Humanely killing a fish?
Discussion
What is the most humane way to put a sick fish out of its misery?
I've got a fancy goldfish which has been having buoyancy problems for a few weeks, now its at the bottom of the tank barely moving.
The other fish is swimming around quite happily, so I'm hoping I haven't buggered up the water!
I've got a fancy goldfish which has been having buoyancy problems for a few weeks, now its at the bottom of the tank barely moving.
The other fish is swimming around quite happily, so I'm hoping I haven't buggered up the water!
Try feeding them less, and not at all for a few days - it just might come back.
What's often mistaken as being one of the various swim bladder diseases / infections, can be - and frequently is - just a case that the fish has been overfed and is er... blocked up shall we say, which interferes with their swim bladder function.
Starve them for 4 days or so and see what happens, only then decide whether or not to 'off' it.
What's often mistaken as being one of the various swim bladder diseases / infections, can be - and frequently is - just a case that the fish has been overfed and is er... blocked up shall we say, which interferes with their swim bladder function.
Starve them for 4 days or so and see what happens, only then decide whether or not to 'off' it.
Edited by Stu R on Thursday 23 June 17:52
Stu R said:
Try feeding them less, and not at all for a few days - it just might come back.
What's often mistaken as being one of the various swim bladder diseases / infections, can be - and frequently is - just a case that the fish has been overfed and is er... blocked up shall we say, which interferes with their swim bladder function.
Starve them for 4 days or so and see what happens, only then decide whether or not to 'off' it.
Ok, shall try that. I think this possibly could be the issue, as the sick fish is a greedy git.What's often mistaken as being one of the various swim bladder diseases / infections, can be - and frequently is - just a case that the fish has been overfed and is er... blocked up shall we say, which interferes with their swim bladder function.
Starve them for 4 days or so and see what happens, only then decide whether or not to 'off' it.
Edited by Stu R on Thursday 23 June 17:52
Thanks.
'fancy' goldfish seem particularly prone to swim bladder problems and it could be that if it does recover after a period of no food then the problem will present itself again later.
if it doesn't recover the simplest way is to just flick it on the head. use a clear bag like the ones the fish come in or a freezer bag and get the fish so its head is wedged in the corner of the bag (no water!) flick it as hard as you can on the top of the head between the eyes. small fish can be tricky to handle and to hit accurately with a priest and it can easily get very gory! i wouldn't go down that road unless it's over 10 inches or so.
If you are at all uncomfortable doing this then get some clove oil from a pharmacist or Koi dealer. Clove oil is used to sedate fish for treatment or transport and an overdose can be used to euthanise them easily.
put the fish in a bucket or tub with enough water to cover its gills and add about 20 drops of the oil.
it will be knocked out after a few seconds and dead in minutes. much less unpleasant than having to smash in the head of one of your pets!
if it doesn't recover the simplest way is to just flick it on the head. use a clear bag like the ones the fish come in or a freezer bag and get the fish so its head is wedged in the corner of the bag (no water!) flick it as hard as you can on the top of the head between the eyes. small fish can be tricky to handle and to hit accurately with a priest and it can easily get very gory! i wouldn't go down that road unless it's over 10 inches or so.
If you are at all uncomfortable doing this then get some clove oil from a pharmacist or Koi dealer. Clove oil is used to sedate fish for treatment or transport and an overdose can be used to euthanise them easily.
put the fish in a bucket or tub with enough water to cover its gills and add about 20 drops of the oil.
it will be knocked out after a few seconds and dead in minutes. much less unpleasant than having to smash in the head of one of your pets!
Ilikebeaver said:
Have you tried treating the I'll fish with a swimbladder remedy or something natural like melafix?
We have a small fancy goldfish who has what I think are swim bladder issues caused by constipation/being a greedy devil (who knows) that results in him getting stuck upside down at the surface. A few days of no feed then a few chopped up peas (not the skins though) seems to do the trickThe most humane way to kill a fish (assuming it is in a home aquarium) is to put it in a container of the aquarium water, then place that in the freezer. It will be rendered comatose then die without suffering.
Yes, I know this sounds odd, but I have had three different fish shops give the same advice.
Yes, I know this sounds odd, but I have had three different fish shops give the same advice.
JFReturns said:
The most humane way to kill a fish (assuming it is in a home aquarium) is to put it in a container of the aquarium water, then place that in the freezer. It will be rendered comatose then die without suffering.
