"Discus ethics" - guidelines for beginner hobbyists

[Marksor]

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=3972;start=0

One issue I struggle with daily is when to "get rid" of fish, and when to hold on to them, despite their health problems. When I say "get rid", I mean either dispose/cull the fish, sell them to a LFS etc.

My situation is described in detail at the link above, here is the short version:
> 3 of my eight Discus are "problem" fish
>> two are runts, one also has a bad eye, the other often gets picked on by others and hides
>> the third fish is a picky eater, will only eat bloodworms, and is a slow eater (i.e. the others get more food). His body profile is thinner than the others.

All 8 fish have "Hole in the Head" scars, the result of a bad dose of Hexamita and Capillaria.

Where the "ethics" come in is around how to handle the 3 problem fish - i.e. there are arguments to keep them around, so that the others have fish to chase/feud with. But, at the same time, the fish can be a pain in the butt because of picky eating habits and costs associated with more Meds (i.e. treatment for cloudy eyes).

Any thoughts/suggestions on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Carol_Roberts]

Re:"Discus ethics" - guidelines for beginner hobbyists

Hi Mark:

Personally I wouldn't keep them. The sick ones may harbor parasites and they take up valuable tank space you could use for better quality fish.

We've all had beginner fish. Perhaps you could find homes for any that are small and healthy, but I would destroy the sickly ones :-\ It gets to the point where you've done everthing you can and it's just not going to get any better.

Carol

[BlueTurquoise]

Re:"Discus ethics" - guidelines for beginner hobbyists

Yes I have considered this myself with mine. I will think about it before the Discus show in March. I may buy a whole new group to start with as mine are chronicly unhealthy.

It is very hard to give away your first and favourite fish but alass... it just isn't worth the effort that you put into them.

Chong

[Jeffery_Doty]

Re:"Discus ethics" - guidelines for beginner hobbyists

Hello Mark,

I agree with Carol on this one. There comes a time to do what is best, even if we don't want to. I personally put the discus in a bag of water, and then into a brown bag, and then into the freezer. As their temp. drops they slowly go to sleep and pass away. A much better solution than watching them suffer in our tanks and die slowly over several weeks or even months, in my opinion. I also think it is much better for the other fish in the tank, not to be around sick or dying fish. A good reason to have a spare hospital tank.

Good luck.

Jeff
Oregon

[Rod Coleman]

Re:"Discus ethics" - guidelines for beginner hobbyists

Considering ethics, I think it's kinder to put a fish down swiftly. Freezing a tropical fish could well be an agonising, prolonged experience - clearly, we can never know.

Anaesthetise with clove oil then whack on the head.

Regards,

Rod Coleman