what is the best way to put down a suffering fish?

[Angelfish12]

I use to freeze them, but i just found out now that they could feel that. I feel really bad about that and i need another way to put them down. (my betta has dropsy)

[Crissyloach]

There is a sticky on the fish health & treatment page. It is called Euthanasia- when all else fails. I would check the clove oil method.

[ahmandi2]

Hi,
I recently started the hobby (fish of course . We had a huge disaster rip through our tanks, and had many fish die. My two girls, betta's, were not dead but they were on their way out, suffering.
I read the sticky on this site. It is VERY informative. I went to rite aid and bought the clove oil (it's called Euthanol or something, it is used as a toothache aid!). It is sold in drugstores . It aint cheap, but our little friends are worth the cost.
I was horrified to see that after using too much on my first fish, it thrashed about before passing out...so, use the exact amounts, the fish will just slowly, gently pass out and you can finish them off in whatever way you think is best...even the clove oil will kill them if you add enough afterwards.
It SUCKED, and I cried like a baby, but I felt a million times better because the clove oil method really seems to be the least horrific way to go about it.
The ONLY bad part, for me, is that I'm not sure I'll ever be able to bake delicious fall/winter deserts again, since so many of the recipes call for...cloves (((.
Good luck,
Amanda

[Angelfish12]

Oh, im sorry to hear about your bettas!! It is really hard putting a fish down. I felt really bad when i discovered freezing them was TORTURE. I had no idea, and i hope i wont be cursed . Does anyone know a way to put a fish down that doesnt cost anything? I was scared when i read that people smashed their fish with a hammer, or sliced its head off. I could never ever do that. My female betta is still alive, but shes really bloating now. I dont think she has very long. I moved her out of my 55g into a 2gallon tank. (which has no heater, yet.) That probly wasnt a good idea but I wanted to get her out of there. I got her from petco a week or two ago. Shes still very young, maby a couple months old. the dropsy might have happend when they cared for her at petco, and then she must have been stressed alot when she got home. She wasnt eating very much and always hid in the corner. I didnt think much of it at the time, but i realized some of her scales were poking outward.

[ahmandi2]

If you trust Petco, that is. Take her back to them. They will accept her, for an exchange, (though I'd recommend against that!). however, once there I have no idea what they will do to "euthanize" her...but it will be quicker and less personally agonizing than keeping her, and possibly just watching her fade....it's such a hard decision, I feel you.
I could be totally wrong with this advice, but I'm trying to think of what I would do in that situation....
Hopefully someone with more experience can weigh in here. Some people say vodka can end their lives after the clove oil sedates them...but I don't know what the vodka does and I assume it's nasty and painful, hence the clove oil treatment.
Well.....best wishes, for you and your little gal. I know you'll do everything you can to do right by her!!!

[Angelfish12]

Thank you so much for the advice, I never thought of returning her. I would liek to get another one there . There so pretty at petco, n oother petstore has them like that. Shes in really bad shape this morning (I took a picture)






I think I will just hope that they would take good care of her untill she goes. I will miss her so much She was my first female betta. She has so much personality and loves to swim as fast as she can. She really loved the dried blood worms.

Kelly,

[ahmandi2]

Kelly,
The females are so awesome, such personalities!! She does look pretty bad...can't tell if her fins are furled up, but even so she does not look healthy. At least she got to have some NOM NOM blood worms and good love while you had her!
And one thing that I finally realized...by the time we see the Bettas, wherever they are in retail, they are full adults. Perhaps past their prime. So getting one that will last a long time is extremely rare, even with the BEST conditions; the prettier they are with finnage, the older. Makes sense, right? But that doesn't mean we should give up; I had one that lived 2 years .
I just named my male even though he's been here for 3 or 4 weeks...didn't want to name him and then lose him, the way I did the females....
I named him Sid . Cause he's vicious ..
best fishes,
Amanda

[ahmandi2]

Kelly,
Sorry I just realized what you said about her age; I totally didn't see that earlier! I guess I'm pretty wrong about how old they are when they're finally in a retail setting...heh now I know

[Angelfish12]

Well i could be wrong. But shes A LOT LOT smalelr than my 3-4 year old male. shes probbly half an inch long. Ive seen a lot of old ones too. Are the females smalelr than the males? I never thought of that. :/

Haha my female bettas name is bella (from twilight) and my male bettas name is Edward (also from twilight) They have a huge age difference though, i doubt even if she wasnt sick they could breed

[ahmandi2]

I think that in general, the males are quite a bit larger than the females...if only because they're being bred for bigger, stronger, finnier males all the time..so the bodies of course are bigger too...
Naturally they are bigger, it's scary to watch (I youtube it) them spawn....the male is SO much grander than the female...but I guess in fish world, that doesn't matter, they still mostly get babies ...
are you able to take her to pet store today? Even if you have to take it to some other place that sells pets, if they're closer, or petsmart isn't open, just ask them to take her. It should be no big deal for anyone who has fish in their store...it's the human thing to do, right?
Team Edward lol

[Angelfish12]

I am exchanging her today, at least im pretty sure. They only have a 15 day return/exchange, and today turns out to be the 15th day

It is a little creepy how they are huge.
Yeah team edward!!

[Angelfish12]

This is the new girl.




I feel a little bad about bella. Would it be possible she was just bloating from eggs!? Her scales were popin a but but..is that possible!?

[ahmandi2]

Hi there,
First of all, your new gal is LOVELY .
As for Bella, I am so under-qualified to even answer that question...I don't think it was normal eggishness, she really looked BAD, bloated, is the first thing that came to my mind.
Don't second guess it, if you just go by instinct, then I think you did the absolute right thing...and when it comes down to it, until we're experts, instinct is all we have!
Is your new girl an opaque? A cellophane? She looks really white..which is my DREAM Betta!!!

[Angelfish12]

It took me like 30 minutes to pick a female out. They werent as pretty as bella. I couldnt just take a plain red or blue. One of the males were dead
She caught my attention though, with the little black patches on her mouth and tail. She a lot bigger than bella though :/ I put her in my hospital tank with a heater, so I an observer her before I add her in my 55g. She likes to hide a lot and that kind of scares me

[Angelfish12]

I am so angry and upset right now....
I walk into my local petstore ( i guess i shouldnt give the name..)

AND I SEE MY OLD BETTA... SHE LOOKS LIKE A RECK. THEY NEVER PUT HER DOWN AND HER FINS ARE ALL STICKING UP.

I felt like puking.... I feel so sad for her, I wanted to buy her again and put her down.. but i didnt want the mto make money...I am so disapointed and angry at them.