Another Poorly Gourami

[Gary D]

We have a Dwarf Gourami that seems to have all of the symptoms of DG disease. He is not new to the tank - we have had him about 8 weeks.

He has been lying on the bottom in a corner of the tank for the last 2 or 3 days and doesn't seem to be trying to eat.

Today he is a lot worse and doesn't look long for this world

One of the other fish, a Platy, has also taken to nipping him around the gills and eyes.

It it is not pleasant to watch - especially for my kids - and I am wondering if I should put the fish out of its misery? Are there any humane ways of doing this?

If anyone has any suggestions, probably best to drop me a PM.

Thanks,
Gary.

PS. Water quality is OK as this is the first thing I checked. Ammonia & Nitrite 0, PH is 7.8 and Nitrates 10. Temp 27 deg C.

 

[nmonks]

There are humane and inhumane ways to kill fish, so yes, you should read up on them. The simplest approach is to use clove oil. This is a sedative, and in excess -- e.g., 50 drops in 1 litre of water -- the fish quickly stops breathing. Clove oil is considered humane by vets who've looked into this. Because gouramis can breathe air, they aren't as easy to kill with carbon dioxide -- e.g., the alka-seltzer method -- than other types of fish.

Freezing fish is not humane. Smashing a small fish like neons with a big hammer or brick should do the trick, but it's not pretty, and the larger fish, the less reliable this method becomes. So it's generally not classed as humane.

Cheers, Neale