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I have never actually put a fish to sleep before, i have always selfishly hoped they would get better. recently, well for almost a year my fish have been getting dropsey and dying the inevitable horrible death.

any way I went away for a night and came back today to my beautiful black male molly at least three times the normal size with his scales sticking out all over his body. i know fish can last for days suffering like this, he couldn't move would nt eat and looked so distressed, heavy breathing etc. i have never seen it come on so quickly.

I just could n't stand to see another fish fade away in pain over days and days. i put him in a jug of water (about a pint)mixed with about teaspoon of clove oil. it was very quick. he struggled a bit but it was less then ten seconds( i was counting.)and then thankfully he was gone.

just needed to tell some one. i feel bad but relieved for him. And at least i know i can do it and my fish won't have to suffer any longer if they get sick like that.

very upsetting.

thanks
GFG

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Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

Clove oil is a good way to euthanize fish...

You made the right decision about Dropsy, an internal bacterial invasion that eventually shuts the fish's kidneys down and creates a fluid buildup internally.

There is no cure for Dropsy so they should be destroyed as soon as possible to try and eliminate any possible cross contageous reaction in other fish.

Popeye, in some, but not all cases, may be the indicator of beginning Dropsy. That's when I always suggest an antibiotic be dosed and if unavailable, at least an anticeptic like Melafix or its equivalent and frequent partial water changes.

Dropsy seems to be on the increase according to all the posts I answer with that problem.

I suspect municipal water supplies may play a role, the very same water you fill your tank with. Bacteria are usually the culprits, whether formed in the tank or from poor tank maintenance or perhaps the tap water itself.

You could try and discourage Dropsy with partial and more frequent water changes and perhaps, as much as I really don't care about adding salt, you could add a small amount now and then just to see if the situation improves.

Good filtration is important. Make sure the filter media doesn't get too gunked up and gravel should be syphoned, half of it at a time, perhaps once a month depending on the bio load of the tank.

--garyroland.

thanks gary, am glad i did the right thing, or at least the best thing.

the filter was very gunked up actually i sorted that out. so far no one else has got it yet, but the molly 's illness came out of the blue, the dropsey has been plaguing the tanks for a while not but i haven't had a case for about a month.

any how thanks again

GFG

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

You're very welcome...

Keep a close watch on your fish and react accordingly at the first sign of bloating, making sure the fish is not just constipated.

Pineconed scales are indicators of advanced Dropsy.

--garyroland.

Euthanizing is always a decision that leaves someone with a helpless feeling, and sometimes even a feeling of guilt...no matter what it is getting euthanized. Clove oil is used as a anesthetic for fish, so an overdose of it would be very humane. I think you made the hard call and did the right thing.