An Unpleasant Topic

[tamara]

I am sad to say at the beginning I did flush a barb and a neon wouldn't do this now after reading through lots of threads.

i'm sad to say that i've done that with almost every single one of my fish... =[
well usually i hope they stay alive or i don't know until it's too late...
and most the time i never know FORSURE if they're sick or not..
so i don't wanna be a murderer...

 

[ICEEGRL]

Are mollies too big for cold/frozen dip? I can't hit them or cut them! I am too attached.(soft) So far what I have done is lost alot of sleep sitting beside the tanks watching and feeling guilty. I sat with one for 3 days streight that had dropsy. I couldn't leave her, and I couldn't kill her so I watched her die
Amanda

 

[linda1503]

Had to put a platty to sleep once. I put a few drops of clove oil in a small container and quickly put the fish in. It seemed to die within seconds with no thrashing about. The only thing I didn't like doing was leaving it in there and having to look later just to make sure he had gone. By the way clove oil stinks!! My hands were shaking. I must admit that a platty I had recently which I think had swim bladder (thanks Wilder for your advice at the time) I left to let nature take its course. I was hoping he would survive and I did think about killing him but just couldn't bring myself to do it.

 

[scubadoo]

I feel the best most humane form of euthanization would be, put your fish in a sparable jar and set it in a freezer. That way they fall asleep in die peacefully.

-Jess

Not true I'm afraid.
As they get colder, ice crystals can start to form in the blood stream when they are still alive - they may be lethargic due to the cold (and so dont move much), but I would imagine the pain is excruciating.

I havn't tried clove oil - about which I've heard mixed reports.
I go with the angler's method - either decapitation or a whack to the head - not nice perhaps, but quick.

 

[QuotheRaven]

I feel the decapitation form aswell as the smashing of the fish ect, is unpleasant and if you muck it up the fish will go through Immense pain while the frozen water dip happens just as quick, less stress and if it doesn't work the impact on the fish I think would be less than if you botched the afforementioned method

 

[DarkEntity]

I dont like the freezer method personally far to cruel, poor fish slowly freezing to death, I had to put down a Silver Shark of about 8" a few years back, i always catch fish then while still in the net hit the fish's head off something solid. One strike and a painless death for the fish.

 

[Torrean]

anyone ever heard of yucca tea as a form of euthanasia?

ICEEgirl If you feel your fish is suffering I suggest you look through the various forms of euthanasia and select the one you feel most comfortable with. My personal opinion on the humanity of euthanasia is if the suffering is less than what the creature would have experienced before natural death and is the least amount of suffering that you can inflict then the process you chose is humane. A good example is the clove oil method. Some say it's not humane because of the seconds that the fish is still concious it may be burned by the clove oil...here's my question for those people would you rather be so drunk that you can't feed yourself until you starve to death (my human equivalance to swim bladder) or would you rather die a short painful death.

I personally would use deep cold immersion if your mollie is of the small sort (3-4") or less but if it's larger I would use the blunt trauma. If you can't bring yourself to do this try to get a friend or relative to help you. If that fails then I would look into the clove oil method.

I would like to get this pinned and divided into seperate forms of euthanasia having an open thread for each type so that people can add onto it at a later date. Anyone else think this is a good idea?

 

[troutfly]

To respond to the slow freezing post for euthanasia....

My prize 8" Jack was outside in 22 degree weather at night (freak cold snap)while I was gone, when I came home the tank had frozen over and the fish was sealed inside. I believed he was dead, no movement, no gill activity. Not wanting to distroy the tank, I placed it on the counter and figured I would dispose of the body in the morning when it thawed. To my surprise, when I woke up at 5 am, the fish was swimming in the tank, I immediately put an air stone on, and restarted the filter, he lived for another 4 years after this. I have to say, after this, I have never tried to euthanize any of my fish, and I don't think I will. I figure they die in the wild all by themselves, why not in my tank.

 

[Namelessthedogboy]

Clove oil every time for me , I take a glass jug with about half a litre of aquarium water in it add a dozen drops of clove oil and add the fish they slip away in minutes and don't appear to suffer. I only euthanize when the fish is obviously suffering eg.lying on the substrate twitching. I firmly believe you shouldn't keep any animal unless you are capable of putting it out of it misery.

 

[BBrain]

I have used three methods:
Two Alka Seltzer tablets dissolved in a small container (produces massive amount of carbon dioxide, which first sedates the fish into total relaxation, and then kills it), ice water (tons of ice cubes in a bit of water), and decapitation.

The fastest method was decapitation.....instantaneous. Any fish size. I've done this several times with aquarium fish, and hundreds of times with "fishing" fish. It helps to first sprinkle the cutting board with a little salt. This prevents the fish from slipping, due to its slime coat. Use a razor-sharp knife, of course. A dull knife, as any boy scout knows, can glance off, and botch the job.

Alka Seltzer took about 20 seconds for fish to stop moving, following some slight quivering. Leave the fish in the solution for about 30 minutes to ensure it won't come to. The one fish that did not go under for me, was an Otocinclus; those are very tough fish. I completed the job with ice water, which made the oto quiver for a couple of seconds, and then became still. I left it in the ice water for about 30 minutes, to be sure.

BTW, clove oil and Alka Seltzer are used in the fisheries and aquaculture fields, to sedate fish for live sampling. Of course, smaller doses are used that are used for euthanasia, and the fish are also promptly revived in clear water, as soon as measurements are taken.

 

[geezer]

I just let nature take it's course. The fish will hide out until they die, then I just net them out.

It's just like in the wild I guess, no one to put them to sleep

 

[JSmails]

Had my first long suffering death recently with a gourami. I really wanted to take him out and end it but quite frankly i couldnt kill a fly and dont wish to. I tried everything to treat him and it hurt me like hell to see him suffering but I had to hold out hope. Personally I hope I never have to kill anything but surely one clean smash on the head would be less painful and more instant than anything.

 

[babybell911]

I used the cold emersion technique on two of my fish. A plty had TB I think and she took a while to go in this at least 30 secs of gill movements then about two minutes later I went to destroy the brain and when i held her still under the water she still twitched. But then again she was always really strong and a buggar to catch as well. Also my blue ram he had internal problems he was easy to catch and was gone in seconds didnt really fight it at all.

 

[KingKenny]

Personally I've always used blunt trauma. There are endless methods which people say are 'quick' or 'pain free' such as freezing, but with blunt trauma you know you're putting them out instantly. Always make sure the object you use is bigger than the fish. That way you can't make a mistake by accidentally hitting the lower half (which would be painful and far from instantaneous).

 

[Torrean]

bump