Help me kill my fish!
- Thread starter mie
- Start date
luvmyreef
Active Member
No. I would make the conditions in his current home as good as you can, and just let him go. I never followed your other thread, but I wanted to ask if you treated him for a parasite? My firefish had the same symptoms minus the huge lips, and it was a parasite infestation. I hate to think of all the ways people are going to respond to tell you how to kill him. Just let him die where he is.
C
crazydave
Guest
A couple of my books suggest a knife pushed through the spinal cord directly behind the head is the quickest and most humane method. Not the way I would want to be put out of my misery but I guess it's effective.
fretfreak13
Active Member
Aw...poor thing. Yeah, I'd freeze it too.
flower
Well-Known Member
Is it in the DT or a QT. I wouldn't let it die on its own in the DT...if it is in QT...I would leave it alone. Fish are not that smart and I doubt it has any idea he is "suffering" he thinks he is surviving...you know...just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
To catch him...put him in a baggie and place him is a cold dark place with a frozen turkey doesn't sound humane...nor does taking him out of water and finding that sweet spot to jab with a sharp knife as he gasps for breath either...All your efforts will do is make his last moments terrifying.
So just put him off to himself and let him swim till he goes...just don't look if it upsets you.
mie
Active Member
I did some checking and it seems that clove oil will put him to sleep then you add some vodka to the water after it is asleep and it ensures it is death. Clove oil is the equivilent of anestisia to people. It is painlesss. My wife freaked when she found out all this was going on, she stared crying and felt so bad, so it looks like it is staying in the qt till its done.%%
9supratt4
Active Member
Idyllopus asks a good question: how do you humanely euthanize a fish? As a fish biologist, I get this question fairly often.
Another question I get is, "Fish can't feel pain, right?" It's usually phrased exactly that way, too—they aren't looking for an accurate answer, they're looking for a reassurance that casual brutality towards cold and slimy creatures is acceptable. The actual answer, though, is "Of course they can feel pain, you clueless boob! Mind if I put this barbed hook through your lip?"* The fish cutaneous sensory network is intricate and exquisite, and they react vigorously to noxious stimuli. We often don't recognize their responses because fish faces are rather expressionless, but if you're in the know you learn to notice the signs. Zebrafish, for instance, blanch noticeably when they're stressed or fearful or in pain.
So how should one kill a fish? People recommend some incredibly brutal methods. Throw them in a blender, they say, it's quick—yeah, and I imagine that throwing cats in a woodchipper would be quick, too, but no one suggests that humane societies should adopt it. There's also the 'club them over the head' method, or 'pick them up by the tail and whack them hard against a table edge'. Those work, if the executioner is swift and sure, which most people aren't. In most cases you end up with a fish frantically flopping on the table, or a bleeding mess of an animal that's feebly twitching, so you have to whack it a few times. (This is how my father and I used to kill salmon, though: we had a heavily weighted club, and we were also very quick and confident.) I think plucking an aquatic animal out of its environment and swinging it through a hostile atmosphere also counts as inhumane.
Less nasty techniques are the freezer and alcohol strategies. I don't think putting a fish in a freezer is humane: they don't seem to react strongly to slowly freezing to death, but then they can't—their metabolism is shutting down. Fish tend to be very sensitive to cold, though, and seek out optimal temperatures and avoid the cold, and can respond to changes of a few degrees with shock, so I have my doubts that this is a good way for them to go. Putting them in water with a few percent alcohol might be OK; they do get drunk, pass out, and die, just like people can.
Here's the way I euthanize fish, though, and since I've killed many thousands, I can say it's the cleanest, least painful way to do it, for both me and the fish. It's an anesthetic used for frogs and fish that goes by various names: ms222, MESAB, 3-aminobenzoic acid ethyl ester, tricaine methanesulfonate, or, as most of the pet and aquaculture supply houses call it, Finquel. For routine anesthesia, I use a 0.2% solution of the stuff—let a fish swim in it for a few minutes, they lose consciousness, you can do various surgeries on them, and then put them in clean fresh water, and a few minutes later, they're awake and swimming around again. If I need to euthanize them, I use a 0.4% solution (or more crudely, I use my 0.2% stock and sprinkle a few extra crystals of the ms222 powder in the beaker), put the fish in it, they fall asleep…and after 3-5 minutes, their heart stops. It will kill them at lower doses, but simply takes longer.
Another question I get is, "Fish can't feel pain, right?" It's usually phrased exactly that way, too—they aren't looking for an accurate answer, they're looking for a reassurance that casual brutality towards cold and slimy creatures is acceptable. The actual answer, though, is "Of course they can feel pain, you clueless boob! Mind if I put this barbed hook through your lip?"* The fish cutaneous sensory network is intricate and exquisite, and they react vigorously to noxious stimuli. We often don't recognize their responses because fish faces are rather expressionless, but if you're in the know you learn to notice the signs. Zebrafish, for instance, blanch noticeably when they're stressed or fearful or in pain.
