I recently had to euthanize some fish after a horrible ordeal involving bad advice for treating camillanus worms. I watched many fish die in the tanks and put down the few that had no chance. I too had no clove oil so my options were limited. I put some in the freezer and some I just let sit on the counter. Its sad either way, I lost almost 60 fish in total. Be happy you just had to lose one.
I'm extremely sorry for your loss and that your daughter had to witness it, but I thank you for the posting. I hope I don't have to make the decision to do likewise, but the info and opinions spawned by your post may be helpful to me and others in the future.
very true. I think all fish keepers should have clove oil on hand. It seems to be the best way to go. This way you will never have to make the decisions on how to do it and have to witness the fish suffer.
Gouramis are prone to bloat and similar bacterial problems. I suggest very frequent water changes. I also suggest a UV sterilizer.
As far as euthanization, I think too many people argue over this subject. When a fish is beyond medicine it is generally non-responsive and either floating or on the bottom. Basically only the nerves are still alive.(like a chinook salmon after spawning)
People shouldn't worry about how to do it, they should worry about when.
A simple flush is not so bad. Besides, did someone actually flush a fish and chase it down the sewer to record its feelings? I bet not.
Gouramis are prone to bloat and similar bacterial problems. I suggest very frequent water changes. I also suggest a UV sterilizer.
As far as euthanization, I think too many people argue over this subject. When a fish is beyond medicine it is generally non-responsive and either floating or on the bottom. Basically only the nerves are still alive.(like a chinook salmon after spawning)
People shouldn't worry about how to do it, they should worry about when.
A simple flush is not so bad. Besides, did someone actually flush a fish and chase it down the sewer to record its feelings? I bet not.
if you were sick, would you mind if someone stuck you in a giant bowl of water, and opened the hole, only to find that you were falling into a giant pool of waste and (read: AMMONIA)?
please research before you give such 'conclusive' advice. thank you.
I for one am going to go with what I've seen as the best advice (IMO) n this and other similar threads. I'm picking up some clove oil and will keep it at the ready hoping to not need to use it.
I had to do it once. It made me ill but I had toothache medicine that is pure clove oil. I mixed some with some tank water and put the guy in. It was very quick and I left him in there for an hour just to make sure he was gone. Then I cremated him. It was very sad and I'm sorry for your loss. It's never easy to loose a living creature that you've become attached to and I'm sorry it had to be so traumatic. My sympathies.
Very sad Mozart. What a learning experience for everyone. I still get pangs from when I once had to end the suffering of one of my fish. I used the freezer method as that was all I knew. If I ever have to do it again I will use the clove oil method as mentioned on this forum.
I buried my fishie under a rose bush near the house. Beautiful Roses
My son's bubble eye gf developed ulcers on his side, due to another fish attacking him. We QT'd him and tried medicating - at one point he got better, but a DAY back in his old tank, he was reopened again by another fish. So we simply kept him by himself. Meds no longer worked after a time. We didn't have the heart to euthanize him,(and trust me, i wanted to put him out of misery) since he was our son's. Once he did die though, we had our son choose a plant to bury him under, and he chose the burial spot, etc. He was ok with this arrangement too. (Son is 7)
A week later, we got son a new fish to replace Bubbles. That fish is fine, and named Speedy Gonzales.
thank you.
