Kill My Goldfish :/

[Nevakonaza]

Hey guys

Well one of my goldfish (which ive had nearly 4 years now) has became ill,i think its Swim bladder infaction,but hes just lying on the bottom of the tank and when he tried to swim hes curled upside down.

I had seperated him in anotehr tank,fed him some peas but its been like this for 3 days now and no sighns of change...whats the most humane way of killing him please?

I heard of Clove Oil,but the stores near me dont sell the stuff and im not anywhere near other stores.

any help appreciated.

Edited November 15, 2010 by Nevakonaza

[number20121]

Hello! Sorry to hear that

There is not much you can do to humanely kill your fish without clove oil or taking him to a vet to euthanize him

http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php?/topic/32080-euthanizing/

[Nevakonaza]

Hi,he just looks like "Hugo" in your siggy :/

anyway i read through that link you posted,i dont agree with chopping its head off,or stabbing it in the head destroying the brain,Alchol also i dodnt agree with if it caused bleeding before death...it must hurt the fish.

Should i just let it die on its own?...it has been there for 3 nearly 4 days now though. :/

[number20121]

There is no way you could get clove oil from the pharmacy? I know that somewhere on here found it at some pharmacy. Maybe you should try calling pharmacies in your area and see if one of them carries it. Or as for "eugenol" as this is the main ingredient and is used as topical treatment for toothaches.

He looks like Hugo? Awww... I really hope you're lucky in your search for clove oil or eugenol.

[ashlee18]

Have you tried looking at your local health supplement store? Gnc carries it here.

[Helen]

hi Nevakonaza,

is it really necessary to euthanize this fish? swim bladder is not a terminal illness in most cases.. have you tried fasting him for 2 days and then feeding him peas with some epsom??

how long has he been with swim bladder, just the 3 days or more? do you have any pictures of him? what are your nitrAte readings? there are many factors that could be causing him to behave this way.. please get back to us with some answers.. perhaps he doesn't need to be euthanized

[CatfishSoup]

i have read soo many things about offing a fish, but i can never do it. a lot of people just say let it die naturally. which i sort of agree with. if you were siick, you would still want to live on as much as you can. i know im comparing a fish to a humans life, but either way. i usually let my fish fight on if i cant do anything else. i have heard freezing them helps. it slows down their heart rate and they die. but then i also heard it is painful. i dunno there are soo many mixed reviews i really dnt know. i have heard people say alcohol, but then they bleed out of their scales or something like that. i dunno.

[spillie]

If you do decide to euthenize, you might check at Boots or another pharmacy--clove oil is usually sold for help with toothaches. You may not see it on shelves, but the pharmacist should know/may have it begind the counter. I agree that freezing is not the kindest way.

If he's still eating, though, he may come out of this. When I had a fish die this past summer from an ulcer, he was fine for weeks despite the hole in his side, and then he stopped eating. A few days later he died. But I have had a sick fish recently who, despite pineconing terribly, never stopped eating and has come through it. I had another SBD fish who got sick and who stopped eating for a few days, then started again and came out of it-she was floating at the top 100%, but now can swim down and about pretty normally (though she still floats at rest--she has a long term problem).

It's hard to say what the underlying problem is--it may be related to water quality or an infection or something, but it's hard to guess at that--Did you see questions at the top of the emergency/diagnosis page? If you'd fill tha out and can maybe provide a pic, someone might have experience to share that will help. But in the meantime, if you decide to wait and see, I'd think 50% temp-matched (and dechlorinated) water change is always a good idea as a first course of action when a fish is poorly.

[Helen]

[*]Test Results for the Following:

[*]Ammonia Level?

[*]Nitrite Level?

[*]Nitrate level?

[*]Ph Level, Tank (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)?

[*]Ph Level, Tap (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)?

[*]Brand of test-kit used and whether strips or drops?

[*]Water temperature?

[*]Tank size (how many gals.) and how long has it been running?

[*]What is the name and size of the filter(s)?

[*]How often do you change the water and how much?

[*]How many fish in the tank and their size?

[*]What kind of water additives or conditioners?

[*]What do you feed your fish and how often?

[*]Any new fish added to the tank?

[*]Any medications added to the tank?

[*]Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt," bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus?

[*]Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, etc.?

[Lola_Granola]

I agree with Stakos! Giving him a fighting chance is the best thing you could do for him! There are so many knowledgeable people here who are happy to help you diagnose and possibly treat your finned friend.

I'm hoping you can turn things around for him so you don't have to go to the chemist!

[caitie]

Yes please don't euthanize just yet. If you answer the questions Helen mentioned someone might be able to help. Swim bladder is not necessarily fatal, the fish can recover or at least recover sufficiently to live a long happy life.

Edited November 15, 2010 by caitie

[Captain Findus Goldfish]

I agree with Helen and Edith. As long as any creature eats, I am against the idea of putting it to sleep.

