How Should I Euthanize This Fish?

[Katty]

So I have a green neon tetra (info in this topic link) that got extremely sick, long story short a giant hole appeared through the center of its body and now cottony fuzz has filled the hole and is growing out of the body. The poor thing has trouble swimming and doesn't eat. It's probably in a lot of pain, and I'm also afraid of it dying while I'm gone and the other fish feasting on its diseased body so I'm thinking its time to euthanize it. I've used clove oil to euthanize fish before but I stupidly left it at my parents house, and there isn't anywhere nearby I can easily get clove oil.

What is the best way to euthanize this fish that isn't clove oil? And by best I mean least painful for the fish and not having to chop its head off or anything. I've read some things and I'm thinking freezing, or suffocating with the CO2 from fizzy alka-seltzer tabs. I don't have fizzy alka-seltzer but I do have fizzy Jungle Water Clear (pottasium permangenate) tablets and fizzy denture cleaning tablets. Would either of those be fine or is there a better option?

 

[Man of fish]

I read this on here. It's very painless from what I've read.
Get a Tupperware container and fill with water. Stick it in the freezer until a thin sheet of ice forms on top. Break the ice into the container. Scoop fish in one by one.

 

[HannahBear77]

or you could put bleach in the water, thats how i did mine it only took about 5 minutes

 

[Man of fish]

I heard that's painful though, my way causes instant death

 

[Katty]

The bleach sounds horrifying, I think I'll go with the ice-cold water method if the little freezer box in my mini-fridge can manage (bleghh... dorm room)

 

[Ruthy]

The frozen water works well. Another brutal but quick way is the bag the fish with a little bit of water and smack it against a hard floor a couple of times

 

[Corydoralover]

well with the above method you will need very very little water other wise the water will cushion the impact causing a slower painful death

 

[Ruthy]

Very true. You can without water but I don't like the thought of it. Only time I used it was when I had no time to wait for the water to freeze and the fish wouldn't fit in the tub anyway. I know plenty who prefer to use it. Or smash its head with a hammer - I couldn't do that though.

 

[StandbySetting]

Decapitate severing the spinal chord and then pith the brain, most humane method as it's instant.

 

[PERCY]

Flush it down the bog

 

[Corydoralover]

but flushing it isnt a very good idea is it as it could introduce paracites into the local waterways

 

[fluttermoth]

Flushing is the very worst method of all.

Clove oil (30 drops per litre, shaken into an emulsion with a small amount of water, and added to the fish in a small container), 'bricking' or decapitation are the most humane ways.

 

[Corydoralover]

agreed

 

[nmonks]

Thankfully a good answer! Nice one, fluttermoth.

Flushing a sick fish not an option. It could take hours to die in a sewer. Bleaching sounds frightful and surely isn't acceptable. Freezing isn't an option either because ice crystals form inside the fish before it dies, and these are surely very stressful. Bashing with a brick might work with small fish, but is hardly easy to do with large fish, and most people wouldn't want to try this anyway! As for decapitation, it can be humane, if you ALSO pith the head afterwards, but unless you're a trained fish scientist (or perhaps an angler, though I doubt this) you aren't going to know where the spinal cord is or how to pith the fish.

There's a rich literature on fish euthanasia in the scientific press, though most recommend overdosing with sedatives or the use of CO2. The clove oil method is accepted by at least some vets as humane, and it's the one I recommend because it's cheap and works well.

Cheers, Neale

Flushing is the very worst method of all.

Clove oil (30 drops per litre, shaken into an emulsion with a small amount of water, and added to the fish in a small container), 'bricking' or decapitation are the most humane ways.

 

[FishFanatic04]

From A LOT of recent experience {unfortunatly "Fish TB}

The way I have found the best for my own sanity and for how fast it works is the frozen water method stated above by Man Of Fish. It takes only a few seconds!
And I didn't have to feel guilty of violence. They also don't go into the bin with their brains smashed in.

This does not cause ice crystals as they die quickly and are not frozen.