Euthanizing Anabantoidei - Betta Fish

[Roan Art]

. . .I know for sure this thread is going to have a lot of posts in the near future.
EUTHANAZING A SICK FISH WILL ALWAYS CREATE CONTROVERSY

Good.

It NEEDS to be talked about and this is a great place to do it. No matter what, at some time people are going to have to either HUMANELY euthanize a fish or let it die horribly and slowly.

Let's talk about it.

Roan

 

[Roan Art]

I have put an anabantid down with clove oil (I believe it was a chocolate gourami, but may have been a honey). Three drop mixed well in a cup of water and there was no thrashing or anything. In seconds it was passing on, and very quickly...


I personally don't find 4 drops in a liter of water to be a a high enough concentration.

Well, betta fish are a little different from gouramis. They're one of the few fish that really don't use their gills at all, which is why the clove oil doesn't work.

Like I said, I really think the only way to do it (other than pulverizing or freezing) is to somehow replace the O2 with some sort of gas.

Roan

 

[Roan Art]

It should be studied since I don't know what kind of effect can ether have in a fish. It can make a humen sleep, but, will it do the same to a fish? Maybe it can burn or itch or whatever.

I'm doing some on line research ATM and have a line on a guy doing studies with danios at a university. He's had to do a lot of euthanizations -- 400 in one day because of a contagious disease. Gonna email him and ask him what he thinks.

Roan

 

[Roan Art]

The clove oil shoul dbe dissolved, so that it mixes with the water, instead of just floating on the surface.

That reminds me -- and I'll post the relevant parts of the thread soon as the kids are in bed -- that to dissolve the oil they use alcohol. However, they believe that that burns the gills and causes a LOT of pain.

I'll post it when I get a chance.
Roan

 

[Roan Art]

I had to euthanize a Green Spotted Puffer that fell into the drip plate of my wet-dry filter . I kept him in an isolation tank for 2 days and saw no response.
I had to choose the strong-hit method, although horrible, I believe it's the quickest method for killing a small fish.

That sucks and I feel for you.

I feel guilty for letting him fall from the tank. :sad:

Accidents happen and no one is perfect. I hate the guilt part, too. You always feel like it was your fault because that animal depends on you for its life.

It's really quite a responsibility. Sigh.

Hugs!
Roan

 

[Raskolnikov]

Hence my recommendation to destroy the brain rather than decapitation.

There are ways to euthanize a fish that are easy on the fish (instantly destroying the brain), and there are a multitude of other 'recommended' methods that are easy on the fish owner (freezing tropicals, gassing...).

Anyone physically capable of driving a nail is physically capable of rendering instant death to most ornamental fishes.

If an individual is not capable of either euthanizing their own charges or enlisting the assistance of someone who is, they really have no place keeping these animals in the first place. It is the much less talked about yet still essential skill of a good fishkeeper. It's not pretty and it's never pleasant but it is, occaisionally, a necessity.

 

[PumaWard]

Well, betta fish are a little different from gouramis. They're one of the few fish that really don't use their gills at all, which is why the clove oil doesn't work

I must completely disagree. Bettas use them as often as any other anabantid, IME, actually more. I have never had a betta use its labyrinth a lot (unless stressed) when kept properly. In fact, this morning, I was watching my betta in my 38g for at least 10 minutes.... he did not rise up once to take a gulp of air but did use his gill extensively.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, clove oil goes through skin, so it would still be effective... but I have no actually facts on it, I'll have to go look it up.

 

[Roan Art]

Okay, here's an excerpt from the site Pharyngula which is written and maintained by Paul Z. Myers, associate professor of biology at UMM:

Here's the way I euthanize fish, though, and since I've killed many 
thousands, I can say it's the cleanest, least painful way to do it, 
for both me and the fish. It's an anesthetic used for frogs and fish 
that goes by various names: ms222, MESAB, 3-aminobenzoic 
acid ethyl ester, tricaine methanesulfonate, or, as most of the 
pet and aquaculture supply houses call it, Finquel. For routine 
anesthesia, I use a 0.2% solution of the stuff—let a fish swim in 
it for a few minutes, they lose consciousness, you can do various 
surgeries on them, and then put them in clean fresh water, 
and a few minutes later, they're awake and swimming around 
again. If I need to euthanize them, I use a 0.4% solution (or more 
crudely, I use my 0.2% stock and sprinkle a few extra crystals of
the ms222 powder in the beaker), put the fish in it, they fall 
asleep…and after 3-5 minutes, their heart stops. It will kill them 
at lower doses, but simply takes longer.

I get my stuff from Sigma, catalog number a-5040, for those of 
you who can purchase through academic suppliers. Otherwise, 
here are a few commercial places that will sell it to you: 
Doctors Foster & Smith, PondRX, and Argent Labs. It's about 
$15-20 for a 5 gram bottle, which sounds expensive, but a little 
goes a very long ways. I bought a 25 gram bottle 8 years ago, 
and I've still got lots left…and I euthanize fish far more often 
than your usual pet fish owner

You can read the full copy here: http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/how_to_euthanize_a_fish/

Roan

 

[TommyR]

The clove oil shoul dbe dissolved, so that it mixes with the water, instead of just floating on the surface.

She is right, mix the clove oil WELL with some tank water, it works very well. I've had to do it several times in the past year. The fish goes to sleep within 10-30 seconds. I then place it in the freezer until solid.

I can't bring myself to smash one.

Tom

 

[rebecca2]

I don't know why some sources say to dissolve the clove oil in alcohol as this isn't necessary in my experience (plus, alcohol doesn't, um, last long around this house...)

I put the necessary amount of clove oil in a jar with some water and just shake it up. It turns cloudy. Then I pour that into the bucket or whatever I have the euthanizees in.