Euthanasia?

Ben jammin · Mar 31, 2014

Two and a half weeks ago I ordered three fish from Live Aquaria - a red coris wrasse, a fairy basslet, and a majestic angel. All were nice specimens, and the majestic angel was truly a beautiful fish. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get him to eat. I have tried everything but he has never shown any interest at all. He was otherwise healthy and active, just wouldn't eat. I called LA a few times to confirm what they had been feeding him, and on Friday night, the two week mark, I called again and they extended their warranty on him. When I got home from work today he was in a corner of the tank somewhat listless, then an hour later he had swum underneath one of my live rocks and was on his side breathing heavy, clearly weak and clinging to life.

Interestingly, my flame angel was hanging around him acting almost concerned - not to anthropomorphize too much, but he was going behind the majestic angel and repeatedly brushing him with his tail like he was trying to flush him out of the rock and get him swimming again. Eventually he did flush him out of the rock and I could see the majestic was noticeably thinner than even this morning and had lost a lot of color around his head. He was listless enough that I was able to net him without protest and I placed him in a breeder at the top of my tank to ensure he doesn't hide in the rock again where I won't be able to get him.

So now, the poor thing is in the breeder, slowly gasping at the surface for air and clearly about to pass on. He seems to be suffering and I'm wondering if there is a humane way I can put him out of his misery. Any suggestions, or do I just wait for nature to take it's course? I doubt he'll make it through the night.

Incidentally, I called Live Aquaria to tell them what was going on and they already gave me a full refund for the fish. Considering he was almost $200 that is some serious customer service - I will definitely not hesitate to buy from them again. But right now my kids and I are sad about poor Bandit and just wondering what we can do for him. :sad:

Squishie89 · Mar 31, 2014

If you can get your hands on Clove Oil you can use that to either put him to sleep (and then kill him) or give him a lot and he will pass away. Unfortunately the quickest way and most humane would be to crush his head quickly. If you put him to sleep, you can then either crush him or put him in the freezer. https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-discussion/136025-most-humane-euthanization-help.html I hope this helps

SloppyJ · Apr 1, 2014

That's sad.

Ben jammin · Apr 1, 2014

It really is. I think (hope) we all feel a sense of responsibility for these fish that we pluck from the ocean and ship halfway around the world for our own enjoyment. My kids and I name all our fish and consider them part of the family, each with their own personality. We had a bout of ick on a newly introduced puffer a while back that we successfully treated with copper, but we have never actually lost a fish before and it feels like we failed him.

I don't have any clove oil and don't know where I could get some at this hour of night. I don't have the heart (or stomach) to bash his head in and my daughter would be devastated. I read about the freezing method but it seems like that may be inhumane. I feel like I'm stuck, at least till I can get clove oil which probably won't be in time.

Mike in CT · Apr 1, 2014

If you are able to get clove oil (maybe a 24 hour pharmacy ??? Just a heads up .... The pharmacist where I went told me he did not think they carried it in the store, but I found it myself In the dental section ) I forget theBrit Floyd at oakdale 2014 exact formula but I put the fish in a smaller container so you can concentrate the clove oil and add drops till the is rendered unconscious, then I added vodka to the water and this finally puts the fish out of its misery. I found this formula online but it was years ago. It worked but please research because it was years ago and I could be forgetting something . Sorry about your fish. It is tough seeing an animal suffer.