Whats the best way to put a fish down?

[arminkropp]

I know of 3 methods now
Alcohol...dont know much about this one?? Beer,vodka, isopropyl or rubbing??
freezing..I've read this is one of the most painful ways a fish can be put down cause the capillaries on the fish's skin burst.
and what i read in the SW aquarium book I bought at Chapters the best way is to use a knife and sever the head at the base of the skull.

what are you thoughts?

 

[Wolf]

For a quick and swift death just cut their heads off.

 

[Phyl]

Out of idle curiousity, what did this fish do to get himself in so much trouble?

 

[i have crabs]

gonna be hard the day i have to cut one of my friends head off
hard enough to feed a dead shrimp to my white spot hermit

 

[arminkropp]

I dont have a fish that needs it, and I hope the day never comes
just trying to get educated.

 

[quarryshark]

Most say freezing is the most humane.

 

[cmor1701d]

Fish can't feel pain according to the scientists.

"An academic study comparing the nervous systems and responses of fish and mammals has found that their brains are not sufficiently developed to allow them to sense pain or fear.
Here's an excerpt from an article on the subject.
"The study is the work of James D. Rose, a professor of zoology and physiology at the University of Wyoming, who has been working on questions of neurology for almost 30 years.

He has examined data concerning animals and their responses to pain and stimulus from scores of studies collected over the last 15 years. "

 

[quarryshark]

That may be true, but many people feel pain when they need to put down a pet. This is a good thread and an important one.
I can only speak for myself when I state I would like to do it in the most humane way possible. Not disputing the data (thank you for sharing it), I'm sure a lot of research went into the study, but they still are my pets.

 

[grimlock3000]

Having put down a bunch of fish last year during a massive freshwater tank problem, I can personally say there are two good ways:

1) Cut off the head. Not for the squeamish, but it is not that bad either. Sometimes fish seem to keep moving for a few seconds, kinda weird... Probably just the muscles going to a relaxed state.

2) Get a cup of freezing water, as cold as you can get it without having ice in it. Mow mix in some clove oil and stir heavily. Drop the fish in this water, it will stop moving before it hits the bottom of the cup. Adding alcohol to this helps dilute the clove oil. This is as quick and uneventful as you can get without cutting off the head. Leave the fish in the cup for a few minutes, or just freeze the cup if you want to.

Sticking a cup of tank water with the fish in the freezer is NOT a good idea. I did that once, and actually checked on this fish every couple of minutes. It took about 20 minute to die!!! I felt freaking horrible, do not do this!!!

 

[SeriousDude5]

I've been must say I use to throw my fish out my window...But maybe boiling hot water? I mean it does sound grusome but it's really quick I had to do it to a tiger barb once took about a second or two.

 

[flanque]

why dont you just throw it as hard as you can at the wall, or put it on the table and smash it with a hammer?

 

[SeriousDude5]

Flanque, The reason I don't think many of us do that is because it could get a little messy.

 

[flanque]

Yeah but it's quick and painless. My neighbour does it with his birds too that he breeds.

 

[SeriousDude5]

Well he is shooting for humaness and not cleanlyness so I suppose your right on this one.

 

[Jason]

I'm curious, why would you need to put a fish down?

 

[grimlock3000]

why dont you just throw it as hard as you can at the wall, or put it on the table and smash it with a hammer?

Beating a fish against a wall is NOT going to kill it quickly. Fish can take an amazing ammount of physical abuse and still be alive. This is a cruel way to try to kill a fish.

The hammer would work, but be way more messy than a knife.

One thing about the knife/hammer method, it is going to take you a bit of time to get the fish where you want it, line it up, and finish it off. This time spent out of water is really stressful to fish. Just drop the fish in ice cold water with clove oil, takes about 2 seconds to get the fish from the tank to the cup and its dead.

I'm curious, why would you need to put a fish down?

I came across my issue where I had a freshwater tank with a horrible bacterial and fungal infection that would not go away. I would lose a few fish here, few fish there and tried treating the whole tank to kill it for good. Eventually, the infection became resistant to pretty much everthing, I had two extra tanks going try to find something that worked but it was a waste of effort. In the end, the fish were getting infecting and dying within hours no matter what I did. I removed all the meds from the tank, and as soon as a fish showed signs, I killed it. I think 2 or 3 fish lived through all that, sad times...

 

[runway1]

guillotine.

 

[quarryshark]

OK folks, lets keep it real in here.

 

[LittlePuff]

How many believe that fish feel no pain or fear? I wonder about the fear part. I've seen many fish hide or frantically try to get away from another that is trying to get them, or a net.


Kim

 

[BillyZ]

this discussion has been had here before. You can do a search for those threads using the search utility.

These discussions can VERY easily turn south with careless comments. PLEASE keep in mind that many people here view their fish as though many view their dogs or cats, or best friends. Would you pick up your puppy and throw it against the wall if it were dying of cancer and needed to be put down to save it from suffering? I don't think so.

Please keep these things in mind when posting in this thread. If you don't have something serious to contribute please keep it to yourself.

Personally I've never needed to put a fish down. I believe if there's any chance a fish may recover from a disease or injury they deserve that chance. I likely would never put a fish down. If I absolutely had to for some reason, I would probably decapitate with a sharp knife and a quick stroke. :?