# euthanizing a fish.



## POAGeckos (Jul 11, 2008)

Hello, I am looking to find a way to humanely euthanize a fish without going to a vet, one of our pond fish is quite ill and I find the best thing to do is for it to be euthanized.


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Hey hun

Do a google for articles on using clove oil to euthanise the fish. Really sorry you will lose one


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## white (May 16, 2009)

a quick blow to the head with a heavy blunt object is best


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

Either of the above would be kindest. I've killed a few fish in my time with both methods and both work well. Quickest I've found though is a sharp knife through the back of the skull. Not a nice job though.


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

Sorry to hear about your fish.

I find clove oil the best way of doing it. It works by anaesthetising the fish before it passes. 

Isolate the fish in a container which can be disposed of/ scrubbed down. Fill the container with enough water from the pond to cover the fish comfortably. In an empty plastic bottle, add 3 drops of clove oil to 1/2 a pint of water, and shake vigorously until the clove oil is mixed thoroughly with the water. Slowly add this to the container with the fish in it. Pretty quickly the fish will drift off to sleep. At this point repeat the bottle process, but this time adding 6 drops, and add this to the container. This is enough to euthanise a fish, but depending on the container volume you may need to repeat this. Once the fish appears to have passed, dispose of it as you usually would. Don't add too much clove oil too quickly, as it will only stress the fish.


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## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

just do it on sweed with a blunt object quick easy costless


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

someone would actually consider paying a veterinarian to put down a fish?:gasp:

can i have some of that extra money you have laying around?:lol2:


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## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

Clove oil only works with very small fish...Put it in a bag and whack against a brick wall...Then you know the deed was done quick and painlessly: victory:


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## POAGeckos (Jul 11, 2008)

HABU said:


> someone would actually consider paying a veterinarian to put down a fish?:gasp:
> 
> can i have some of that extra money you have laying around?:lol2:


 Yeah we have a aquatic vet here, some people said to have it pts there, but I find that its not necassery if I can do it myself.

This fish isn't to large, it is a young 3 inch commet, so may look into the clove oil, I don't know if I would be able to do the other options though. 

Thank you for all your help.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

clove oil will work on any size fish, you will need to add mroe drops of clove oil for a bigger fish. i add 10 drops for larger fish, and i have euthanised an 8" comet before with it. it drifts to sleep then i overdose with another 10 drops mixed into a bit more water and added. i then freeze to make 100% sure they are gone but as long as gills have stopped working then its taken as they have passed. add the mixtures bit by bit over a few minutes.


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## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

flush it down the loo

Joking!


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## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

Ah, I have heard many disaster stories of it not working with large fish, and then there's people who did the process wrong.


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Clove oil because there is no stress at all.

Catching a fish to hit it with something or cut it's neck is stressful.

Clove oil is simple, basically keep adding a little bit at a time until the fish nods off and eventually dies. No pain, no stress and no mess either


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## Cleopatra the Royal (Nov 29, 2008)

i wrote a guide to this a few months back - here it is
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/fish-keeping/398049-guide-euthanasia.html

hope this helps
Harry


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

are vets stationed at fishing lakes?:lol2:


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## Berber King (Dec 29, 2007)

bampoisongirl said:


> flush it down the loo
> 
> Joking!


And you have pets why exactly? :censor:


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## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

Berber King said:


> And you have pets why exactly? :censor:


hahaha! read the white part, tis called a joke :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## rum&coke (Apr 19, 2009)

kill it like you would a zombie remove the head or destroy the brain


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## akuma 天 (Apr 15, 2008)

I've had to do it twice, both times I wrapped the fish in kitchen roll and as quick as I could wacked it several times with a shovel.

You never get to see the after effect it you wrap it in enough kitchen roll so its not too bad.


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## reptile_man_08 (Jan 14, 2008)

bampoisongirl said:


> hahaha! read the white part, tis called a joke :Na_Na_Na_Na:


Bad form in the fish section...
But I am sad that I didn't come up with that before you:whistling2:


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## SkinheadOi85 (Sep 28, 2008)

Sure a while ago this Q was asked and someone said clove oil in the water.


