I had to euthanize my 1st fish today, and I feel awful.

[Mpwallace1]

I’m new to the hobby, so this is a 1st for me. I came home today from work, and I saw one (male) of my 6 albino cherry barbs hanging upside down in a patch of java moss, and barely moving in my 45 gallon community tank. He was no longer bright orange like the other 2. I’ve had them for 7 months and I’ve never seen any bullying. There were 3 males and 3 females. I immediately did an API water test, and the ammonia was probably 1/2 way between .25 (the first green bar) and zero. PH has always faithfully been 7.4 so I didn’t test. No nitrates or nitrites, so no problem there. No sign of ich, no fungus,no fin or scale issues, no nothing. I not only didn’t think he was going to make it, but even though I have a 10 gallon tank I could have fired up as a hospital tank, I didn’t know what I was treating. I got a few meds I bought for emergencies but which one.
I was easily able to grab him with the net though he tried. Well I made a decision I need to do the inevitable because I didn’t want to possibly contaminate the other community fish. I’ve already done some research about the fastest method and a vet recommended decapitation, and not the lingering freezing in the freezer, or alka-seltzer. So I urgently put him in a paper towel, folded it over and sadly cut in front of my thumb where I marked directly behind his gills and looked the other way.
Non of the other fish have issues, and I usually keep my water impeccable. Regardless I did a 40% water change, put in some stress guard, and took a deep breath.
My question is, could I have handled this better or differently under the circumstances?
Not a word of a lie, I feel like hell, and I even went online and made a small donation to the Toronto Wildlife Centre, a non profit organization that rescues, treats, and releases urban wild animals to help ease my guilt.
Thanks

 

[coralbandit]

I am sorry you chose that method ..It clearly was not the most humane on you...
We all pass fish eventually in the effort to do the best thing for our tanks .I use ice cubes and water and it is over in 5 seconds...No horror...

 

[Mpwallace1]

I am sorry you chose that method ..It clearly was not the most humane on you...
We all pass fish eventually in the effort to do the best thing for our tanks .I use ice cubes and water and it is over in 5 seconds...No horror...

Yep, you may be right. But at least my way I didn’t see a thing during and end result.
Regardless, I’m glad to know that it seems like something that people have to do from time to time.
Thanks for piping in.

 

[KuhliCray]

Just know that you at least ended its suffering. It was the right thing to do. I know your guilt and grief, all aquarium owners suffer losses from fish. I recently lost my blue crayfish (Larry) who was very dear to me do to old age.

 

[V227]

MP
I had to put 5 down today reference Oodinium. It's really a downer. I QT a juvenile Texas Cichlid for a week, all was well. I put him in my display tank and within four days the Texas turned white as did my last four African Cichlids. To add to the misery, I had to lift 3 big rocks out of the tank, 200 plus lbs. Just to net them. The fish were so far gone that I just tossed them on the brush pile. In order to save the remaining tankmates, I did a 50 gal. WC, cranked the heat up, and blacked out the tank. It's been many years since I've had an outbreak like that. I feel your pain brother, especially in my lower back.

 

[Potluck]

It's never as easy thing to do, but it has to be done from time to time, but it's best for the fish, you have to take the good with the bad, trust me I have wanted to give up a few times, but I look at my tank now and think to myself how beautiful it will be in a few months, Chin up you did the right thing.

 

[Reygan2]

I am sorry you chose that method ..It clearly was not the most humane on you...
We all pass fish eventually in the effort to do the best thing for our tanks .I use ice cubes and water and it is over in 5 seconds...No horror...

+1. IME this is definitely the fastest and least traumatic way to euthanize tropical fish. The icy water stuns them instantly and they don't seem to suffer at all.

Different story with goldfish though. I've only had to euthanize one thankfully. I had to use clove oil. Pretty expensive stuff, but it works quickly.

 

[pandao]

I am a new hobbyist too and have had to euthanise about 5 fish so far.
Some were because I got the setup wrong, some because the fish was generally unwell. I reconcile the act of euthanasia as part of learning to build a healthy tank and the poor fish that died gave their lives so other fish could live long happy lives. I know its silly but it makes me feel better. As I put them into a cup of boiling water I say "Sorry and Thank you".

