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It’s a sad fact that sometimes fish get sick or injured. And as a fish keeper you’re likely to experience this at some point. But what can you do if your fish is past the point of recovery?
There are a few different ways to euthanise a fish. These include: Clove Oil, Suffocation, Stun and Stab, and taking the fish to a Vet or Pet/Aquatic store for euthanasia. The choice of method is down to the preference of each individual fish keeper.
You can just let nature take it’s course. But if you can’t stand to see your fish suffer anymore it’s worth looking at the other methods.
Let’s take a closer look at the above options so that you can decide which is the best one for you and your fish.
1 . Clove Oil
When it comes to euthanising your fish at home Clove Oil (Amazon link) is generally considered the most humane way to do it. The reason for this is that Clove Oil has anaesthetic/sedative qualities which put the fish into a deep painless sleep until the fish has died.
The amount of Clove Oil you will need to use will depend on the size of your fish.
Below are the basic steps for euthanising a fish with Clove Oil:
- Put some tank water in a suitably sized container and add the fish.
- Mix the Clove Oil (several drops depending on fish size) with a little warm water in another container then pour it into the container that the fish is in.
- Wait for several minutes while watching the gill movement of the fish.
- Once there hasn’t been any signs of gill movement for about 10 minutes your fish has likely died. However, leave the fish in the water for a while longer just to make sure it has passed away. If you do see any signs of life you will need to add more Clove Oil and wait again until you’re sure that your fish is no longer living.
Depending on the size and condition of the fish the length of time this takes will vary. So you will have to use your best judgement to gauge when the end has come.
Tip: Keep the Clove Oil away from your aquarium. Don’t reuse any containers/utensils that you’ve used with the Clove Oil in your aquarium/tank. You can keep them for future use to euthanise other sick fish if you want to. But keep them well away from your tank maintenance kit.
2 . Suffocation
Suffocation is another method for euthanising a fish. It involves removing the sick fish from the water so that it’s starved of oxygen and dies. There are different ways of doing this.
Here’s some ideas of how to do it:
- Remove the fish from the tank, put it in a container, and wait for it to stop breathing.
- Net the fish and balance the net across the tank above the water level. Wait for it to stop breathing.
- Bag the fish and once it’s stopped breathing bin it.
All of these methods are simple and straight forward. However, the length of time a fish will take to suffocate will vary depending on the size and condition of the fish. The fish will also thrash around as it suffocates which can be a distressing sight.
There’s also the view that suffocating a fish causes it pain. A fish out of water is probably the equivalent to a human drowning. So this method might not be the one for you if this aspect of it worries you.
3 . Stun And Stab
The stun and stab method for euthanising a fish is quick. You do need to have a strong stomach for this way of doing things though.
Here’s what you do:
- Remove the fish from the tank.
- Hit it on the head with a heavy blunt instrument such as a pebble or rock.
- Stab the fish in the brain or heart area, or cut off its head
As I said you do need a strong stomach for this method. But if you can handle the process it’s considered a fast way of euthanising a fish.
The stun and stab method may be better for large fish buy you need to use your own judgement on that.
Vet/Pet/Aquatic Store
If you can’t face euthanising your fish yourself you can take it to a vet/pet/aquatic store. Find one local to you and ask if they provide this service and how much it costs.
The professionals generally use licenced chemicals that are not available to the general public. But because they are in the business of animal care they will do the job as painlessly as possible.