Tetra troubles

I've had my aquarium for 4 years and had several fish die, but my Glo-Light
tetra seems to be dying and I'm not sure why. He's been in my tank for 2
years and has never demonstrated any signs of illness, but I found him at
the bottom of my tank desperately trying to swim around, but still stuck at
the bottom. If I try to push him a little bit with a small net, he can get
off the gravel, but then falls back down again. I have a 6 gallon Eclipse
System 6 with a heater, carbon filter cartridge, and a Bio-Wheel. I've
gotten the fish into a hospital "bucket" with fresh water, dechlorinated,
and a small supply of food. I'm debating whether or not to use a
tetracycline tablet, which is a wide-spectrum antibiotic that has worked in
the past. Help would be appreciated.

On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 23:37:46 +0000, Jack Underwood wrote:

Sorry, never mind. Fish died 3 hours later.


Very sorry to hear that, it happens to all of us. I had to put 2 down the
past 3 weeks. A betta and a spotted cory. It sucks.

Tom

what method do you use to euthanize them?

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 07:02:04 -0600, Margolis wrote:

what method do you use to euthanize them?


Here's how *I* did it and he (A cory) didn't "seem" to be in much if any
pain based on his movements or lack there of.

Got a small bowl with cold water from the tap. Placed fish gently in,
he did not freak out about it. Added one ice cube. Waited a few minutes,
he stopped breathing. Placed in freezer overnight. Fish ice cube. I felt
bad but it was for the best I guess. I think this is how I'll do them all
in the future unless I hear of another way that I feel might be better.

Tom

I've used the ice method myself before, but even that isn't the best I don't
think. I was just curious to see if you maybe used a better method that I
didn't know about. thanks

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

Originally Posted by Tom Randy

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 07:02:04 -0600, Margolis wrote:

what method do you use to euthanize them?


Here's how *I* did it and he (A cory) didn't "seem" to be in much if any
pain based on his movements or lack there of.

Got a small bowl with cold water from the tap. Placed fish gently in,
he did not freak out about it. Added one ice cube. Waited a few minutes,
he stopped breathing. Placed in freezer overnight. Fish ice cube. I felt
bad but it was for the best I guess. I think this is how I'll do them all
in the future unless I hear of another way that I feel might be better.

TheWizardHunter



Tom

Many people use this way but do not realise that is is a slow and torturing
death for the fish. The quickest and most humane way to euthanize a fish is
to remove it as quickly as posible from the tank, place it onto a board of
some sort and sever the spinal column just behide the head with a very sharp
knife by pressing down hard and quickly. Death is instantaniuos and the fish
doesn't suffer. As drastic as this might sound it is the quickest and most humane.

thewizardhunter wrote:
Tom Randy Wrote:
On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 07:02:04 -0600, Margolis wrote:
-
what method do you use to euthanize them?-


Here's how *I* did it and he (A cory) didn't "seem" to be in much
if
any pain based on his movements or lack there of.
[the ice method]
TheWizardHunter



Tom

Many people use this way but do not realise that is is a slow and
torturing death for the fish. The quickest and most humane way to
euthanize a
fish is to remove it as quickly as posible from the tank, place it
onto a
board of some sort and sever the spinal column just behide the head
with a
very sharp knife by pressing down hard and quickly. Death is
instantaniuos
and the fish doesn't suffer. As drastic as this might sound it is the

quickest and most humane.


--
thewizardhunter

I'll mostly second what Thewizardhunter says about decapitation. I
have often used a variant of it, instead of the ice method.

The reason is that death from ice is NOT instantaneous, and we are
simply not sure if the fish is in distress/pain; a fish *showing* no
signs of pain or distress is not necessarily comfortable. Period. For
me, this rules the method out a priori.

The way I kill my fish (which have been for the most part small fish)
is to smash the fish's head to smithereens with a hammer, in one blow.
This is less risky to me than cutting and is harder to botch to boot.
I can be a lot more imprecise with the hammer than with the knife,
while still killing instantaneously. I don't even need to take the
fish out of the net.


--Trapper

"thewizardhunter" wrote
in message .com...

Tom Randy Wrote:
On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 07:02:04 -0600, Margolis wrote:
-
what method do you use to euthanize them?-


Here's how *I* did it and he (A cory) didn't "seem" to be in much if
any
pain based on his movements or lack there of.

Got a small bowl with cold water from the tap. Placed fish gently in,
he did not freak out about it. Added one ice cube. Waited a few
minutes,
he stopped breathing. Placed in freezer overnight. Fish ice cube. I
felt
bad but it was for the best I guess. I think this is how I'll do them
all
in the future unless I hear of another way that I feel might be
better.

TheWizardHunter


Okay, to me this just seems like someone freezing to death in the Antarctic,
yet I've never heard it it before. But I don't like the sound of it.




Tom

Many people use this way but do not realise that is is a slow and
torturing
death for the fish. The quickest and most humane way to euthanize a
fish is
to remove it as quickly as posible from the tank, place it onto a board
of
some sort and sever the spinal column just behide the head with a very
sharp
knife by pressing down hard and quickly. Death is instantaniuos and the
fish
doesn't suffer. As drastic as this might sound it is the quickest and
most humane.


--
thewizardhunter

I've heard that this is the quickest and most painless way, but most of the
time
I just come down to ceck filters, feed fish, etc, and the fish is just...
there,
lying on the bottom, dead, so I've never gotten a chance to at least try to
euthanize them
if they're lying there, gasping for air and generally white or see-through.
Plus, I'm too
squeamish to euthanize a fish, even if they don't give any indication of
pain.

"thewizardhunter" wrote
in message .com...
Many people use this way but do not realise that is is a slow and
torturing
death for the fish. The quickest and most humane way to euthanize a
fish is
to remove it as quickly as posible from the tank, place it onto a board
of
some sort and sever the spinal column just behide the head with a very
sharp
knife by pressing down hard and quickly. Death is instantaniuos and the
fish
doesn't suffer. As drastic as this might sound it is the quickest and
most humane.

Eew, no! I couldn't bring myself to do that!

Clove oil is the accepted humane method:

"The clove oil must be dissolved in alcohol to allow it to dissolve into the
water. I use vodka. Using
too much vodka will increase the discomfort to the fish, so measure
carefully. If you feel you
must increase the dosage, increase the clove oil only. Leave the fish in the
solution for at least a
couple of hours. Clove oil is a very safe sedative and fish have been known
to revive after an hour
in the solution.
Have a gallon of tank water in a bucket and put the fish in it. In another
container, mix 2-3 ml clove
oil with 8 mls vodka. Pour the clove oil mixture in and mix a little. The
fish will be unconscious
within minutes. I've never had any struggle or distress."

From the fish-a-holics web site.

Oz


--
My Aquatic web Blog is at http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith

"Ozdude" wrote in message
...


Clove oil is the accepted humane method:

"The clove oil must be dissolved in alcohol to allow it to dissolve into
the
water. I use vodka. Using
too much vodka will increase the discomfort to the fish, so measure
carefully. If you feel you
must increase the dosage, increase the clove oil only. Leave the fish in
the
solution for at least a
couple of hours. Clove oil is a very safe sedative and fish have been
known
to revive after an hour
in the solution.
Have a gallon of tank water in a bucket and put the fish in it. In another
container, mix 2-3 ml clove
oil with 8 mls vodka. Pour the clove oil mixture in and mix a little. The
fish will be unconscious
within minutes. I've never had any struggle or distress."

From the fish-a-holics web site.

Oz



thanks, that does sound a little more peaceful.

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq