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I've read some place that if you take vodka and mix it with the clove oil and then add it to the cup/aquarium that the sick fish is in that it will have a faster affect and that you should do it befor going to bed and in the morning you can barrie the fish without worrie of it waking up. The mixing of the vodka and clove oil is to help it dissolve better in the water.

well, i have put an oscar to sleep with clove oil, i remember though, that after it passed out i left it in a bit longer, i removed it from the solution, and becan drying it out to burry it, after i had gotten it pretty well dry, i set it in the box, then...it woke up,,,so i quickly threw it back into its tank with the lights off, waited a little bit so i could make another..stronger solution, added him back into it, and left him there for over an hour, just to make sure, then i redryed him added him to the box, and burried him.

to a suffering guppy, i did the clove oil, then severed her spinal cord, just behind the skull

Here's some articles I found that at least back up the clove oil option:
http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/StoryTemplate_Process.cfm?Story_No=1885#ct-3
http://www.bvzs.org/euthansiaguidelinesfish.htm
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/tom06.html

Last edited by crazyred at 12-Oct-2005 10:31

Last edited by crazyred at 12-Oct-2005 10:32

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Ok theres some nice options there - the clove oil is a nice idea, but it would be nice if there was some hard data around to back it up, id love to know if it works on all fish.

As to the alcohol thing, im open-minded about it, but I think the choice of alcohol might be important as although I dont doubt it will render almost any given fish insensible eventually, the varying acidity or alkalinities of some booze might cause the fish some serious gill burn. I wonder if it gets them smashed quick enough to avoid the pain of its administration? Dont forget that some booze out there is a bit harsh for humans, and were drinking it, not inhaling it underwater! I wonder if there is an optimum type of alcohol for this procedure?

I've read a few things on this and I've seen two methods recommended that you didn't mention:

1. putting the ailing fish in a small container of aquarium water and adding several (can't remember how much) drops of clove oil. This is supposed to have the effect of general anathesia on the patient putting him to sleep and eventually ceasing respiration.

2. putting the ailing fish in a small container of aquarium water and adding some type of alcohol (vodka, gin, rum, whatever you have---probably not beer or wine) This would effectively get the fish drunk until the concentration reached the level of stopping all brain activity (same thing happens to people if too much is consumed)

Those ways seemed pretty darn humane to me. I hope someone can back me up on these. I think you can get clove oil at the pharmacy.

Last edited by crazyred at 12-Oct-2005 09:23

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Always an interesting topic... I remember there being quite a large discussion on this some time last year, but I can't remember when.

Anyway, the method I've used is a similar take on the freezing method, with one change: before putting the ailing fish in the freezer, put it in a small cup with water and a fair amount of clove oil - the same stuff that owners of puffers use to render their fish unconscious so they can trim their beaks. The fish - to use a colloquial phrase - "passes out", and the freezing finishes the job. That's my preferred method for putting down smaller fish, especially since, when putting down a 1.5 inch tetra for example, one is more likely to hit one's own thumb than the brain area of the fish... or at least I would

But in the case of larger fish I agree, quick blunt trauma to the head is probably the best way to go.

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Back in the saddle!