Euthanasia for fishes

[royboy]

Sorry lads but I'm not convinced ! I think its cruel to feed your Oscars e.t.c with fish fry. To say the fish don't suffer-(ask the fish)- The experienced members of this Webb site tell beginners that fish suffer stress when being moved about e.t.c.
I presume that if this is the case, they are also stressed when feed to bigger fish,
or do you think there overjoyed when they see a big old Oscar coming for them

 

[aquarius]

do you think thy're overjoyed when you take them out of the water and bang them on the head or put them in a freezer or whatever else?

 

[MAM]

well, royboy, in the wild fish eat other fish. called the food chain. so feeding your oscar (or other piscavore [sp?]) the live fish that would normally make up his diet is perfectly okay. at least if youre feeding it fry you raised you know youre not introducing disease to that fish. also, the fish don't feel the pain. quite often, i'm sure they don't ever even know what hit them. fish aren't like cats, they dont' fling their food around and play with it before they break its neck and eat it, they just chomp it.

i'd have trouble whacking a fish on the head myself. i'd rather feed my unwanted fry to a larger fish, let them serve a natural purpose, than jsut kill them (humanely or otherwise).

but youre entitled to your opinion. wouldn't suggest an oscar in your future though.

 

[royboy]

Aquarius your a diamond!
I wouldn't imagine that anything would be happy facing some kind of danger be it a whack on the head or fed alive to predators, but where does the freezer fit in to this? are you suggesting that some people kill there fish by bunging them in the freezer?
Neither do I accept the statement that its natures way because it is done in the wild.
In the wild its mainly the week animals (or fish) that get eaten the fitter ones are able to outrun (out swim) there prey and seek cover, fry don't have this chance in an aquarium.

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> are you suggesting that some people kill there fish by bunging them in the freezer?

Sadly, that is the case, yes.

 

[Jesse]

I am not sure what to say in this kind of situation. I agree with the ones that say feed it to other fish, but if you can find someone to take them before you feed them, do it! I could never see killing another living being by myself. Whacking a fish over the head or chopping it off is just too...well I couldnt do it.

 

[thecichlidaddict]

I have to say most of what people are saying is in agreement, and makes sense.

Most of us are willing to euthanize a fish for the right reason and in a painless way. If the fish is sick or damaged beyond healthy recovery, or is suffering in any way, then euthanasia is less cruel then making it live.

Nobody should euthanize a perfectly healthy fish. There are many people who would gladly save themselves a couple of bucks and take it, or take it just to keep it from getting killed. I've sold and given away many fish on web sites like this one. I've also taken and bought them too. As a last resort you can return them to the fish store, that way at least they stand a chance of getting another home (not that many of those homes are any better ). How much credit, if any, you get for that fish depends on the fish store.

Feeding live fish to predators is not euthanasia, it is feeding live fish to predators. If a fish is sick enough to need euthanasia do you think I'd put it in my healthy predator tank? The fish I feed to them are perfectly healthy and going strong. This is a different debate then euthanasia, and I don't expect everyone to agree with me. I can see why people would be against this, I just think differently then them. I view it like MAM, there is a food chain, and I'm providing one of the healthiest possible sources of food for my predators.

 

[Inchworm]

well i have decided that i will ask my lfs to see what the say and if they don't want to sell them then i will ask if they want them to feed some of there bigger fish thats what i will do!!!

Hi aernympha

I was wondering if you took your fish to the lfs yet. If you did, how did it work out?

You might want to give some thought to giving away all your mollies. They are fine fish, but they will continue to reproduce and you will have this problem over and over. Why not consider some of the many beautiful egg laying fish so that you never have to worry about this again.

