Iced My Fish :-(

[ShinySideUp]

i was reading alochol is a good way to kill fish instnality like pour a jug full of vodka or wiskey high alochol % only and drop it in it.

WASTE if liqour... I think the bag and brick is the best way to go. If you have a BIG fishy suffering just use a cinder block

I think so too. Instant obliteration is the best method. I looked in to clove oil but it seems to take such a long time. Freezing is not good, how much would a person want to go this way, same with the boiling water -- that's just barbaric. Even with lobster they tend to knife them through the back of the 'head' first these days. No, for me it's a moist bag and a large, heavy object once it's determined there is no chance of recovery.

 

[CezzaXV]

Back along one of my cories was on it's way out. I read that you can anaesthetise them with clove oil then use vodka to kill them. As it happened, the poor little guy was dead by the time I returned home with these items so I never got chance to try it.

 

[soybean]

Very old post.

 

[laura120381]

hi beth,

sorry for your loss and for the upset you had to go to to put your fish out of its misery. it is never an easy thing to do. luckily i have only had to do it twice and both times i got my dad to do it for me. he used the brick and bag method. there are many reports on what is the best/worst way to carry out this task. although i think i have read that perhaps ice water is not the quickest way to kill a fish, i think the important thing here is that you were trying to do your best for your pet and put it out of its pain and misery. you did the right thing in the long run and i think that it was humane and decent of you to put the fish's welfare before your own feelings. there is a thread on the forum describing the 'best' way to do this, but lets just hope its not something we have to do often.

sorry again for your loss and the terribly difficult action you had to take. you did the right thing.

L

 

[Seed_Lord]

Possibly better to put them in a bag in the freezer, so its gradual and slows everything down, ive done the ice thing before they where dead in a couple of seconds didnt like doing it but much rather do this than 'drop a brick' on them, sorry but short of a lethal injection you wouldnt 'drop a brick' on a suffering persons head if they wanted out. Better for a few seconds of pain than possibly a few hours/days with whatever they have. Also bricking is far more barbaric than icing, even if it is instant lol don't want to see the insides of my beloved fish tyvm.

 

[laura120381]

yeah you are probably right seed lord. however i read that freezing is a slow painful death due to the fact that ice crystals form in the blood before the fish is unconcious. don't know if this is right! just hope all mine die natural deaths when their time comes!!

 

[onidrase]

I'd never be able to do brick and bag. Besides, wouldn't there be added stress in sticking your fish in a bag in the first place? Or placing it somewhere out of the water to slice off its head? The ice method, from what I understand, kills within a minute tops, and numbs out the pain. When I use it with sickly fish, they never last more than a couple seconds.

 

[onidrase]

Very old post.

Jeez, didn't even notice that

 

[Geoff-]

yeah you are probably right seed lord. however i read that freezing is a slow painful death due to the fact that ice crystals form in the blood before the fish is unconcious. don't know if this is right! just hope all mine die natural deaths when their time comes!!

no, it's rubbish.

water has to cool down to 0C before it can freeze. a fish will freeze from the outside in, same as an ice cube (if you've ever poked an ice cube before it's fully solidified, the middle is still liquid).

If your fish can survive its outer surface being 0C then you have a #41#### strong fish. they're cold blooded so their bodies assume the same temperature as their surroundings.

I have dropped mine into slushy ice water and they do kick for a couple of seconds before passing. I've heard that more humane would be putting them in a container of water and putting that into the freezer, the gradual cooldown should make them lose consciousness with less fight however who knows how uncomfortable being cooled down slowly is for a fish?? At least dropping them in iced water you know it's only a few seconds of suffering. If you shut them into the freezer you don't know if they're distressed or not.

bag + brick method sounds quicker.. but messy.

 

[Man of fish]

Well I had a long story typed up but somehow it got erased. Long story short my parents told me to put boiling water in betta bowl after cleaning. Fish died in 10 seconds. I smashed bowl. Broke lots of stuff and made a big mess.

 

[tmh0921]

I've used the ice water method and the vodka method. Both cause a few seconds of panic in the fish before they pass, but both are over in less than 15 seconds I'd say

 

[Mcbenthy]

Back along one of my cories was on it's way out. I read that you can anaesthetise them with clove oil then use vodka to kill them. As it happened, the poor little guy was dead by the time I returned home with these items so I never got chance to try it.

