Is there a humane way to put a fish down?

[Meaile]

I feel awful for my sick little blue Platy.... She has been sick since I brought her home from the pet store 3 months ago. It started with Ich and then internal parasites.
About a month ago I moved her from the main tank to a quarantine tank when all the other fish had improved. Meanwhile the main tank is healthy as can be but the little blue Platy is sucked up in the belly, completely translucent and still has the internal parasites. Her fins are clamped and she hides all the time.
I fear this is close to the end as she is now laying on the bottom twisting to the side but still swims away when I get close to the tank.

Is there a way I can let this fish go without a slow death? It has suffered enough....

 

[DeFeKt]

if you don't want it to suffer, put it in a bag with a bit of water to float, spin it above your head 10 or 20 times in circles and slam it on the bench as hard as you possibly can.
this is the quickest way.
if you chose to aneathesize the fish in any other way it prolongs the stress the fish suffers, while also i'm sure you don't want to watch it suffer.
sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
don't feel bad. on occasions you have to be cruel to be kind.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

The DeFeKt method doesn't sound too bad, but the spinning part seems un-necessary. Your best options (in my opinion) are either a blunt trauma (as above or even something like a rock) or a quick decapitation. It might seem a bit gross, but it gets the job done humanely.

 

[Meaile]

I hadn't thought of decapitation but yeah, its probably the best method.

I have tried to make her better but its gotten so bad....Off i go to do the deed.

Thanks for your help.

 

[DeFeKt]

It's only really if you wanted to make the fish dizzy before you thump it on the head.. Oh and make sure there is no air in the bag. else you'll have a mess if it pops.

and LOL @ "The defekt Method"
doesn't sound to convincing

on another note, I can't understand why people think it's better to put the fish into cold water, or alcohol or clove oil etc. to aneathesize it
do they realise, as much as they want to help, that ultimatly they are making the suffering longer and probably more painful until the final end?

 

[Puriti]

I did the alcohol way without realizing the whole "gill burning" thing but I think using other methods like those makes the human feel better about the fact you're not physically killing the fish. I couldn't decapitate my fish or crush it when I had to kill mine :?

 

[shawmutt]

It's not that I wouldn't be able to decapitate a fish for moral reasons, I just can't imagine how I would hold a struggling 2" long fish in order to do the deed. Smashing just seems messy. I'd like to bury my fish in once piece instead of looking like puree. Plus there's a lot of room for error with either method if you're half as clumsy as I am.

I have not had to use it yet, the first and only time I had to kill a pet fish I used grain alcohol from the freezer. It was not pleasant. Therefore, I have to rely on my research in this matter. I found this method online:

Every fish keeper sooner or later faces the unhappy task of "putting a fish down", or euthanasia. There are many methods, but my preferred method is to overdose the fish with clove oil, a very safe and ecologically sound fish sedative used as an anaesthetic to sedate fish for procedures such at tumour removal or wound care. Clove oil (active ingredient, eugenol) can be obtained through pond suppliers or health food stores.

The clove oil must be dissolved in alcohol to allow it to dissolve into the water. I use vodka. Using too much vodka will increase the discomfort to the fish, so measure carefully. If you feel you must increase the dosage, increase the clove oil only. Leave the fish in the solution for at least a couple of hours. Clove oil is a very safe sedative and fish have been known to revive after an hour in the solution.

Have a gallon of tank water in a bucket and put the fish in it. In another container, mix 2-3 ml clove oil with 8 mls vodka. Pour the clove oil mixture in and mix a little. The fish will be unconscious within minutes. I've never had any struggle or distress.

The only thing I would add is after the fish has stopped moving, put the fish in a dish with some of the water and put it in the freezer to freeze. There is a lot of work involved but I believe it to be the best way.

 

[BrutusPleco]

I put my sick cory cat in ice water. It was over really fast. I can't imagine spinning it above your head and then smashing the poor thing!!

 

[Devilishturtles]

Temperature shock method has worked for me in the past. It's what I always reccomend. It was quick and painless. The body simply shuts down.

 

[krap101]

Oh and make sure there is no air in the bag. else you'll have a mess if it pops.

... no air in bag=no mess? lol... no matter what if it pops...

 

[beblondie]

destroy the brain the fish is dead-Anne