How Do You End The Suffering Fish?

[Livewire88]

I use the ice water method, not much of a fan of the clove oil method.

Only because I have heard people (with more experiance than me) quote that it may cause pain by burning the fishes eyes or gills

plus I only keep small fish so the Ice water method seems to kill small fish instantly.

I tried to cut a ill corrydorras head off once with a pair of sharp scissors and was shocked at how hard it was, it was like trying to cut a stone in half!! I wont ever try that again.

 

[seeley82]

I have used boiling water once in the past

 

[Dazzer87]

shock, it may sound harsh but it kills them instantly. turn the temperature in the tank up so its at the the top end of what the fish can live in 28c for most fish, catch the fish in net and run it under a cold tap. instantly going from from hot to cold = fish stone cold dead in a blink of an eye, apparently this is an acceptable way without suffering.

I tried this once although I didn't turn the tank up as it was around 26c anyway and it worked well.

 

[the_lock_man]

shock,

I have this mental image of you jumping in front of the tank, shouting boo, trying to make a fish jump.....

Anyway, back to the serious stuff, I can't say it's a method I would try. For a start, the other fish won't like the temperature fluctuations much.

I've always used clove oil.

 

[fluttermoth]

I would never, ever trust the 'temperature shock' method.

My mum was told exactly the same thing about baby mice, many years ago. I won't tell the story, it's too horrible...

 

[Mikey1]

flush em down !

 

[fluttermoth]

Really, don't do that...

 

[Tuxyu3]

I really would not recommend flushing fish down the toilet even when they are dead. I mean, you wouldn't throw a diseased human corpse into the waterways, or would you? I personally seal their bodies as best i can in a plastic bag (sandwich/dog poo bag or something similar) and put them straight in the bin.

I tried to cut a ill corrydorras head off once with a pair of sharp scissors and was shocked at how hard it was, it was like trying to cut a stone in half!! I wont ever try that again.

Haha, i can see how trying to cut an armoured catfish in half would be difficult

 

[Liz xty]

I use the ice water method, not much of a fan of the clove oil method.

Only because I have heard people (with more experiance than me) quote that it may cause pain by burning the fishes eyes or gills

plus I only keep small fish so the Ice water method seems to kill small fish instantly.

I tried to cut a ill corrydorras head off once with a pair of sharp scissors and was shocked at how hard it was, it was like trying to cut a stone in half!! I wont ever try that again.

Clove is a local anaesthetic so numbs whatever it comes in contact with which is why it is used for toothaches. So I wouldn't think it causes pain? I've never put it in my eyes however as It is contraindicated to put ANY essential oils in eyes (the treatment if you accidentally get some in your eyes is an eye bath with vegetable oil FYI)
 

 

I use the ice water method, not much of a fan of the clove oil method.

Only because I have heard people (with more experiance than me) quote that it may cause pain by burning the fishes eyes or gills

plus I only keep small fish so the Ice water method seems to kill small fish instantly.

I tried to cut a ill corrydorras head off once with a pair of sharp scissors and was shocked at how hard it was, it was like trying to cut a stone in half!! I wont ever try that again.

Poultry shears would maybe do it , but still don't fancy it!

 

[fluttermoth]

Just a reminder to keep the conversation polite to other members, please.

 

[Dazzer87]

shock,

I have this mental image of you jumping in front of the tank, shouting boo, trying to make a fish jump.....

Anyway, back to the serious stuff, I can't say it's a method I would try. For a start, the other fish won't like the temperature fluctuations much.

I've always used clove oil.

yeah the fish just looked at me funny so I gave up

.... each to there own, the difference in water temperature makes the fish lose conscience instantly, I don't rate freezing them as its probably doing them harm living in the colder water for ages before they pass out and I didnt have any cloves oil to hand so I found this method and personally I would use it again. net, tap, flush. death was instant and the whole ordeal was over in a few seconds.

 

[cms091]

A company called Vet Ark have a product called Aqua- Sed. It is an anaesthetic for fish, but used at 4 times the dose it can be used for euthanasia. I have always used clove oil, but I worry about not using enough,so I got a bottle of Aqua- Sed.
I've only had to use it once so far only on a very sick Guppy, and it was really good. The little guy stopped moving almost instantly.
I think it's a brilliant product to have on standby .

I'm going to get some of this!
£15.76 + £1.90 postage is worth knowing my fishy friends get the best possible treatment at the end. All scientific etc.

I've done it by dropping into ice/water mix, which seems pretty instantanious for little fish (danio size), but I've got some bigger ones now that I was worrying about.

 

[Lolly123]

I recently had to euthanise my favourite fish, Peope. He was a Bolivian ram, he was clearly dying and the clown loaches sensed his weakness and were ramming him in to the glass. I took him out in to a small bowl of water for a moment before decapitating him. It was awful, but he didn't even struggle, too weak to even bother. It was over in a split second and I was gutted, even shed a tear or two, but at least he wouldn't have to suffer being bullied whilst he was dying.

 

[comocrayfish5]

i cant imagine cutting off a fishes head

 

[Mamashack]

6 months ago my pearlscale goldfish was on its last legs so to speak - almost 3 years old. It was as painful to watch it suffer as it must have been to experience. I decided to put it out of my misery. I researched online and discovered the clove oil method. As an aromatherapist it appealed to me and seemed to be the kindest way. My understanding is that the clove oil is used to anaesthetise the fish but it doesn't actually kill it - just enough to put it to sleep. When the gill activity gradually slows down to about once every 20 secs, it is well under. The next step is to add alcohol to the solution which is what actually kills it but as it is unconscious it doesn't feel the pain it would without the clove oil. I tried it and felt happy that the fish died as humanely as possible.

I put 1 drop of clove oil into a small screw top jar with about 50ml water and shook until it was a cloudy mixture. The clove oil will not dissolve but it will suffice as long as it is well shaken. I tipped this into a separate container with about 500ml tank water and mixed it up. The fish was put in and it sank to the bottom. I checked on the gill activity after 10 mins and it was once every 20 seconds which indicated it was unconscious but still alive. Then I added 50ml liquid alcohol rub (not the gel) and left it for further 20 mins after the gill activity seemed to cease altogether just to be sure. Altho it was not something I relished doing, I felt I had done it as humanely as possible.

Hope you never need it, but if you do I think this is much kinder than flushing down the toilet (traumatic) or freezing the poor thing to death (excruciatingly painful)
Good luck