What's the best way to euthanize a fish?

[hansnfrans]

My friend has a yellow-tail damsel that has sustained a mechanical injury to its mouth. The fish is not eating and the damage to the mouth is looking worse every day (been like this for about a week now).

Any ideas on how to end its suffering painlessly?

 

[goat585]

Some guys put the fish in a cup of water and put it in the freezer.

 

[TXStateUnivReef]

well im a biological guy down here and what we do when we need to kill a bass etc is take a sharp knife and cut right in front of the doral fin cutting the spinal cord... its called pithing

 

[sugartooth]

Some people use clove oil to sedate, and OD.

 

[DougSupreme]

I've heard that the least "painful" and most humane iss to actually sever the head from the body on a cutting board with one fell swoop. once the cord is severed, supposedly the fish's suffering is over. I heard of otherssuch as putting thfish in a small container of water and adding a couple of drops of clove oil (dunno if this works), and placing the fish in a ziplock bag with water and placing it in the freezer (don't do this, imagine how it feels to freeze to death)

 

[hansnfrans]

I've heard that Orajel works well, but it looks like we have two people in favor of decapitation, maybe I should just do that

 

[squibley2]

Well it depends if the fish will naturally hibernate. If the fish is used to hibernating then the larger container of tank water in the fridge and then the freezer does work quite well. The fish goes to sleep and then after almost all body function has stopped the fish will die painlessly. If the fish does not hibernate then either shock or decapitation. I have never done the decapitation method. But if you take a cup of denatured alcohol and put that in the freezer and then after several hours take the fish from the tank and put it in the cup the shock kill is almost instantaneous. Kind of like a gun shot to the head for us. I hate doing it but when it is time it is time.

 

[Pufferpunk]

Overdose w/clove oil, then freeze.

 

[ChicagoReefMan]

fish dont feel pain except for in thier spinal cord

 

[hansnfrans]

Hmmm.......That's 2 for the clove oil and 2 for decapitation. Maybe I should start a RC Poll .

Can you just get clove oil from Jewel or Dominick's?

 

[nano7joy]

Blindfold , smoke, and a bullet....sorry shouldnt make jokes only way ive heard that i thought was relavant was freezing

 

[moon jelly]

rubber mallet between 2 sheets of paper towels

 

[Catharsis70]

bucket of ice cold water. Drop em in they go directly into shock and die in short order

 

[PSam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9076427#post9076427 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TXStateUnivReef
... to kill a bass etc is take a sharp knife and cut right in front of the dorsal fin cutting the spinal cord...

I agree this is the quickest and most humane way. Please make sure your knife is sharp and it is done in 1 swift cut. That will be easier on everyone.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I don't find getting my head chopped off very humane, no matter how quick it is. If they only feel pain in their spine, then why cut into it? The fish will remail alive quite some time if frozen to death or put in a bucket of ice water. All violent deaths, IMO.

Clove oil (purchased in the toothpaste/toothache isle at Walgreens--made by Red Cross--main ingredient Eugenol), puts the fish to sleep & then overdoses it. Then freeze to be sure. Let's be kind to our fishy friends!

 

[anjhof]

I have read that you can put a fish in a baggie and slam him into a very hard surface. Kinda like getting hit by a train. Probably painless.

 

[yankeereefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9078280#post9078280 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by moon jelly
rubber mallet between 2 sheets of paper towels

use cellophane wrap, you can't see thru paper towels!

I say freeze it -

 

[bboersma79]

put it in a tank with a larger fish/eel....let nature take its course.

 

[RandalB]

All drains lead to the ocean....

RandalB

 

[hansnfrans]

Well, I woke up this morning to a text message from my friend that read: "There is no way I'm cutting the head off of my fish....We need to find the clove oil". I guess he must've seen this thread . So clove oil it is!

moon jelly & anjhof - that's funny, evil and gross all at the same time. Don't think my friend could do that though.

bboersma79 - The only aggressive fish I have is a scorpionfish, but the scorp is too small to eat the damsel. I woulda fed the damsel to my carpet anemone, but unfortunately I sold the carpet a month ago.