Culling the Herd

[jjmg]

While removing fish from water to table a sharp knife behind the head is quick, much like the lion fish. I really do feel remorse, but the meal is good.

I've always gone with very, very cold water to shock the fish when I've had one ill. I could never bring the knife into a friend.

 

[jwreffner]

My veteranarian friend replied to my question about what his opinion would be on fish euthanasia. Here is his response...

I think that freezing them in saltwater is a very humane way of destruction and causes very little pain. They don't feel pain like we do anyway and also don't process information (reason). What I use to inject the swim bladder is a controlled drug and very dangerous to handle.

Looks like freezing is the way to go IMO.

Jay

 

[LisaD]

some people use clove oil, either as an anesthetic (I know of it being used when tube feeding seahorses) or for euthanasia. if you do a search on seahorse.org, there are several threads, most not especially recent.

 

[ezhoops]

My choice is Angler food (they've got the fastest attack in the animal kingdom) Swallowed hole and not bitten and chewed into pieces.

 

[jwreffner]

Sorry, not going to buy an angler just to kill my fish.

 

[ezhoops]

I don't blame you, I have a species only tank for mine. Had them before I had clowns that bred.

 

[Kathy55g]

What defects are we talking about? I just sold a bunch of round shaped clowns and one with a notched gill cover. I fully informed the customers of the "defects", and offered a really low price, and they practically beat a path to my door.

This makes me really happy, as the prospect of doing away with a fish I have raised is pretty awful. In addition, it is heartwarming that there are so many willing to go with less than standard (for a reduced price).

In their defense, the fish are beautiful, with great color and vitality. They will be great pets!

Kathy

 

[jwreffner]

One can only guess as to what types of defects will come up througout the breeding process. Like a fish with a defective swim bladder who sinks to the bottom all the time and can't say afloat. I was being general for those types of situations where a fish can't/shouldn't be sold due to any type of defect.

Jay

 

[rsman]

in my case fish that looked battered were isolated, if they were able to heal in a fairly quick amount of time they were saved, if not they were trigger food, misbars went into another tank to see what was going to go on with time, some were sold as misbars (cheap) others were trigger food, very few made it back to a normal sale. however some made it into the trigger food pile much much easier messed up jaws, messed up fiins, funky white spots .... whatever they became triggerfood.

 

[arctic]

I've always bagged them and hit the bag against the wall.

Quick but not nice.

Kev

I think freezing is too slow.

 

[jwreffner]

According to a vet friend and the University of Washington, http://depts.washington.edu/iacuc/policies/fish_euthanasia.html , Freezing is a humane way of euthanasia. Check the earlier posts.

Jay