 

[Potluck]

+1. IME this is definitely the fastest and least traumatic way to euthanize tropical fish. The icy water stuns them instantly and they don't seem to suffer at all.

Different story with goldfish though. I've only had to euthanize one thankfully. I had to use clove oil. Pretty expensive stuff, but it works quickly.

+1 Yeah cold water fish the ice method is very tough to do, you can also use vodka for the euthanization process as well.

 

[dartzy2]

Clove oil, they say, is the most humane. It latterly puts them to sleep and then you overdose till dead. I’m struggling right now with my green glo tetra, Luigi. He’s been sick for sometime right now. Not really sure what’s wrong but he had gotten a injury to his eyes from his tank mates picking on him and now he leans to the right, to a point now, that he can barely right himself up. Tried melafix for bacterial, no luck. Tried epsom salt baths, no help. So, unfortunately, today is the day. So hard when they still have a spirit to live in them. [emoji20]

 

[Potluck]

Clove oil, they say, is the most humane. It latterly puts them to sleep and then you overdose till dead. I’m struggling right now with my green glo tetra, Luigi. He’s been sick for sometime right now. Not really sure what’s wrong but he had gotten a injury to his eyes from his tank mates picking on him and now he leans to the right, to a point now, that he can barely right himself up. Tried melafix for bacterial, no luck. Tried epsom salt baths, no help. So, unfortunately, today is the day. So hard when they still have a spirit to live in them. [emoji20]

Swim Bladder

 

[dartzy2]

Swim Bladder

That’s what I thought. Like I said, tried the Epsom salts and the peas....no change.

 

[Potluck]

That’s what I thought. Like I said, tried the Epsom salts and the peas....no change.

I'll Message you

 

[Mpwallace1]

Thanks everyone. It’s been 24 hrs since the episode and after the time and reading your posts I’m over the loss. Funny, I wore a black dress shirt to work today[emoji57]

 

[Potluck]

Thanks everyone. It’s been 24 hrs since the episode and after the time and reading your posts I’m over the loss. Funny, I wore a black dress shirt to work today[emoji57]

I re read your post, you should have nitrAtes as that's the indication that the cycle is completed, the nitrate test is performed different than ammonia /nitrite, are you shaking bottle #2 on the nitrate test vigorously for 30 seconds before you add the drops to the test tube?

Step 1 add 10 drops from bottle 1 to test tube cap shake gently, shake bottle 2 vigorously for 30 seconds (to mix up the crystals that settled at the bottom of the solution) add 10 drops cap shake for 1 min let stand for 5.

7 months and no nitrates is very odd so that's why I wanted to see if you're doing the test right as I was doing it wrong for a very long time as well.

You should also have no ammonia or nitrItes in an established tank you always want to test everything cause a cycle can crash if you kill off the beneficial bacteria in the system by say changing your media, rinsing media in tap water instead of tank water, changing out your substrate bed can also in some cases crash a cycle, when I test I do all 4 from the api kit + kh/gh & phosphate from another test kit (you don't need the kh/gh phosphate test kits)

 

[Mpwallace1]

I re read your post, you should have nitrAtes as that's the indication that the cycle is completed, the nitrate test is performed different than ammonia /nitrite, are you shaking bottle #2 on the nitrate test vigorously for 30 seconds before you add the drops to the test tube?

Step 1 add 10 drops from bottle 1 to test tube cap shake gently, shake bottle 2 vigorously for 30 seconds (to mix up the crystals that settled at the bottom of the solution) add 10 drops cap shake for 1 min let stand for 5.

7 months and no nitrates is very odd so that's why I wanted to see if you're doing the test right as I was doing it wrong for a very long time as well.

