Easiest way to "let them go"?

[cooksa]

I got home from work to find my favorite little guy (horribly stunted and deformed) tail standing and just kind of floating around with the water current. His ventral fins are also now gone. Being the smallest, he is the one to normally get picked on by the alpha, and I believe my "pair" is looking to drop some more escargot.

I do believe he's too far gone to try to save him. I'm certainly willing to try if anyone has any ideas, but if you saw him I think you'd all agree. I did move him to his own 10gal that only has 2 small plants in it hoping to keep him comfortable and away from the bully.

So if anyone has ideas on the most humane way to let him go I'd appreciate the info.

[cooksa]

Going back in to plug in the filter (one of those plastic corner ones) he didn't look like he was doing too bad. He's not dark and is still trying to move around the best he can. Maybe there is a chance for him? Any ideas?

[Jennie]

can u post a picture of him

[Ibenu]

maybe Lots of fresh water and tons of time? Plus favourite foods of course:)

Over dose of clove oil( after being placed in small bucket of tank water shake a good slosh of clove oil with warm water till milky, slowly add to bucket-- fish appears to go to sleep, then add remainder--fish will stop breathing all together....) seems to make it be a quick painless passing from my experience.... (hope that's not controversial here)

Good luck to you this is a sad time...

[cooksa]

They're phone pics, with no lighting on the tank, but... http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x144/fozzie04/6f2f9202.jpg

You can see his deformity here: ventral fins on one side of his body, one eye sticks out farther than the other, only uses one gill, etc. But he got himself upright! And he's still my favorite!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x144/fozzie04/b9ae883c.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x144/fozzie04/1582e6db.jpg

[William Palumbo]

For larger fish, I place in a large plastic container filled with aquarium water, and put in my freezer. Small to mid-sized fish are slammed quickly to the basement floor. Quick and fast, tho messy with larger Discus. Sounds cruel, but works...Bill

[Jennie]

Give him a chance, see how he is tomorrow.

[William Palumbo]

Put him down!...Do both of you a favor...Bill

[Jennie]

Spoken like a true chicagoan.



Put him down!...Do both of you a favor...Bill

[William Palumbo]

That fish is WAY beyond saving. It was dead a LONG time ago, it just aint quit swimming yet. With fin deformaties, it should have been culled by the breeder from the start...Bill

[Jennie]

I suppose, it's easy for me to say give it a chance, but really have put down fish with less problems than that. Like you told me once, It's not worth it when the meds are double what the fish cost.

[deepflyball]

Just flush them down the stool.

Jerry

[William Palumbo]

I hate culling fish for whatever reason. I'm not into killing things because they are less than perfect. I'm not perfect...nowhere near it. Hell, in the scope of things, I'm a cull! I don't like killing things. I don't like playing God. But it needs to be done. As a breeder you need to be responsible in what you release into the market, and as a hobbyist, you owe it to your fish to put them out of their misery when they are too far gone...A necessary evil...Bill

[danny2013]

Ice water?

[Eddie]

Garden is the easiest way.

[William Palumbo]

LOL Eddie...is where they usually wind up. Great Bonsai fertilizer!...Bill

[Jennie]

i'm sure the op is mortified by you two! :D

[William Palumbo]

I think the OP knew the answer to her own question before she posted it...Bill

[danny2013]

It is your decision but if i was in your position I would euthanize the fish.

[cooksa]

Oh no. Not mortified at all! I actually prefer outright honesty. :D I know what has to be done. I sort of had hope for him when I saw how much better he was in the other tank. I'll just have to have my brother come over while I'm at work to do it. I'm too soft when it comes to my pets.

I agree, Bill, "Phishy" should have been culled. I truthfully didn't notice he was deformed until a year after I had him. (Yes, he's about two) And hell, I don't really know any better. He was happy and otherwise healthy until today.

Watching the other discus, I think it was the male of my "pair" who got to him. They're acting like they may be dropping off some caviar in the near future and he's going crazy on the fish that come near their chosen spot. All the more reason for me to get them into the 90gal, I guess.

So the easiest way to do it is to have someone else do it for yah! Works for me!

[William Palumbo]

Make sure your brother culls the right one!...Bill

[Jhhnn]

MS222, finquel, is regarded as the most humane euthanasia method. It's also useful to anesthetize fish for gill scrapings & etc- just don't leave fish in the stuff longer than necessary for 'em to quit breathing for anesthesia purposes, quickly return them to clean water or they'll go to sleep and never wake up...

Lacking that, I'd use clove oil as described...

If the part about one eye protruding more than the other is a recent development, he's almost certainly a goner, popeye being rarely anything other than fatal...

[cooksa]

So this morning I found another one with no ventral fins. He's still swimming fine, eating, and in full color. Though his stress bars were showing. He is the other one that is stunted. Not as bad as the first guy, and not deformed in any way, but stunted none the less. I moved him in to the 10gal with the other. I assume my brother will know which one is which.

Two questions now... Will this guys ventrals grow back? He still has some nubs there. Second, could I be dealing with something other than aggression from the male and/or bully?