Can fish really feel your stress when you are fishing?

How to euthanize a beta fish?

• A few minutes ago I had to euthanize my beta fish (siamese fighting fish) who had a broken back. He came this way from the pet store and I finally decided to put him down after a year when he started floating 90% of the time on his side at the top of the tank. He seemed to get weaker over time due to the stress of not being able to swim straight. His last months occured during the winter so the water temp dropped as low as 65F some nights despite my best efforts to keep him in the warmest part of my house - the bedroom. Now that it is spring, he is still not as active as he should be. I searched and read many many posts, including the answers given here at yahoo answers. None of the information was accurate although it was helpful. Most of the information was hearsay and not actual testimonials. I am posting my experience here so that there will be documentation of my experience. Please feel free to add your own answers if you think it will help the public with this tough decision. The experience here is for tropical fish, NOT salt water or large fish like Koi. I used the clove and vodka method. First of all, it took over an hour to arrive at what was the correct dosage of clove tincture (not oil) to cause my fish to hibernate or be anesthetized so that he wouldn't feel the burning pain of the vodka. Almost every resource I read suggested Clove Oil. Oil does not mix with water so that is a totally inappropriate choice. I suspect people were simply using the improper term since clove oil is used for massage therapy. I used Clove tincture (alcohol and water based) from Sprouts Grocery Store since it is food grade. Because the alcohol in tincture can burn and cause pain if too strong, I was careful to add it gradually until my fish passed out. Because he floats on the water it was hard to tell when he was asleep. Moving the large vase I had him in and tapping on it was the only way to see if he was awake. I mixed two droppers of clove tincture in a glass measuring cup full with purified water. It took almost two cups added to the liter of water in the vase to fully anesthetize him. When the right amount was added he swam quickly, obviously in some discomfort around the vase before resuming his floating position. I don't see how this stress can be avoided because alcohol obviously is going to burn. I think the key is that the low level in the tincture is certainly not as painful as pure vodka. Had I had to do it over again, I would slowly pour and stir the entire cup of diluted clove tincture into the vase over a 10 minute period until the fish started becoming agagitatedhen I would stop. I don't like agagitationut in the case of a fish who can't swim normally, there was no other indicator since his gills operated normally up until I added enough to cause his agitation symptom. If one has a fish that can swim normally, then the indicator would be the fish floating to the top or sinking to the bottom asleep. It only took under 10 seconds of erratic swimming before he passed out. He exhibited no other symptoms to indicate he was in pain (scale or fin color change, gasping, bulging eyes, etc.) I read that the anesthetic effects might only last 10 minutes, so I immediately poured him into a net and dropped him into a small canning jar that contained about half a cup of 100 proof vodka. There was no struggle because he was apparently unconscious and hopefully already expired. That was comforting. I decided to wait at least 10 minutes of immersion in the vodka before pronouncing him dead and burying him. An hour ended up going by before I put him to rest.

• Answer:

  Clove OIL does work, and it works better. The key is you have to emulsify it first. You take the amount of clove oil you will be using, and put it in a small seal-able container, like a baby food jar or a pill bottle. Add some tank water to the container so it is about 3/4th of the way full. Close it and shake it hard and fast. You should end up with a white, cloudy mixture that you can add to the water that your fish is in. I've had to do this, and it works really well, and the fish never showed any signs of discomfort. I like http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-most-humane-way-to-euthanize-a-fish.htm site to help explain exactly what to do. Flushing, while easy on the humans, is horrible to the fish. First you have a temperature shock, then they slowly burn to death, not only from the outside but from the inside too, from the chlorine, feces, and all other kinds of junk thats down there. You wouldn't drop a puppy in an outhouse to kill it, you shouldn't flush your live fish. Honestly if you can handle it, a sharp knife and a strong will can be a decent option. Easier to do on bigger fish though. Removing them from the water can be stressful on them, so can someone who can't cut swiftly and surely. Not a method for everyone. For smaller fish, some people will suggest putting them in the freezer, but some of the more recent studies have said they may feel pain as water crystals form in their bodies.