putting a fish down - whats the most humane way

[cichlidwoman]

as it says i'd like to know what people have found to be the most humane & painless way of putting a fish down...

An old fishy friend of mine is now nearly completely blind and can't even see the flake to eat it. Its the "cruel to be kind" sort of moral dilemma of keeping him alive in a dark world with no other fish to interact with or putting him out of his misery...

Thanks

Alana

[Aquariums Alive]

Hi Alana

According to an aquarium Vet that i had a meeting with last week advised me the most humane way was a brain spike or cut with scissors depending on the size of the fish.
He also told me not to freeze a fish as the tissue starts to die before the brain dies as then he considered in not a humane way to die.

Brad

[johnwilly1000]

squash it

[cichlidwoman]

nice choice of words johnwilly! your real sensitive

[cichlidwoman]

thanks for your advice Brad.

[RobW]

Terrible thing to have to do. I have just had to do some old breeders who have been very good to me. I suggest you go to your local health food shop and buy some "clove oil". Put your mate in a bucket with enough of his tank water so that he can just swim upright. Say your farewell, and then put in a few drops of clove oil. He will go to sleep (you have just anaesthatised him). Put in a few more drops and he is on his way. Leave him for a while to make sure. Then do what you have to do. :cry:

Rob

[Ash]

I've heard rather than freezing (slow death as mentioned) you can dunk them in an ice slurry to quickly knock them out.  Might be an alternative if you can't find the clove oil RobW mentioned.

With smaller fish (sub 15cm) I throw them really hard at the concrete floor, quick but brutal end (not suitable for a beloved pet), I can't bring myself to squash or behead them though!  :oops:

[Paul]

surely THE most humane way is to put them in a plastic bag, put on concrete quickly impact upon the plastic a heavy blow from a rock or similar hard, heavy substance. Instant death. Brain dead, heart dead, nerve dead, anyway you look at it, that fish is dead.

[trofius]

have to agrre that for smaller fish i just thow them at a brick wall, very quick and instant, place in freezer afterwards till bin day.

for bigger, "pet" fish you could try the needle into the back of the head /brain and much it around, but best left to those that are experienced at occipital pithing, and wriggleing big fish anda needle dont go well together for your sake

the clove oil would work, or take him to a vet and they can add some barbituates to the water that will end him painlessly, and correctly..

its sad but it sounds like you have his best interests at heart

[mjscookie]

You mean I'm doing it all wrong !!!

I just copy what most LFS do. I IGNORE IT. Hopefully it will drop off without any intevention. If i'm lucky the "others" in the tank might recognise the weakling and hasten the process. Once gone (gooooooooneeeee) I hope that the "others" eat the carcass as quickly as possible so I don't have to remove it. It's just more important to form a huddle around the dry goods/cash register. I then continue to sell out of that tank.

Mitch

[gc]

The most instant way is iki jimi (brain spike).
To perform this procedure you must first know the anatomy of the species so you can accuratly locate the brain.
You may require an assistant to help hold the patient still, if its a large or powerfull fish it may require an anaesthetic.

[GTR73]

I was told an ice slush was the way to do it, as they go into eclectic shock then die soon after. However, I recently had to euthanise a large Venustus that had sustained a fatal injury and all I saw was a very slow and painful death - the ice didn't send it into instantaneous shock at all, and it kicked around in apparent agony for about 20 minutes.
Maybe I didn't use enough ice or something, but I won't be using that method again!  :?

[Savage_roo]

By the looks of things the best way is to take ya fish to the Vet so he can take it out the back and when you gone he will hit it with a brick lol
 My fish r good thay just die over night so its strait in to the bin
So do what ya have to do and if its only a smallish fish the loo makes for a good last resort

[mjscookie]

[quote:1e4a078ce6="Savage_roo"]
So do what ya have to do and if its only a smallish fish the loo makes for a good last resort[/quote:1e4a078ce6]

Yeah. Smart one.

[trofius]

have to agree the loo sounds super responsible.... :roll: