I am a monster!

[Jezah]

My poor little fishy! One of my flame tetras got attacked by my danios today, and he was missing an eye and miserable. He was floating at the top of the tank, moving his fins occasionally, as the danios pecked at him! He was obviously in pain, so I decided to put him down. First I looked for clove oil and apparently I dont have any, so I tried to make a batch up with ground cloves and vegetable oil. Poured a good amount into the tank I put the fish alone in...well it all went to the surface and didnt do anything to mr.fishy. So, I finally decided all this was too much, I decided to just snap him sharply against a counter. I put him in a baggie and snapped it hard against a metal counter. He died, and to make sure, after he was dead/unconscious, I cut off his head. I FEEL LIKE A MONSTER! I hope he didnt suffer! Next time I am going to try a temperature shock method I found online. You drop the fish into a bowl of freezing water and it apparently causes instant death. I miss my fish...

 

[Mollybreeder]

Im sorry for your loss R.I.P

 

[littlefishie]

I've always hated having to do that..

Sorry to hear about your tetra.

 

[WILDER]

Sorry for your loss, not a monster you cared, R.I.P.

 

[Jezah]

Thanks. I had only had him for a day, but I was attached! No more tetras for me, my Danios apparently think they are snacks.

 

[JamesTasker]

Good for you, you did the right thing.

Btw don't use temperature shock it causes discomfort to the fish which won't die instantly.

 

[BobK]

Sorry for your loss but you had no choice and you did the right thing.

 

[Jezah]

Ok. Thanks for the advice James. I found out that it wasnt actually the danios that killed him. Apparently(unknown to me)Tetras cant stand salt. I have salt in my tank. That is probably what made him weak enough for my danios to eat. I feel horrible! The remaining tetras are out of the salty tank and into a fresh one until I can return them to the store. *sigh*

 

[Tropjunky]

sorry for ur loss and don't try putting them in freezing cold water they will suffer.
clove oil is made by cloves alone no vegie oil needed i fink.
i find that method of killing fish that requires cutting bashing temperature change or anything physical is a bad idea unless u can do it at near light speeds. fishes have nerves andy they can feel the pain of u killing them even tho i was only a split second.

But all in all u did the right thing but u could have just got some clove oil it's not that hard to get or expensive

 

[BettaMomma]

You are NOT a monster.
You did the right thing.
Keep your chin up.

 

[Raechal]

IMO you would be more of a "monster" if you let him suffer you know? I've never had to euthanise any of my fish...I was going to euthanise my suffering gourami who appeared to have swim bladder, but by the time I posted here and got some advice on what to do, she was already dead. I only had her for a week. It is hard losing fish. I am going to purchase some bigger fish for my 120 gallon in a few weeks and I can't imagine how it feels to lose a fish you've watched grow up, ya know? Losing fish sucks.

 

[fatbobsufc]

Don't worry you are not a monster. I think the least cruel method of euthenasia is a 'guilliotine' method. Get a razor blade or stanley knife blade and in one quick smooth action slice the head quickly away from the fishes body. Avoid a slow slice and make it more like a guilliotine i know this is horrible but we all have to face up to the responsibility of playing God to some extent. We are their providers and it is us fishkeepers that are responsiblr for their removal from the wild so we have to equally accept the good with the bad.

You did well - the knock will have stunned the fish and the decapitation killed it.

You are not a monster.

BUT A NOTE TO EVERYONE - DO NOT USE THE COLDWATER METHOD - THE CHANCES OF YOU GETTING THE WATER COLD ENOUGH TO KILL THE FISH INSTANTLY ARE MINUTE. THE FISH WILL SUFFER WITH THIS METHOD.

 

[loopy]

I am dreading having to do this to any of my fish. I have got a job in an aquatics department at a garden centre. I know i will have to euthanaise fish from time to time so am gonna have to grin and bear it but at least i will have been shown the correct and humane way.

 

[pahansen]

Hi. Clove oil is created differently than the spice of the same name. Ground or whole cloves (spice) are made by collecting the buds of a certain type of evergreen tree, then drying and grinding the buds. To make clove oil, however, the fresh buds of the tree are steamed. The oil leaches out with the steam, and the steam is collected to make oil of cloves. That's why you couldn't reproduce it yourself. Any oil left in dried cloves is probably too insignificant to stun the fish. The only solution is to go buy a bottle of clove oil and keep it "just in case". I keep meaning to do this; your post has inspired me to actually go buy it while I run errands tomorrow.

I don't think you're a monster -- in fact, I think it took a lot of strength to go through with what you had to do. I would've had to make my husband do that. I, personally, am too much of a wimp, so I'd better get some clove oil quick.

By the way, all oils will lose their potency over time, and light can break them down more quickly. This is why many oils are sold in dark colored bottles. But be sure to keep the oil in a dark, cool spot, just to keep it potent as long as possible.

In addition, clove oil is a very strong irritant. It is capable of causing "burns" on skin and in your mouth, so be careful with it. And make sure not to rub your eyes if you have any of the oil on your hands.

-- Pamela