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Having been asked about euthanising terminal cases humanely in the chat room, I did a little looking around. I've known for some time that Derris Root is lethal to fish, and this page contains some information on Derris Root and its active ingredient, rotenone. (You have to skip past the bit on synthetic pesticides first and scroll down).

The question I have to ask though, is this. Would using this as a euthanising agent be humane?



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Obviously works as a euthanising agent.
However since you asked if it was humane, my vote is for no. Specifically "It is poisonous to cold-blooded animals, causing damage to gill tissue and suffocation in fish". Suffocation IMO is not humane. The argument I'm sure will be made that it occurs so quickly that it's not an issue. The fact that the south american indians that used it had to "wait for the fish to surface" does not seem like it acts all that quickly.
Time I think would be key in your question.

^_^[hr width='40%']"There’s an emptiness inside her. And she’d do anything to fill it in.
And though it’s red blood bleeding from her now. It's more like cold blue ice in her heart.
She feels like kicking out all the windows. And setting fire to this life."

What is the most humane way to euthanize? I cannot cut a fish's head off. When using Vodka treatment, do you use straight vodka or mix it with water? I really need to know this. I have used vodka treatment in the past, but it longer than I would have thought. I was bawling my brains out the whole time.

Method I used to use was soda water. Because at the time I was introduced to it, I was told it was quick and humane. Well, it was certainly quick, 5 seconds or less on a Lemon Tetra that needed it a few years ago. Trouble it, I've since been told it's not as humane as I thought. And, ideally, if I am going to use something for such a procedure, I'd prefer something quick and painless.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I've used clove oil recently, and it was quite humane looking. Simply, you add about 1/4 teaspoon (minimum) to every 4L of water. This anthetises the fish, putting them into a very deep sleep, then they overdose because of the high concentration and die. You then freeze the deeply sleeping fish to make sure it's organs are destroyed and it can not wake up unexpectedly. It takes a little while for the fish to 'sleep', but if you watch (which i did...) you will not see them struggle or act any differently to what they where prior to addition of the clove oil. So, it looked pretty humane to me.

I found clove oil at an aromatherapy store.

Here you go Cali,

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/tom06.html

and

http://www.rspcansw.com.au/templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=1885

The first link shows the process I use. The second link tells you how much.

When I first used it, I used vodka to emulsify as this is what others were using at the time. We have since learned it is unnecessary to use the alcohol, which can be stressful. It just must be vigoursly shaken with a small amount of tank water.

I actually use an old airstone I discard, along with the container when I'm done, as well as the small segment of airline that was near the bubbler. This causes a good swirling action in the water to keep it mixing through the fishes gills.

More info on it as used for anesthetic (lesser dose).

http://www.pondrx.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=3&cat=0&page=1

http://www.pondpetsusa.com/medications/anesthetic.html

And, if you really want to get into some heavy duty study

http://www.aps.uoguelph.ca/RDM%20articles/Clove%20Oil%20Zebrafish-Published%20Version.pdf

Keep in mind, MS-222 is not readily available to the hobbyist - Clove Oil is and is regularly used here in the states to sedate koi and other large fish to remove anchor worm and other surgical procedures.

It is imperative that you follow up with freezing or decapitation after they are out, even if you see the gills wide open. Open gills that are still is usually a good indication of death. But, fish have been known to recover when in fresh water and it is not for certain they are dead when out.

I will say personally, that some fish simply don't like it and will move about for up to 10-15 seconds. However, even for anesthetic, they mention that fish "don't like the taste". It's only natural to try to get away from a strange taste.

I leave them in the solution a good hour, then I move them to a small cup of tank water and put outside if it is cold enough or to the freezer if not. I've used it several times and I must say, it is never pleasant, no matter the method. But I can't bring myself to use some of the more aggressive measure, which are certainly faster (crushing skull, decapitation). Nothing like a tiny fish jumping around as you try to humanely cut its head off (picture a few misses ).

Last edited by Cory_Di at 04-Mar-2005 20:57