Humane Killing

[rdd1952]

not sure if killing any fish on purpose is humane i think there must be tons of people wanting fish for free you should check the wanted pages or put a post up for free fry but killing no matter how small is a little barbaric

Killing a healthy fish definitely isn't but sometimes you have to put down a fish that is sick/diseased and can't be treated. The best way I have found for small fish like tetras is to put them in a zip-loc bag and simply mash them with a brick. As someone already mentioned, it sounds gross but it is quick and I assume painless. Even cutting the head off has to cause pain as the knife goes through.

 

[Rhiannon]

omg smashing their heads with bricks, rocks, kitchen bench tops makes me feel sick.

 

[scorphonic]

And here I was thinking ya could just drown them!!

Just kidding, I guess people dont generally kill healthy fish anyway...even sick fish can get better!!

A good fish shop I'm sure would only be too happy to get the fish off anyone who doesn't want them any longer!

 

[WILDER]

To be honest don't agree with putting healthy fish down as there no longer wanted.
You can always try and find homes for them.

 

[Tomasz]

Ethenol from a farm supplies shop is the best bet imo, other wise clove oil and with vodka to help the clove oil mix with the water better

why would you want to kill them though?

 

[loginnow]

there's no reason to kill the fish. just bring them to your local pet store. they will take them gladly.

 

[rdd1952]

there's no reason to kill the fish. just bring them to your local pet store. they will take them gladly.

If it's a pet store (Petsmart, Petco, etc) they most likely won't take them as they wouldn't want to risk putting a fish that could be carrying a disease into their system. A true fish store most likely would take them though as they would have the facilities to quarantine them until they were sure they were healthy.

 

[scorphonic]

I work with chemicals on a regular basis, I use ethanol daily. The stuff couldn't possibly cause immediate death of the fish, immediate death being instant, I dont consider 5 seconds of pain to be humane!...if it worked that well sure we would be using it to humanly put down the mice we use in the lab!!

 

[Tessla]

For culling fry, the most common method I've heard of is putting them in a tank with a large fry munching fish as mentioned.

All other methods are more commonly used to euthanize sick fish, freezing and flushing being the most questionable methods.

Clove oil should be used with caution as it generally only knocks fish out, it's very difficult to overdose on clove oil enough to kill the fish. I use it for puffer beak trimming and the fish recover quite quickly when put into a bowl of clean tank water. It's also not a good idea to use on anabantoids (bettas, gouramis, etc.) as it will only cause them to struggle. If you do use clove oil, use it to knock the fish out, then finish the job by adding vodka or some other grain alcohol.

 

[Jazajar]

I was wondering what are some humane methods for killing unwanted fish, including grown fish as well as fry

thanks

The most humane way (only to be used as last resort if LFS or friend can't take them) is to put a few drops of clove oil in a bowl of water then put the unfortunate fish in the bowl.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ethics of killing unwanted fish aside, i think the most humane way to kill anything is always going to be the quickest. I think were deluding ourselves if we think there can ever be a completely painless way of putting the fish down. If I had to do it I'd go for smashing them with a brick or soemthing like that. I think if done hard and descisivley would be pretty damn quick. Obviously for bigger fish that's not gonna work but small tropicals it should be relativley quick.

 

[Heather.]

 

[DevUK]

Personally I think if you take on the responsiblity of caring for fish, or any other animal, its your obligation to re-home it if you don't want it anymore. If you can't take on the responsibility of another life then you shouldn't have them in the first place.

On the flip side, if dissease/illness is involved and euthenasia is the kindest thing, I believe clove oil is a good way. From what I have read it is like anesthetic and sends the fish off to a deep sleep which they don't come out of. I may be wrong, and I've never had to do this but smashing them over the head with a brick just seems wrong. You've got the stress of them falpping about out of water while you prepare to whack them.

 

[jimw13uk]

Healthy Fish - No way to kill them cos you shouldnt - advertise them on here or other forums as "Free to Good Home" - someone will take them i'm sure - or an LFS or ask around friends etc..

Dying fish - if they are dying through illness or injury then how about putting them in their own tank/bowl and let them die naturally.

I personally couldnt kill them. I would rather let nature take its course which I know some will say is cruel but I dont like killing things cos I always have that thing in the back of my mind "what about if i'm wrong and he/she gets better"

 

[fishboy619]

i agree, while i can advise people on how to kill their fish, doesnt mean i aprove of it.
the least you can do to a sick fish is give it a chance, and a healthy fish should NO WAY be killed, very least give it away for free.
either way, people have there own opinions and will do what they think is best.