Yes, I know this sounds odd, but I have had three different fish shops give the same advice.
not true i'm afraid. all Goldfish varieties (fancies, comets, shubunkins etc) have 'antifreeze' in their blood and will survive very low temperatures by entering a state of torpor. i have tried freezing, caving in heads and clove oil. believe me clove oil is the only way to do it quickly and cleanly, unless you have some Benzocaine or MS-222 to hand .Yes, I know this sounds odd, but I have had three different fish shops give the same advice.
GTDNB said:
JFReturns said:
The most humane way to kill a fish (assuming it is in a home aquarium) is to put it in a container of the aquarium water, then place that in the freezer. It will be rendered comatose then die without suffering.
Yes, I know this sounds odd, but I have had three different fish shops give the same advice.
not true i'm afraid. all Goldfish varieties (fancies, comets, shubunkins etc) have 'antifreeze' in their blood and will survive very low temperatures by entering a state of torpor. i have tried freezing, caving in heads and clove oil. believe me clove oil is the only way to do it quickly and cleanly, unless you have some Benzocaine or MS-222 to hand .Yes, I know this sounds odd, but I have had three different fish shops give the same advice.
I remember it well.
A quick "chap" on the head just behind the eyes. Most people make the mistake of going too far back.
However I not qualified to speak about recovery methods. ( 1 of half a million was not significant.)
JFReturns said:
Yes, I know this sounds odd, but I have had three different fish shops give the same advice.
The fish shops are wrong. Which is common enough.AS above, it's clove oil if you can't get hold of the really, really efficient stuff (which I think is still protected and difficult to obtain).
tenex said:
Ah! Benzocaine/MS-222 dissolved in alcohol/acetone with suitable buffering agents.
I remember it well.
A quick "chap" on the head just behind the eyes. Most people make the mistake of going too far back.
However I not qualified to speak about recovery methods. ( 1 of half a million was not significant.)
salmon farmer?I remember it well.
A quick "chap" on the head just behind the eyes. Most people make the mistake of going too far back.
However I not qualified to speak about recovery methods. ( 1 of half a million was not significant.)
GTDNB said:
tenex said:
Ah! Benzocaine/MS-222 dissolved in alcohol/acetone with suitable buffering agents.
I remember it well.
A quick "chap" on the head just behind the eyes. Most people make the mistake of going too far back.
However I not qualified to speak about recovery methods. ( 1 of half a million was not significant.)
salmon farmer?I remember it well.
A quick "chap" on the head just behind the eyes. Most people make the mistake of going too far back.
However I not qualified to speak about recovery methods. ( 1 of half a million was not significant.)
Used to be. Also a keen angler.
GTDNB said:
good luck. i hope it recovers, as much as i hate the horrible little mutants!
what kind of food do you give them? if you use pellets then try soaking them for a bit first and they will be more digestible.
Mini Goldpearls, they are supposed to sink, but they don't do it fast enough and it eats them while they are still floating, so probably gulping down air aswell.what kind of food do you give them? if you use pellets then try soaking them for a bit first and they will be more digestible.
I've tried throwing them into the stream of water that comes out of the pump to try and help them sink, but one or two still float and it stills feeds from the surface!
Ricky_M said:
Mini Goldpearls, they are supposed to sink, but they don't do it fast enough and it eats them while they are still floating, so probably gulping down air aswell.
I've tried throwing them into the stream of water that comes out of the pump to try and help them sink, but one or two still float and it stills feeds from the surface!
i didn't know that fancy goldfish should be given sinking food but pre soaking should solve that problem. i doubt that swallowing air is the cause though as this escapes through the gill cover opening and surely the fish would be floating... perhaps overfeeding on a sinking food actually causes the fish to sink too! try mixing in some floating pellets until it's buoyancy is balanced!I've tried throwing them into the stream of water that comes out of the pump to try and help them sink, but one or two still float and it stills feeds from the surface!
cyprinids - carp, koi, goldfish, orfe etc don't actually have a stomach as suchh as they are 'grazers'. their digestive system is designed for continuous but small amounts of food, unlike salmonids which will gorge and then rest while digesting between feeds. you could also try feeding them smaller amounts at more frequent intervals to see if that helps. i feed my goldfish and koi five or six times a day if i am at home and in the serious koi growing game fish will be fed up to ten times a day!
Edited by GTDNB on Thursday 23 June 21:44
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