How to euthanize fish

[bryan]

I certainly hope it dies out real soon. I hate it to the core, I still have one which was bestowed upon me as a 'Gift'. More like dumping actually I can't dump it and can't bare to kill it, nobody wants it, so its occupying a perfectly good 3FT by itself . What's the life span? Had it for 3-4years.

The only good thing was that it brought the roof down the aquarium hardware market.

[hwchoy]

bryan, just put it in a large bag and into the fridge, it will go to "sleep".

[Sunfire]

How to kill or euthanize a fish-

While the fish is in the net, swing the net and strike the fish hard against a hard surface.

[bryan]

25th Oct 2006 01:20 PM
hwchoy bryan, just put it in a large bag and into the fridge, it will go to "sleep".

25th Oct 2006 02:41 PM
Sunfire How to kill or euthanize a fish-

While the fish is in the net, swing the net and strike the fish hard against a hard surface

Eww..

& Double Ewww.... Please,forgot to mention there are kids in the house.

And I've never fancied watching people slaughter snakeheads.

[hwchoy]

just put it in the freezer at night, who is to know? very fast it sleeps.

[Justikanz]

Started a new thread on euthanizing fish here...

Anyway, heard it is a bad method to freeze the fish... They feel quite a lot of pain, apparently... Unless the water is frozen in seconds...

Probably, a stab to the top of the head ('neck') might be better?...

[hwchoy]

the point (unacceptable as it may be) is not to reduce pain for the fish, but for the owner. owners don't want to euthanise fish because they feel bad about it, don't dare to, etc etc. Freezing is the most "easy way out" for the owner since there is no blood, struggling, and splashing involved.

[bossteck]

If you stay in hdb flats, there's always the rubbish chute.
I would think the most painless way to go would be carbon monoxide poisoning, but it would be kind of difficult to inject CO into your tank right?

One way or the other, the fish will die, so the ideal is a swift death. So the next best thing I could think of is to bag it (with water if you hate to see the fish splashing around) then just dump it down the chute.

[Justikanz]

I think I should change the title... Euthanize is to kill it mercifully... Freezing it or to suffocate it by bagging and throwing it down the rubbish chute does not seem anyway 'euthanizing'... It only serves to ease the human emotions...

[bossteck]

I understand the concept of euthanasia... I would've thought that a swift death, rather than one that involves lying on the groud gasping for air would be less painful. Given the force that the fish would hit the dumpster, it would be instant death, ok so I wasn't specific and forgot to mention that the owner dump it from the top floor.

Given that none of us here had actually experience death by any means, it would difficult for us to say which is the most painless way to go.

But hey, why kill a fish when you can try to get someone to adopt it. That's one of the great things I like about this community!

[hwchoy]

well, the fastest way to go is to drop it into formalin.

[sheng]

Why not put in a bag & pump in CO2
that will be fast to put it to rest

[hwchoy]

that would be no different in leaving it in air, since it can't breath anyway. hey this is not chicken you know!

[murinus]

heard from somewhere that overdosing methylene blue will kill a fish... and it should be less cruel than smashing it on its head

[|squee|]

In a book about fish keeping I know:

To euthanize a fish, the best way is to freeze it. According to the author the fish will feel numb, no pain involved. Bag it in a bag of its tank water, put it in the freezer. Take it out after a few hours and throw it. This is the best way because the owner doesn't have to do anything "direct" to it like chopping its head off, while the fish dies "peacefully".

Another way which I personally use for small fish: Put the fish in a very small container with water, and pour in numerous ice cubes. Death is instant. I do this for sick fish (I always have sick fish that die no matter what I do).

[mickthefish]

if little pain and a quick death is needed as when i'm getting rid of any deformed/runted fry, ive got a bucket of boiling water by my side just net the fish to go and drop them in the boiling water as soon as they hit the water theyr'e dead.

mick

[Memnoch]

Theres this pond in pandan gardens community centre with apairama gigas. Put it in there and it will suffer an instant and nutritious death.

[GaspingGurami]

Anglers who seriously enjoy eating some of their catch will know how to make a slurry - a 2:1 ratio of ice to sea (salt) water causes the temperature to drop below -1 deg C. Any fish dropped inside will freeze rather quickly, due to the full contact with water. (A live fish placed in a freezer will flap around for a much longer time than with this method). In fact, slurry is so effective that after the bite has lapsed, I need to take the fish out of the slurry or risk overchilling it.

The other method is more gruesome - Brain destruction - but produces a nicer looking fish. (ever wondered why the snapper and bream at Japanese supermarkets look a nicer red than ours at Tekka Market?)

For large or toothy fish, a few well placed whacks to the head with a hard and blunt object is first order before bringing fish on deck. Then locate where the brain is. (Normally behind the eye, the soft spot on the head). Pierce an icepick or a sharp fillet knife into the brain, and rotate it a few times to ensure total brain destruction.

If you do it right, the fish will stiffen up and shudder, all the colours will flash on strikingly, the fins will flare open, mouth will open and it is dead that very instant. No struggling and thrashing to damage good flesh, and you'll have a nice looking, brightly lit fish if you know how to properly bleed, gut and ice it for the trip home.

For the record, I LOVE fish. In both aspects - as pets and as food.

[bryan]

I was contemplating what the guys were saying last night. As I was staring at the bloody mutant tilapia, he stuck his head at thesurface to look at me as if waiting to be petted like a dog....Ah well, at least he entertains the kids. (Plus the thought of getting a freaking-foot-long-live-struggling fish into a freezer overwhelms me, ok I chicken lor)

[Justikanz]

I find it funny that we have a lively discussion on killing fish...