Can somebody tell me how to euthanize a fish? My dad has a large goldfish in his tank (not sure which kind, maybe a ryukin) that has a swim bladder problem. I've been trying to treat him for 3 weeks and feeding him peas, but he just keeps getting worse and worse. Now, he is completely upside down on the surface of the water and cannot get out of that position. He just looks miserable because every few hours he will struggle to swim and just end up flailing around. Poor guy. Also, I've noticed a little bit of bleeding in his belly area. He cannot get in the right position to eat and won't let me feed him either. At this point, I know he will die soon, but I don't want him to suffer any longer. I've heard some people putting fish in a cup in the fridge, but wouldn't the coldness be uncomfortable for them? Thanks for your help on this issue. :sad:
How to euthanize a fish
- Thread starter Crystal78
- Start date
sorry.
I've seen this in various places (goldfish are coldwater) ...
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Haupenthal_Euthanize.html
I've seen this in various places (goldfish are coldwater) ...
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Haupenthal_Euthanize.html
Sudden temperature change - hotter
Use this method for coldwater fish instead. For this method we need to get some very hot (not necessarily boiling but over 120 °F) water into a container and then drop the fish head first into the container. Again the sudden change in temperature should kill the fish almost instantly. One side effect of this method is the fish keeper may feel like he/she is cooking a beloved pet. Use this method with caution as it can also cause injury to the fish keeper.
Use this method for coldwater fish instead. For this method we need to get some very hot (not necessarily boiling but over 120 °F) water into a container and then drop the fish head first into the container. Again the sudden change in temperature should kill the fish almost instantly. One side effect of this method is the fish keeper may feel like he/she is cooking a beloved pet. Use this method with caution as it can also cause injury to the fish keeper.
I agree with the clove oil (sold in the dental care section of your local pharmacy). Put some drops into a glass with the fish and they will effectively "go to sleep". Freezer, boiling, or beheading methods are either inhumane or distasteful to me. Just MO.
NO WAY! That is truly horrible. By the time the fish asphyxiates from the lack of oxygen in the hot water, they have already suffered tremendous pain from the water burning them. That is possibly the worst advice i have ever read.
Larger, thick-bodied fish shouldn't be euthanized by any kind of temperature-change method anyway. It takes too long for the temperature to change within their bodies, and causes pain to them. Only small, thinner-bodied fish should be subjected to a freezing-water euthanization (freeze a container of water until a thin crust of ice forms on top, break the ice, and drop the fish in. much faster than trying to start with warm water, as the fish immediately will lose consciousness and then freeze to death.)
larger fish should be put down either with the clove oil and alcohol method or by using alka-seltzer tablets in a small container of water (fills the water with CO2 and knocks the fish out).
Larger, thick-bodied fish shouldn't be euthanized by any kind of temperature-change method anyway. It takes too long for the temperature to change within their bodies, and causes pain to them. Only small, thinner-bodied fish should be subjected to a freezing-water euthanization (freeze a container of water until a thin crust of ice forms on top, break the ice, and drop the fish in. much faster than trying to start with warm water, as the fish immediately will lose consciousness and then freeze to death.)
larger fish should be put down either with the clove oil and alcohol method or by using alka-seltzer tablets in a small container of water (fills the water with CO2 and knocks the fish out).
I think knives_out assumed the temperature change method causes instant death, therefore no pain. Well, that's what it says in that linked article.
I will probably go with the clove oil & alcohol method, as it seems to be the most painless. Thanks everybody.
I will probably go with the clove oil & alcohol method, as it seems to be the most painless. Thanks everybody.
The fish dies from the shock of the temperature change. Its instant. The fish is never given the time to lose consciousness & die afterwards. Its also not talking about a slow roast.
