Humane Fishie Euthanasia?

[egg]

It's happened to me a few times; fish so ill you know they wont last through the next day. In my tank, the process usually ends by the dying member being picked apart over the course of several hours by the other inhabitants. Is there a humane way to speed natures course, perhpas save them the agony of a slow death?

 

[jimi]

You could pull them from the tank put them in a container of water and freeze them.

 

[egg]

hmm, not bad

 

[pufferlover]

Yes I prefer the freezing method myself but a couple of others I have read about are (warning this may be too intense for those faint of heart)Slam the fish against a hard object (they suggested bathtub). Cut off head just behing gills (or I suppose you could buy one of those little gullitine models). And of course the ever popular whoosh (white throne) your gone method.
Saying all that freezing to me seems the best also, another one was to put the fish in seltzer water (not sure how that works).

 

[seaweed]

I had a green chromis that was on the verge of death. I just flished him down the toilet. These creatures don't have memories more than a few seconds long, so what they suffered yesterday, they won't remember today. Most of their behavior is instinct.

 

[pufferlover]

Well that is a great way to justify that method. How come my Puffers see the blue bowl I feed them with come out from under their stand and they go nuts (seems they must remember something).

 

[grouperhead]

another way i have heard is get the hottest water possible. then drop the fish in and it will die in an instant. never tried it, but have read it. another way is to put the fish in a bag and hit it really hard once with either an object or hit it on an object. bo

 

[misty]

The freezing method is supposed to work well...but from what I've read, you put the fish into already really cold water with ice cubes and then freeze.
Another method involves an anesthetic overdose. One formula that is very well known is Clove Oil & Vodka. The only reason for the vodka is to help the clove Oil dissolve into the water. Do NOT use more Vodka in hope it will help your fish die faster, it will cause more discomfort. Use more Clove Oil, if anything. Clove Oil is used by veterinarians as an anesthetic to put fish to sleep. Use this and you fish will do just that, fall asleep. Here is the recipe:
First, mix 2 ml clove oil (can be obtained from a

[hr]
or health food store) with 8 mls vodka to make a 10 ml stock solution. Place the fish in a container with one gallon of water and add the 10 mls of clove oil and vodka to the one gallon of water, and the fish will just go to sleep quietly with no struggle. Clove oil (eugenol) is used as an anesthetic in fish for surgery, and the vodka is necessary so that the clove oil will dissolve in the water. If your fish struggles, it is most likely because the vodka level was too high. Never raise the vodka level, please. The vodka may come in handy afterwards to wash down the guilt.
You could also use a fish anesthetic called Finquel MS-222. An overdose will peacefully euthanize a fish. You can purchase a small bottle of the stuff for under $10 from Argent Chemicals.

 

[jacrmill]

your fish goes crazy when he sees that blue bowl the same reason mine goes crazy anytime they hear the top lift. have you ever seen that budweiser commercial where the guy uses a can opener and the dog comes running, then shakes the milk carton and the cat comes running? same thing. to me animals are much smarter than when we give them credit for. believe me fish sure know exactly how to run from a net. anyways if i have to kill a fish i use the freezer method. i dont think id have the heart to slam them against the tub or flush them while they were still swimming.

 

[goldfish]

That's all I have to say.

 

[seaweed]

These postings sound like the "house of fish torture." Slamming them against a hard object, freezing them to death, boiling them to death, chopping their heads off. Heh...heh..... Flushing them down the toilet seems pretty benign by comparison and doesn't require anything special. Regardless, these animals have very little thought involved. Pure instinct and emotion driven, with genetic memories gained over centuries of lifecycles.

 

[misty]

I think I'm just happy that I've never had to put one to sleep. Not very good at that. It's upsetting enough when you find one already dead...not to mention having to end suffering...
If I had to do it though, I think I'd try the anesthetic or clove oil route. There's gotta be a point with the freezer method where it's very uncomfortable for them.

 

[egg]

I agree... unfortunately, my lionfish expired a few hours ago before I had the balls to take action. Poor guy.

 

[playtime]

I have used the freezer method myself. Now, if the fish or other is being euthanized because of their actions, I flush!!
As to fish memory, when the lid to the aquarium is lifter, he swims right to the top every time. I know he remembers that a lifted lid means dinner.
playtime

 

[hawkeye]

I personally flush for the selfish reason - out of site, out of mind
This has to be the worse thing about the hobby

 

[egg]

When I need to eliminate some livestock because of incompatability or misbehavior, I ALWAYS opt to donate them to my LFS for resale rather than give them the flush.

 

[chopper320]

I really wonder where people come up with this information that makes fish seem like a no brained nerve cell that only reacts to its surroundings I've heard it all from fish don't have any memory what so ever and that they have no feeling and pain is not an issue with them!?!?! Just watching these amazing specimens(Especially saltwater species), it is very apparent that they are much higher on the scale in terms of intelligence and overall existence than most people give them credit for. And it seems like most of these unfounded explanations are only used to justify inhumane treatment of these beautiful creatures.
How can you explain how my pork puff never gets excited when anyone else goes by the tank but instantly swims to the top when I come near it b/c he knows I feed him??? That is not a genetic memory bred into the species as they have not evolved in fish tanks with human feedings. I have read articles to where people have taught certain triggerfish to ring a bell for food(Don't know where I read it but I'm sure the info can be found) How could they know to ring the bell if they have no memory as to what the reward is for doing the action?
These are very simple examples that we can determine in our own tanks let alone what science could discover if they ever attempted to develop these obscure theories with no evidence whatsoever.

 

[paulytee]

I just let my 'sick, no-hope' fish expire in my tank. Sure it may seem cruel but my clean-up crew sure loves to find a recently dead fish... Besides, in the wild, do green-peace type conservationists go around freezing/boiling/crushing near dead fish?
Just a thought....

 

[kappadoku]

Misty-
I love you!
I have never heard of that before, and God forbid I ever have to put down a fish, thats the way its gonna go.
I never even considered it.

 

[playtime]

Just my opinion but I am sure that no one here was trying to say that we get enjoyment from killing fish. there are occasions when it is necessary to put them out of their missery. When I had to freeze my starfish, it was because he was dying and there was not hope for survival and I didn't want to wake up to levels that were out of control because I didn't have the heart to put him to sleeep. I have flushed only when I couldn't find anyone to take the little bugger and that has only happened 1 time. On the other hand, I have to think that if I had a fish or other that was a bad seed ie killing other fish or inverts and was very agressive, would I want someone else to have as hard a time as I am having or how do I know that this isn't the case with the fish or invert in question. Just a thought.....
Playtime
p.s. I can tell you have a good heart and I can appreciate that.