[Iheartfishies1172]

hi Nevakonaza,

is it really necessary to euthanize this fish? swim bladder is not a terminal illness in most cases.. have you tried fasting him for 2 days and then feeding him peas with some epsom??

how long has he been with swim bladder, just the 3 days or more? do you have any pictures of him? what are your nitrAte readings? there are many factors that could be causing him to behave this way.. please get back to us with some answers.. perhaps he doesn't need to be euthanized

Seconded. You can still save this fish!

SBD can be water quality related.

It's not really fatal in and of it self and can be treated pretty easily.

There are fish with SBD that can live happy (if upside down) lives.

[Helen]

hi Nevakonaza,

how is your fish today? did you manage to gather any of the requested information? we'd love to help you nurse your fish to better health.. please post back with some information..

[fruitloop1]

To be honest, it may sound graphic

but I read the link and rapping it in a paper towel and smacking it against a stone step would kill it, and to make sure insert a pin into its head

[Helen]

To be honest, it may sound graphic

but I read the link and rapping it in a paper towel and smacking it against a stone step would kill it, and to make sure insert a pin into its head

that is really bad advice in my opinion.. if you care to read the posting in the threads before you offer such advice, you will see that we are trying to educate this member that the problem the fish has is treatable and not fatal. please be a more careful and read threads properly before posting.

[Captain Findus Goldfish]

rapping it in a paper towel and smacking it against a stone step would kill it, and to make sure insert a pin into its head

that's ridiculous and cruel.

[fruitloop1]

To be honest, it may sound graphic

but I read the link and rapping it in a paper towel and smacking it against a stone step would kill it, and to make sure insert a pin into its head

that is really bad advice in my opinion.. if you care to read the posting in the threads before you offer such advice, you will see that we are trying to educate this member that the problem the fish has is treatable and not fatal. please be a more careful and read threads properly before posting.

This sounds graphic but does not cause the fish pain

[Helen]

To be honest, it may sound graphic

but I read the link and rapping it in a paper towel and smacking it against a stone step would kill it, and to make sure insert a pin into its head

that is really bad advice in my opinion.. if you care to read the posting in the threads before you offer such advice, you will see that we are trying to educate this member that the problem the fish has is treatable and not fatal. please be a more careful and read threads properly before posting.

This sounds graphic but does not cause the fish pain

again!.. i will bring to your attention that we are trying to educate the member in SAVING the fish rather than KILLING it from this HIGHLY TREATABLE PROBLEM.. and i ask again that you READ threads PROPERLY before you offer any advice.

[Captain Findus Goldfish]

even if it was about euthanizing. I don't think shocking a fish by taking him out of the water and wrapping him in a towel and whacking him around is a very peaceful way to go.

[fruitloop1]

I am very sorry If I have offended anybody, I have just read all the posts and realised, hang on, we are trying to save this fish, I thought [when I posted] we were trying to kill the fish without causing pain [and if that was the case I still stand by my suggestion]

updated advice: Fishes can naturally heal themselves, give him time, maybe a couple of weeks, take it to yout vet and get a second opinion

[Sakura]

Hey fruitloop, I'm glad you realized this thread has become about saving the fish rather than killing it humanely. However, I honestly think the suggestion to smack the fish against concrete (or something similar) is not the most humane method of euthanasia for a fish. Sure it may work, but I think there is just too much stress on the fish and too much room for error (what if you didn't hit hard enough, etc). A fish is easily stressed when handled and when removed from the water. The clove oil method is recommended by vets, and is actually the most humane way that is widely available to the average hobbyist. It allows the fish to remain in the water and stay comfortable. The fish is simply overdosed with an anesthetic which is a much more peaceful and pain-free way to go.

Also, I think it's very unlikely that the original poster's fish will heal itself naturally from this as you say. Yes, fish have natural defenses, but sometimes they do need us to intervene when their natural defenses fail. Goldfish have very weak natural defenses anyway because of inbreeding to get them to look the way they do.

[Iheartfishies1172]

Hey fruitloop, I'm glad you realized this thread has become about saving the fish rather than killing it humanely. However, I honestly think the suggestion to smack the fish against concrete (or something similar) is not the most humane method of euthanasia for a fish. Sure it may work, but I think there is just too much stress on the fish and too much room for error (what if you didn't hit hard enough, etc). A fish is easily stressed when handled and when removed from the water. The clove oil method is recommended by vets, and is actually the most humane way that is widely available to the average hobbyist. It allows the fish to remain in the water and stay comfortable. The fish is simply overdosed with an anesthetic which is a much more peaceful and pain-free way to go.

Also, I think it's very unlikely that the original poster's fish will heal itself naturally from this as you say. Yes, fish have natural defenses, but sometimes they do need us to intervene when their natural defenses fail. Goldfish have very weak natural defenses anyway because of inbreeding to get them to look the way they do.

Seconded!

[Nevakonaza]

So sorry for my late reply,ive been very busy.....unfurtunatly i lost him

I knew before i went to work last night he wouldnt make it through the night

he just lied there lifeless and his gills not moving,if i went close to the tank though and tapped it he would breathe for a few seconds then stop again....but i got nothing this morning.

Edited November 17, 2010 by Nevakonaza

[Helen]

i am sorry to hear that.. hugs to you