Should I Say Goobye

[ShoC]

Hiya, since the day I have had this one tetra (about 7 months)

I have had constant trouble. It's had a gill missing since I got her But I think this is the problem,
I have allways suffered with a disease forgot the name its the cottony looking one..
and now the eye is starting to buldge, I have tried treating endlessly with no luck.
and now she is starting to be VERY agressive especially to the males who are much smaller and now loosing colour due to stress I believe.

my stats are great

Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 5ppm


My catfish and Corrys are fine

Obviously no store would want her so I would have only one choice. Do you think I should

 

[FiSh123FiSh]

Well it is a tetra which cost about 75p so yer just plunge it in boiling water. They only live for about 1 year and I know its a waste of life but it is a small fish not like a human or Dog. I don't want to sound nasty or anything but c'mon.

 

[ShoC]

Well The boiling water is dispicable if i'm honest and curel...
and if it cost 75p or 50pounds... I would treat each life the same.

 

[Piltdownpaul]

Get a large glass-chill it with 3 chunks of ice and then drop the tetra in it-far less drastic way-they drift off that way

 

[FiSh123FiSh]

Boiling water is one of the most humane way to dispatch a small fish. If that one fish is putting the life of many others wouldn't it be better to get rid of that fish.

 

[Piltdownpaul]

Maybe but chilling a fish has been proved to give the fish an euphoric feeling to the brain which is surely a better way to go.

 

[5teady_2012]

Put it in a small tub, add 10 drops of clove oil. leave for 30-45 mins.

Or put in a small tub half full of water and put it in the freezer

 

[ShoC]

I know of the clove oil method and I do believe its the best way if I'm honest..

Im just looking at the rest of the neons and they look bad....
I only have 3 due to not wanting to get any because of the illnesses and Im wondering if they should all go...
and I don't think I'd get anymore if I'm honest (neons that is)

 

[FiSh123FiSh]

Now thinking about it freezing is probably better than boiling.

 

[tibby25731]

Tough decision to make if you don't have a quarantine tank to put her in. It would be awful if the other fish got ill due to stress. Only other solution I can think of is to divide you tank up for a while and keep her separate. But if you do decide to euthanize the fish, icy water or clove oil are the only humane ways to go.

 

[ShoC]

sadly all 3 have to go,
I do have another tank but it has been like this for about 7 months.
I dont have enough neons to spread the bullying nor do I want to buy any due to the current ill problems.
and Im seriously concenred about NTD due to one having cloudy eyes and loss of colour.

my corys and Catfish are superb all my problems are with theese..
I'm going to have them in clove oil.... But I dont know how to go from there as Clove oil simply puts them to sleep I suppose then Dip them into Freezing cold water?

 

[LauraFrog]

I would still try to avoid icy water. It takes a few seconds to die and it's probably not nice. Clove oil is very humane - it's just eugenol. Chlorbutol/chlorotone, opiates and barbiturates can also be used but as they're restricted substances your chances of obtaining them (unless you happen to be a doctor/vet/nurse etc) aren't great. Clove oil can be bought over the counter cheaply. You don't need to use much either - for a tetra 1 drop in 1 cup of water is very humane.

Whether or not you do decide to euthanise that fish there's something else I had to mention. You say it has the 'cottony disease'. Do you mean columnaris? If you've got columnaris in the tank getting rid of one fish won't solve your problem. I'd probably euthanise it anyway, but the others may still get sick.

EDIT: Clove oil, if used in sufficient quantities, does kill the fish. Using it at a slightly increased dose (1 drop/1 cup instead of 1 drop/2.5 cups) makes it faster. Leave the fish there for half an hour and it will be dead. I have had deaths at anaesthetic dose rate by leaving them there for too long. I'm not sure exactly how the active chemical (eugenol/phenoxyethanol depending whether you listen to the Net Vet or the dentist) works but the fish loses its balance, sinks to the bottom and lies there. They retain partial consciousness for a few minutes and then lie there and do nothing except breathing. At the increased dose rate it's a lot faster but if you try to use the stronger solution for putting fish to sleep temporarily you get deaths under anaesthesia.

 

[5teady_2012]

Clove oil kills them, once they well gone, toilet flush them. (if your concerned about the clove oil not killing them, freeze them afterwards or just freeze them from start)

The freezer one will gradually put them to sleep (Probably the best way for them to go imo)

 

[emmsy]

If we have to euthanase we use clove oil in my vet practrice

Emma

 

[ShoC]

I think Clove oil is the solution...
do you mix the clove oil up first or add when they are in it