So how should one kill a fish? People recommend some incredibly brutal methods. Throw them in a blender, they say, it's quick—yeah, and I imagine that throwing cats in a woodchipper would be quick, too, but no one suggests that humane societies should adopt it. There's also the 'club them over the head' method, or 'pick them up by the tail and whack them hard against a table edge'. Those work, if the executioner is swift and sure, which most people aren't. In most cases you end up with a fish frantically flopping on the table, or a bleeding mess of an animal that's feebly twitching, so you have to whack it a few times. (This is how my father and I used to kill salmon, though: we had a heavily weighted club, and we were also very quick and confident.) I think plucking an aquatic animal out of its environment and swinging it through a hostile atmosphere also counts as inhumane.
Less nasty techniques are the freezer and alcohol strategies. I don't think putting a fish in a freezer is humane: they don't seem to react strongly to slowly freezing to death, but then they can't—their metabolism is shutting down. Fish tend to be very sensitive to cold, though, and seek out optimal temperatures and avoid the cold, and can respond to changes of a few degrees with shock, so I have my doubts that this is a good way for them to go. Putting them in water with a few percent alcohol might be OK; they do get drunk, pass out, and die, just like people can.
Here's the way I euthanize fish, though, and since I've killed many thousands, I can say it's the cleanest, least painful way to do it, for both me and the fish. It's an anesthetic used for frogs and fish that goes by various names: ms222, MESAB, 3-aminobenzoic acid ethyl ester, tricaine methanesulfonate, or, as most of the pet and aquaculture supply houses call it, Finquel. For routine anesthesia, I use a 0.2% solution of the stuff—let a fish swim in it for a few minutes, they lose consciousness, you can do various surgeries on them, and then put them in clean fresh water, and a few minutes later, they're awake and swimming around again. If I need to euthanize them, I use a 0.4% solution (or more crudely, I use my 0.2% stock and sprinkle a few extra crystals of the ms222 powder in the beaker), put the fish in it, they fall asleep…and after 3-5 minutes, their heart stops. It will kill them at lower doses, but simply takes longer.
fretfreak13
Active Member
Just wondering, it's kind of off topic, but is that how they tattoo Mollies? I see them at the store all the time and I'm like OMFG HOOOWWW? =O
meowzer
Moderator
Hey MIE......I have been reading this, and I feel for you.....I would have a hard time doing this...when my seahorse was sick...I contemplated it many times....but could not...as long as it was drawing a breath(LOL) I had to keep trying to save it
Good luck with whatever you choose to do
Good luck with whatever you choose to do
meowzer
Moderator
Originally Posted by mie
http:///forum/post/3173328
Thanks. As mean as he is and problably the least desirable of my fish it still sucks.
LOL...I know what you mean...I have 2 KILLER DAMSELS....I freakin hate them....I thought about spearing them....but couldn;t do it....maybe if they bit me again I will
http:///forum/post/3173328
Thanks. As mean as he is and problably the least desirable of my fish it still sucks.
LOL...I know what you mean...I have 2 KILLER DAMSELS....I freakin hate them....I thought about spearing them....but couldn;t do it....maybe if they bit me again I will
cranberry
Active Member
In your shoes I would go with clove oil. I've used it before on a number of occassions, unfortunately. I stock Ms-222 but if you don't have it on hand, it may take awhile to get.
With clove oil, the instructions for the human grade stuff would be:
• Put 3 drops with a half pint of water and shake very well, so the oil and water make a fusion - otherwise the oil will just float on top of the water and for the euthanasia to work the fish has to get the oil into its system.
• Add the mixture to the water that the fish is in (1 gallon of water should be more than enough) and stir it around slowly with your hand. The fish should become lethargic and sleepy. When the fish goes "belly up" it is asleep - not dead.
• Then add 3 more drops of clove oil. Add another mixture of 2 to 3 drops of oil in water.
• The fish feels nothing, it is very peaceful and humane.
• Don't make the mistake of thinking that if you initially put more in it will act quicker - it will only freak the fish out - it has to be done gradually so the fish doesn't notice the change in the water.
• The whole proceedure should take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. You will know when the fish is completely dead because there will be absolutely no movement of the gills. If after an hour the fishes gills are still moving you could add a couple more drops of clove oil. Sometimes it does depend on the size of the fish to how many drops of clove oil are needed.
• Properly dispose of the deceased fish and wash treatment container thoroughly with soap and water.
With clove oil, the instructions for the human grade stuff would be:
• Put 3 drops with a half pint of water and shake very well, so the oil and water make a fusion - otherwise the oil will just float on top of the water and for the euthanasia to work the fish has to get the oil into its system.
• Add the mixture to the water that the fish is in (1 gallon of water should be more than enough) and stir it around slowly with your hand. The fish should become lethargic and sleepy. When the fish goes "belly up" it is asleep - not dead.
• Then add 3 more drops of clove oil. Add another mixture of 2 to 3 drops of oil in water.
• The fish feels nothing, it is very peaceful and humane.
• Don't make the mistake of thinking that if you initially put more in it will act quicker - it will only freak the fish out - it has to be done gradually so the fish doesn't notice the change in the water.
• The whole proceedure should take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. You will know when the fish is completely dead because there will be absolutely no movement of the gills. If after an hour the fishes gills are still moving you could add a couple more drops of clove oil. Sometimes it does depend on the size of the fish to how many drops of clove oil are needed.
• Properly dispose of the deceased fish and wash treatment container thoroughly with soap and water.
