Do you ever euthanize fish?

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

mcsassy

professional fool
Jan 28, 2008
972
0
0
If a fish is dying and just has no hope, do you ever put it out of its misery? If so, how?
 

Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
5,753
0
36
www.centralcoastreefclub.com
Personally I haven't, but I watched my neighbor do it to a very sick purple tang. It was heartbreaking for me to watch and just as heartbreaking for him to do it.. but he did it very fast so he couldn't get second thoughts. Not sure how to do it on all fish, but he took out the fish and put it on a cutting board and severed its spine right behind its head with a sharp knife. It died instantly.. it had to be done but still very hard for me to even watch and my neighbor was pretty upset about it for a week afterwards.. hard thing to do to a beloved pet.
 

Amphiprion

Contain the Excitement...
Feb 14, 2007
5,776
0
0
Mobile, Alabama
Real Name
Andrew
Subjecting them to cold or exposing them to clove oil are also considered to be humane, since both tend to "numb" them as they pass away. Working in the aquarium retail environment for years, I have had to do it more than my fair share of times. Heartbreaking to say the least.
 

grannylvsfish

have you been bad this year ??
Dec 6, 2006
3,124
1
0
Montana
Subjecting them to cold or exposing them to clove oil are also considered to be humane, since both tend to "numb" them as they pass away. Working in the aquarium retail environment for years, I have had to do it more than my fair share of times. Heartbreaking to say the least.
clove oil, puts them to sleep and you then add a bottle of vodka to the water . I read this the other day
 

Bethany1979

Going insane, wanna come?
Dec 12, 2008
429
0
0
45
New Jersey
I had to do it. I had a molly with a ruptured swim bladder (I'm pretty sure). I used eugenol (clove oil). Very upsetting, I hope I never have to do it again.
 

mcsassy

professional fool
Jan 28, 2008
972
0
0
clove oil, puts them to sleep and you then add a bottle of vodka to the water . I read this the other day
A bottle of vodka? Sounds excessive...but I heard putting them in the freezer works too. How about putting them in freshwater?
 

park83

AC Members
Dec 2, 2006
175
0
16
41
central PA
I had to do it to a butterfly fish once. I used ice cold water and it was pretty quick. I felt better about it than letting him suffer.
 

park83

AC Members
Dec 2, 2006
175
0
16
41
central PA
A bottle of vodka? Sounds excessive...but I heard putting them in the freezer works too. How about putting them in freshwater?
I would think freshwater would take too long and stress them out... for parasites, you can freshwater dip for a few minutes with no harm, so I would think euthanasia would take far too long. Ice water, on the contrary, shuts their systems down pretty quickly.
 

Amphiprion

Contain the Excitement...
Feb 14, 2007
5,776
0
0
Mobile, Alabama
Real Name
Andrew
clove oil, puts them to sleep and you then add a bottle of vodka to the water . I read this the other day
An overdose of relatively pure clove oil is enough by itself--the added ethanol isn't necessary.

Simply using freshwater would be inhumane, especially since some species are resistant to salinity swings and can survive in the freshwater long enough to suffer.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store