This ^

I find it pretty disturbing how many fish entusiasts are suggesting neeting a fish out, laying it out of the water somewhere where they can drop a brick on it, or cut its head off. Or just shocking it into death!?!?

Seriously, anesthetise with clove oil (I use a bowl with tank water + fish, then add small amounts of a clove oil emulsion over 15/20 mins until the fish is out cold), this should be enough to kill it, but I then make certain of an O/D with a large amount of cheap vodka and leave for 45min-1hour.

Much better method IMHO, it is slow, I don't see any signs of stress, they just slow down and seem to sleep, until more is added and then the gills stop working. Add the rest in and job's a good'un.

 

[Tizer]

nobody knows if that method is humane though do they. Me, i lop their heads off on a chopping board and cook em up for lunch. nom nom. Jobs instant and permanent.

 

[Louiseness]

I find it pretty disturbing how many fish entusiasts are suggesting neeting a fish out, laying it out of the water somewhere where they can drop a brick on it, or cut its head off. Or just shocking it into death!?!?

People who hunt or kill their own livestock to eat mostly all use the same method - sever the spinal cord and/or destroy the brain. Whether it's whacking a fish you just caught on a rock to take it out, necking a chicken or shooting a deer in the head, it's the quickest way. Once an animal's brain is dead or spinal cord destroyed it is gone straight away ( works for zombies too ). Sorry to sound gory but IMO it's the truth. However, you can't really grab a tetra by it's tail and start smacking it on something so the 'bag and brick' is seen (by some) as the best way to quickly take out the brain.

As some have said, clove oil can just anaesthetise a fish rather than actually killing it, and surely breathing in poison for a minute or so (never mind '45 mins to an hour'!) drags the death out, whether it 'slowly goes to sleep' or not?

I've tried the vodka method myself once and that fish was kicking for a loooong time. I felt awful. However, I've seen my boyfriend neck a pigeon we found half dead and injured in the street and that was instantaneous. Each to their own, though!

 

[Mcbenthy]

I find it pretty disturbing how many fish entusiasts are suggesting neeting a fish out, laying it out of the water somewhere where they can drop a brick on it, or cut its head off. Or just shocking it into death!?!?

People who hunt or kill their own livestock to eat mostly all use the same method - sever the spinal cord and/or destroy the brain. Whether it's whacking a fish you just caught on a rock to take it out, necking a chicken or shooting a deer in the head, it's the quickest way. Once an animal's brain is dead or spinal cord destroyed it is gone straight away ( works for zombies too ). Sorry to sound gory but IMO it's the truth. However, you can't really grab a tetra by it's tail and start smacking it on something so the 'bag and brick' is seen (by some) as the best way to quickly take out the brain.

As some have said, clove oil can just anaesthetise a fish rather than actually killing it, and surely breathing in poison for a minute or so (never mind '45 mins to an hour'!) drags the death out, whether it 'slowly goes to sleep' or not?

I've tried the vodka method myself once and that fish was kicking for a loooong time. I felt awful. However, I've seen my boyfriend neck a pigeon we found half dead and injured in the street and that was instantaneous. Each to their own, though!

This is partly the issue, with a larger animal, it is much easier to 'grab and whack'. As you said, it is fairly easy to ring a pigeon's neck or cracking a trout on the head/decapitation. The problem with small aquarrium fish is that it isn't nearly so easy. It is actually quite hard to ensure that it is a quick, stress free death.

Taking the fish out of the tank (stressful in itself), then prepping it and leaving it in air whilst you ready up fo rit is not great. by all means if you could net it out and shoot it etc, then that would be best, but these animals arent big enough.

Clove oil is a known anesthetic, it will be the same as being put under by a general anesthetic. The vodka is added afterwards so that the 15 secs of thrashing etc isnt felt by the fish, because it is out for the count. You are mistaking the clove oil to be a painful poison, rather than just an effective one

Obviously, i don't suggest using clove oil for larger fish (goldfish upwards really), but for your tetras, corys, betta, gourami etc, it is a much more suitable method.