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## SkinheadOi85 (Sep 28, 2008)

Sorry brit hadnt relised you said tyhis on here as the link took me to the last page


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

i really dont get why anyone would euthanize in such awful stressfull ways to the fish as hitting,cutting etc. to wrap a fish in dry kitchen roll and then belt it with a shovel seems about the worst for me, the dry kitchen roll would stress the fish beyond belief and then to wrap it in enough to hide whats going on inside will surely mean the blows are cushioned to an extent which means death may also take longer. 

a small bottle of clove oil is around £3 from any pharmacy, easy to come by, very easy to use, next to no stress on the fish they just slip away peacefully falling asleep. every owner should have a bottle in the cupboard for any emergencies. you may never need to use it, but best to keep it on hand surely???


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

Saying clove oil only works with small fish is like saying a pint of beer only works with a toddler. Change the amount and it will work. One of its main uses is for calming large fish during transport.


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## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

reptile_man_08 said:


> Bad form in the fish section...
> But I am sad that I didn't come up with that before you:whistling2:


I was in a cheeky mood and just spotted the title :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## fatbloke (Apr 6, 2008)

a quick wack on the head with the handle of a screw driver will do it in seconds


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## haunted-havoc (Aug 6, 2009)

i might be wrong but is this the stuff

Care+ Clove Oil 10ml - Lloyds Pharmacy - Online Chemist

if so you dont really have an excuse for 10min or your time and £1.59


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

haunted-havoc said:


> i might be wrong but is this the stuff
> 
> Care+ Clove Oil 10ml - Lloyds Pharmacy - Online Chemist
> 
> if so you dont really have an excuse for 10min or your time and £1.59


:2thumb: yes thats the stuff, easy to come by at any chemists, cheap to buy, small bottle so it wont take up any room in your cupboards, will last for years as its only say 10 drops to euthanize a fish. i always ALWAYS have a bottle in my box of aquarium stuff, you never know when you may need it.


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## haunted-havoc (Aug 6, 2009)

works wonders for tooth aches too


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

goldie1212 said:


> i really dont get why anyone would euthanize in such awful stressfull ways to the fish as hitting,cutting etc. to wrap a fish in dry kitchen roll and then belt it with a shovel seems about the worst for me, the dry kitchen roll would stress the fish beyond belief and then to wrap it in enough to hide whats going on inside will surely mean the blows are cushioned to an extent which means death may also take longer.
> 
> a small bottle of clove oil is around £3 from any pharmacy, easy to come by, very easy to use, next to no stress on the fish they just slip away peacefully falling asleep. every owner should have a bottle in the cupboard for any emergencies. you may never need to use it, but best to keep it on hand surely???


I agree, but to euthanize a fish with clove oil you've still got to catch it and put it in a bucket. I think it could be less stressful to catch it and kill it straight away than catch it and put it in a jug or bucket (depending on size of course) for 10 minutes while the clove oil works - plus that's 10 minutes extra suffering. In a real emergency it needs to be a speedy job, but in non emergencies I'd take the time to go out and get the clove oil.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

i dont agree, an ill fish, or injured, would be easy to catch, and a quick netting into a covered container of tank water which it can drift off in seems a far kinder option in my opinion. i would worry i wouldnt hit it hard enough, and i certainly couldnt bare the idea of cutting it. i would rather it slightly stressed as it drifts off, than in pain as i attempt to kill it in another way. each to their own though.


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## Jazzy B Bunny (Jun 21, 2007)

A hard bash on the head is the quickest and most humane way possible... this is how we do it if we need to at the shop.


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## Viva (Apr 19, 2010)

I haven't got any clove oil, is there anything else to anaesthetise them? I've tried rescue remedy hoping it would work and it hasn't. My funny little cory is finally giving up, never held much hope, he was okay feeding and everything but never grew like the others.


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## Twiglet (May 6, 2009)

Personally I find oil of clove to be a bit... hippy. 
It's cetainly effective - eventually - but it takes a while to kill and you only have to watch a fishes reaction when it goes in the water... it clearly isn't comfortable. 
A quick hard whack (twice the force you think you need to use) is instant. Fish are delicate animals, unless you are being gentle and feeble, you WILL kill it instantly by doing this. 

