Death,...by any means necessary!

[NoDeltaH2O]

So there has been alot of talk lately about euthanization methods, and someone here even posted a link to an article that cited various methods, and then went so far as to rank them according to their level of humaneness. I encourage all of you to take a look at the article, which can be found here.

So which method do you prefer/use to euthanize your sick/murderous/unwanted fish?

 

[dethjam316]

maybe i'm wrong, but i got the impression that it was written by somebody who doesn't know a lot about physiology, even if they might be an experienced fishkeeper...and how can you assess euthanasia methods down to a "humane rating" percentage without knowing how fish actually function? i mean, just to pick one thing, he keeps comparing fish to humans, and i wanna say there's a big difference there. that said, i've always used the alcohol method. the cheapest vodka you can find is good for more than just unfortunate mornings!

edit: and what's with the "boiling method" being okay for coldwater fish but not tropicals? something tells me that freakin boiling water would be equally "humane" and give you the same quick result for a fish that lives in 60 degrees or 80 degrees.

 

[wayne]

Agree, there are some wierd comments about decapitation and also in the slow freezing section.

Anyway, small fish alcohol/cloveoil then freezer.
Big fish, decapitate.

You boys at lfs's, what do you do when somebody returns a thoroughly unsellable 1 foot plus pacu?

 

[khyle]

i let my sick fish die in a natural way, in a hospital tank. for murderous/unwanted/notoroius fishes whatever u call it, i return them to my lfs in exchange for another fish of my choice.

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

okay, who voted for flushing?!

 

[kool_sk8a]

ewww, i wouldnt like to clear up the mess caused by a blender!

 

[Fish Friend]

ewwwww neither would i....if the fish is in pain or cant be treated i HAVE to put an end to its life quickly... so i find the best way is to give it an ice bath.... because it will only take 15 seconds to end its poor little life

 

[Chazwick]

I would let mine die naturally, unless it was.. you know.. in LOTS of pain and incurable.. Then i'd.. Probably gently take them out.. and.. i don't know.
Hey - how painful do you think it would be feeding them to your cat? lol

 

[Firebug]

Temp. Shock (freezing). It's the one I recommend to everyone who asks my opinion about how they should euthanize it.

Decapitation, blender, and hitting it with a brick methods sure sound painful! Eww!

 

[animal lover]

If needed I freeze mine... I put them in cold water to begin with then place then in the freezer, within a minute they are gone. And thats only if necessary.

 

[FroggyFox]

how is "I cannot bring myself to euthenize the fish" 100% humane? Letting the fish suffer a painful drawn out death just because you can't bring yourself to kill it?

 

[Zman16]

I flush mine, but only when there barely alive. I had to do that to my betta ( not my crowntail betta) and African dwarf frog. It just seemed the easiest way, but I know it wasn't the best.+

 

[GoldLenny]

I'm in N'Awlins (New Orleans) and I found it inhumane to use perfectly good Alcohol (hiccup! :-D) to kill a fish and since I have Goldfish and Tropicals (in separate tanks), I chose the boiling method.. although I think deep-fried in a nice cajun batter would be more tasty. :-D Actually, deep-frying would be faster than boiling since the oil can be brought up to a higher temperature.

I'm still not sure if boiling is as humane as freezing. At least with freezing, it numbs the central nervous system first before you die. With boiling, you will FEEL SOME SERIOUS PAIN until you die, so I think I will use the freezing method, if and when the time comes.

I haven't had to kill any of my fish yet but I don't think I would be able to make any Daiquiri's in my blender after I knew that I ground up a fish in there... and I could use my cheap Vodka in the daiquiri's since the other mixers conceal the bad taste of the cheap vodka.

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

how is "I cannot bring myself to euthenize the fish" 100% humane? Letting the fish suffer a painful drawn out death just because you can't bring yourself to kill it?

Well, my intention in adding that last option was that it would encompass medical treatments, costly but compassionate visits to the veterinarian, etc., and in the case of unwanted fish (like the pacu in the other thread), long drives to the Denver aquarium, or wherever.

 

[FroggyFox]

ahhh gotcha.

btw www.downtownaquarium.com I still haven't been back since Landry's took over and revamped the place.

 

[dethjam316]

im surprised more people don't use the alcohol method. you get a quick twitch, and it's over. it seems like the way to go in my view. and come on, you can spare a shot of the ol' uncle vlad vodka. that stuff's like $5 a litre. hehehe

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

I'm surprised we have four flushers here! It's a good thing I made this poll anonymous! Oh well, I used to be a flusher myself, so no hard feelings to all my flushers in da house.

 

[Mushroomman]

You boys at lfs's, what do you do when somebody returns a thoroughly unsellable 1 foot plus pacu?

Whatever, depends on who is there. Usually a hard sharp blow to the head.

 

[Iceman]

I cant kill my fish. If I have a sick one I always quarantine it to try and save it.

Iceman

 

[longtyme68]

Iceman ~ Do you have a picture of your three Bala Sharks? I wanted to see how they look as they get older. I was considering trying to get one if I upgraded my tank, but have seen pictures where their bellies get ovaled and they look like they are no longer shaped like they were.