To clarify, I have had notable nitrates before within the 7 months, but nothing readable on this day. Your right, I may not have shaken the # 2 solution or the mixed tube enough, but I swear it was zero or virtually zero on the day of this incident. I’m really diligent with the API testing, as after the 7 months I have had to buy 2 new replacement bottles of the nitrate solution 1 and 2, but I wouldn’t doubt that during the panic, I may have choked.
I usually water change and vacuum on Fridays (sometimes even if it doesn’t really need it) so I’ll double check all the numbers again in the morning.
Thanks!!

 

[nirbhao]

+1 Yeah cold water fish the ice method is very tough to do, you can also use vodka for the euthanization process as well.

I've tried vodka. It was the WORST. The fish practically jumped out of the dish Clove oil is my preferred method. The only thing that I don't like about it is that I have so many warm fuzzy memories associated with clove, and I don't want to replace them with the sadness.

MP, I'd say it's awesome that you've made it seven months without losing a fish.

Just curious- how often do you replace your filter sponge, and how do you rinse it during water changes?

 

[Potluck]

I've tried vodka. It was the WORST. The fish practically jumped out of the dish Clove oil is my preferred method. The only thing that I don't like about it is that I have so many warm fuzzy memories associated with clove, and I don't want to replace them with the sadness.

MP, I'd say it's awesome that you've made it seven months without losing a fish.

Just curious- how often do you replace your filter sponge, and how do you rinse it during water changes?

I've never tried vodka but I have read about it, I use the ice water method personally, either way I hate doing it I feel like a complete failure when I have to, but I know it's for the best for that fish and my others.

 

[Mpwallace1]

I've tried vodka. It was the WORST. The fish practically jumped out of the dish Clove oil is my preferred method. The only thing that I don't like about it is that I have so many warm fuzzy memories associated with clove, and I don't want to replace them with the sadness.

MP, I'd say it's awesome that you've made it seven months without losing a fish.

Just curious- how often do you replace your filter sponge, and how do you rinse it during water changes?

I just recently switched to a canister filter from an Aquaclear HOB. Aquaclear I would clean out every time I noticed the basket raising itself up from its position, perhaps every 2-3 weeks or so. Now the canister, after a month, maybe twice. A weekly water change and vacuum still stirs up some debris during refilling so I have been trying to stay on top of it so flow is not restricted. Every time I have been rinsing in aquarium water. I just remembered I’m using some Seachem Matrix (along with other) bio media in the 4 stage canister which may explain the funky low numbers. I did the weekly water change yesterday as scheduled and I got the same ammonia—point .125, zero Nitrite, and this time 2.50 Nitrate, very minimal and it was hard to properly gauge the colour with exact certainty but I suppose that’s a close guess. All still within tolerance. Do you know of any adverse effects of using the Seachem Matrix? It was suggested to me by the sales rep at the LFS as a reliable and safe product when I bought the canister. I just hunted around and there are very few online reviews about the product.
Thanks

 

[Potluck]

I just recently switched to a canister filter from an Aquaclear HOB. Aquaclear I would clean out every time I noticed the basket raising itself up from its position, perhaps every 2-3 weeks or so. Now the canister, after a month, maybe twice. A weekly water change and vacuum still stirs up some debris during refilling so I have been trying to stay on top of it so flow is not restricted. Every time I have been rinsing in aquarium water. I just remembered I’m using some Seachem Matrix (along with other) bio media in the 4 stage canister which may explain the funky low numbers. I did the weekly water change yesterday as scheduled and I got the same ammonia—point .125, zero Nitrite, and this time 2.50 Nitrate, very minimal and it was hard to properly gauge the colour with exact certainty but I suppose that’s a close guess. All still within tolerance. Do you know of any adverse effects of using the Seachem Matrix? It was suggested to me by the sales rep at the LFS as a reliable and safe product when I bought the canister. I just hunted around and there are very few online reviews about the product.
Thanks

Matrix is good media, I have 2 aquaclears a 110 and a 70, the baskets never raise on mine I clean them alternating every 2-3 weeks to a month, there are many good media brands out there but you don't want to just change media I would just add it to the existing you have in the canister if you decide to get matrix don't take the old out you will crash your cycle.