Kat


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

if hes eating and ok just a bit smaller and not growing, why euthanise? if he is really struggling and suffering, fill a cup with cold water, freeze it, once frozen add a little more cold water and put it back into the freezer until it has a thin ice layer on top of the new water, break the layer and drop the fish in. i would then freeze it solid to make sure.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

Twiglet said:


> Personally I find oil of clove to be a bit... hippy.
> It's cetainly effective - eventually - but it takes a while to kill and you only have to watch a fishes reaction when it goes in the water... it clearly isn't comfortable.
> A quick hard whack (twice the force you think you need to use) is instant. Fish are delicate animals, unless you are being gentle and feeble, you WILL kill it instantly by doing this.
> 
> Kat


hippy, yes ok, letting them drop to sleep quietly. if you see any reaction from the fish, you have added too much clove oil too quickly. a small amount added slowly until it rolls onto its side, and then add the overdose. ive never had a fish react to clove oil other than lean over once under the effects.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)




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## Viva (Apr 19, 2010)

You're all heart Yank!


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## chandelierman (Apr 13, 2010)

I had to terminate a sick mouse that my ex wife brought home,if its not too big then the best thing for a quick exit is to put it under the rear wheels of a car :gasp: no suffering...just instant death


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## Assaye (Sep 23, 2009)

A very quick, very hard blow to the head will do it and the fish is only stressed for the seconds it takes you to get it out of the tank and onto a hard surface. However, I don't recommend this is clove oil is avaliable. Putting an animal to sleep in a gentle, painless way is always the best option.

Don't agree with freezing or using "shock" methods that require the shock of cold water/hot water etc to kill them. Fish feel pain and you just need to imagine what that would feel like for us to know that it's going to be horrific for the fish. Also don't agree with any method that means the fish is out of water for more than a few seconds as you're preluding the death with suffocation and incredible stress. 

Seriously, get clove oil. There is no excuse for not getting some. Anyone who can get about enough to get food and water can find a way of getting clove oil.


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## Twiglet (May 6, 2009)

goldie1212 said:


> if hes eating and ok just a bit smaller and not growing, why euthanise? if he is really struggling and suffering, fill a cup with cold water, freeze it, once frozen add a little more cold water and put it back into the freezer until it has a thin ice layer on top of the new water, break the layer and drop the fish in. i would then freeze it solid to make sure.


Freezing is for the record a very inhumane way of killing anything. I'd rather koi calm (clove oil) a fish than freeze it!
What a horrific way to go... the shock of icy water followed by your cells bursting as they freeze. 
You may well be correct on the oil of clove though and I'll bare that in mind in the future as I can only comment on what I've found from the way I was trained to use it. 
I shall be using your method should I ever use it again so thank you for that info.

Kat


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

I must say I am glad the overall response here has been "Clove oil"  Definitely agree here, a very humane and safe method for all involved. You could always decapitate after you think it's dead with clove oil first, to be sure. 

I linked this previously and will do again, Merck Manual is always the way to go:

Agents and Methods of Euthanasia by Species

ETA: Completely agree with Twiglet here too: Freezing is *not *humane and not an acceptable method. If the fish could scream you would see why it was too.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

see, ive heard of slow freezing, as in putting the fish into a cup or tub of water and then freezing, as being cruel. i have not heard of the breaking the skin of ice and dropping the fish in being a bad way to go. i mean obviously for the brief few seconds it takes i imagine it isnt pleasant but for a tropical fish out of warm water, i would have thought the shock would kill. never mind, i dont use this method anyway as i have a permanent supply of clove oil for any of my fish to be euthanised should the need come about. i wont be passing on that information any more :2thumb:

so yes, as far as im concerned, clove oil is the only way to do it then (im far to squeemish to even consider hitting it or decapitation)


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## Viva (Apr 19, 2010)

I will stop at the chemist next time I pass. I never used to be squeamish but I have done the deed so many times with mice I couldn't do it.

He'd been at the surface balancing on the weed all day and you could see he was very weak. I put him in a separate tub of water and tried rescue remedy. No effect so over-dosed him with liquid meloxidyl (painkiller), then put him back in a fresh tub and then he slipped away bless him.


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