Euthanizing a betta

Liz

AC Members
Mar 25, 2005
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Okay, so I've had my female betta around half a year, and I was pouring her from her old tank into a new 10 gallon and she's been acting up; not swimming, etc. Then I realized her side has quite a bit of trauma, and on her one side, there is a red blob and what looks like eggs stuck to her side. I have poured fish from one tank to another before, and although I always wondered if they could dash themselves against the gravel, it has never been a problem before. I feel really bad, and I know methods of euthanizing is debateable but I have her in the freezer in a small amount of the tank water now.

I feel really horrible, she was my favorite little fish because she's what got me started recently.
 
What's the most humane way to euthanize a fish?
 
Do a search in the forums, I know that an exhaustive list is on here somewhere. But in general the best method is a sharp pair of scissors, removing the head. But most people, myself included, can't do it! The other method that I heard was best is clove oil. I would like to have some on hand just in case and still have yet to find any though.
 
I just had to enthanize a betta last night :( I had a red betta in a bowl which I believe had fungus in it (the water smells like mold). I put my white and blue betta into my danio tank but noticed she was hiding and siting at the bottom. When I put him in a floating betta bowl I noticed him had nips and what looked like blood on the ends of him tail. I put the red betta into the danio tank before I figured out the betta vase was infected.

Long story short: I exchange water in the betta's bowl with danio tank water to keep it clean, but I the unknowingly infected her with a fungus I was unable to treat. :(

betta.jpg
 
What's the most humane way to euthanize a fish?

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37740



I am not a personal fan of the freezer method simply because there is too much debate among scientists on whether or not it is humane. I personally would lean towards the side of freezing being an acceptable method, but there are other less debateable methods available, so I tend to not take the risk on the debateable ones.
Dave
 
Freezing takes too long, and every tropical fish that I've euthanized that way showed signs of extreme stress; flopping and flipping all over the place and frantically thrashing. IME, smashing the head or whole body is the fastest means to death that the average person has at their disposal, and therefor the least stressfull to the fish.
 
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