 

[aernympha]

Well you see inchworm, the ballon mollie gave birth to the fry is not going to get preg again any way unless her son does it....... which would be anoying i don't like my ballon molly anymore....... i know that sounds relly mean.... and no i havn't yet i might look in the yellow pages for there number and ring them up and see what they say but they insisit on the fry being an inch long!!!!! if i grow them to taht size all the fish willl die form seroius overcrowding i didn't think of this before hands getting tons of livebearers!!!!! yes i do know reallywish i didn't buy so many livebearers but i do love them all!!! and it easy to breed them!!! but i now wish i could get some egg layers...... that why i got the rams which have both died cos the tank was too over crowded for them.... so i learnt my lesson not to buy fish which aren't gunna fit into my tank...... well some good new is that next door, my friends sister might be getting a tank and is interested in platys so i might give some away to her... if she wants them also as they are samll makes them all the more cute , gotta love those platys

 

[aquarius]

<<Neither do I accept the statement that its natures way because it is done in the wild.
In the wild its mainly the week animals (or fish) that get eaten the fitter ones are able to outrun (out swim) there prey and seek cover, fry don't have this chance in an aquarium. >>

of course that's not how things are in nature but we're trying to make it as close as possible, and the fact is that in nature fish eat other fish, but you won't find fish executions in nature

p.s
sorry, i've been writing a 20 page paper on the death penalty this whole week so i guess i was just incorporating my views on the subject into this fish business, well i guess you know where i stand

 

[royboy]

I have really enjoyed this thread, It is refreshing to read the opinions of other fish keepers. In regards to using fry as live food, my personal opinion is its down to the individual, maybe when I get more experienced in this hobby, I might find myself doing the same thing (although I very much doubt it), because I think it's cruel. :
No you have missed my point which is...If someone feels so strong against having to kill a fish for what ever reason...how on earth can they be prepared to feed it live to a predator,.. this is what I cannot get to grips with...how can you be a fish lover that hates killing fish yet would be quite happy to let something else (e.c. a predator fish,) do it for you........ it seems a cop out to me! ...like taking your unwanted fish next door to the neighbour and saying "Do us a favour can you kill this for me I Don't have the heart to kill it myself".

 

[Innes]

unfortually i can't find anywhere which will take my fry as all the place i go to have a large supllie of better looking mollies.........what iam i going to d i don't want my tank getting over run well it is kinda ta the mo ......... i don't no if euthnaisa is the right thing to do??? if so i was reading what dragonslair worte and he says that cutting the head off and then putting somthing sharp into its brain will kill it without pain....... i don't wanna kill them but what esle am i gunna do i don't want them and nowsoem a are getitng older they are wanting to mate with other adults and they are very ugly!!! also they are teaming up and biting adult females.....


dunno what t do

Euthanasia is not cruel as long as it is done in the correct way, and for the right reasons...



I suggest you either cut off their heads, or completely smash the skull in one blow should you need to euthanaise

 

[aquarius]

<<someone feels so strong against having to kill a fish for what ever reason...how on earth can they be prepared to feed it live to a predator>>

but don't you get it? when i kill a fish, i'm going to throw it out. when another fish does it, it's going to eat it. thus the dead fish serves a purpose, it privides nutrition for other fish. i don't know how else to explain it

what i'm against is PEOPLE, whether it's me or my neighbor, killing healthy fish. euthanasia is another story

 

[royboy]

<<someone feels so strong against having to kill a fish for what ever reason...how on earth can they be prepared to feed it live to a predator>>

but don't you get it? when i kill a fish, i'm going to throw it out. when another fish does it, it's going to eat it. thus the dead fish serves a purpose, it privides nutrition for other fish. i don't know how else to explain it

what i'm against is PEOPLE, whether it's me or my neighbor, killing healthy fish. euthanasia is another story

No my American Friend I don't get it!
Put me right here.. you couldn't kill healthy fish..right
Then all thats left is sick ones, so are you advocating that only sick fish should be used as live food?
Here's hoping that the sick fish you are feeding to your fish are not suffering from something contagious, because you will end up giving them more than nutrition,

 

[dixaisy930]

I think it comes down to not wanting to waste anything...as blunt as thay may be. Take, for example, how Native Americans and the "white man" differed in what happened after they killed a buffalo. Either way, the buffalo dies, but the Native Americans put it all to good use, while the "white man" wasted most of it. Some fish are going to die one way or the other (for whatever reason). Most of us would rather the fish serve a purpose (providing nutrition to another fish) then being decapitated and thrown away. I think it also makes it a little easier knowing that being eaten is more "natural" then getting bludgened to death.