fish in there and he almost froze immediately basically going to sleep. Thoughts?

 

[Essjay]

Byron's method is the preferred one for euthanasing fish, and the second is an overdose of anaesthetic or clove oil. A fish should never be placed in ice water or put in the freezer.

 

[Byron]

If you knew you were going to die, would you prefer being left to freeze to death, or prefer that someone hit you on the head to instantly kill you?

An article in Amazonas magazine a couple of years back (or it may have been Practical Fishkeeping) detailed the methods for euthanizing fish, and the sudden hit on the head was deemed the most humane and quickest.

 

[Harris]

Ok. I’ll bash the fishes head in. I get it.

 

[Colin_T]

If you knew you were going to die, would you prefer being left to freeze to death, or prefer that someone hit you on the head to instantly kill you?

I lived on the street for a while and it got down to 3C, that wasn't pleasant considering what I was wearing (jeans, T-shirt, long sleeve shirt, thongs/ flip flops for you yanks). I have also been hit in the back of the head and ended in hospital, that wasn't nice either. Do you have another option