Sick beta fish: to euthanize or not to euthanize?
My beta has been sick or at least lazy for a long time now…he eats when i put food in his tank but i dont see him move alot more than to eat or occasionally get air. he does alot of laying on the bottom on the tank on his tummy and it looks like his breathing is labored.
what does this sound like?
if he is in fact sick, i dont want him to suffer anymore, as i love animals…what is a HUMANE way to put down a beta fish?
i’ve heard pouring pop into the tank knocks fish out instantly because it takes the oxygen out of the water..
i feel so bad if he’s suffering 
he had been perfectly active until several months ago when he had this fit of like seizures it was very freaky…now he literally lays on his side in his bowl (which is kept warm) most of the day
i really love my fishy and i hope i dont have to put him down…i just think its bizarre that since those seizures he lays on his SIDE on the bottom of the tank
his bowl is warm ALL day under a appropriate sized heat lamp and kept very very clean, he doesnt sit in crap.
what i meant earlier was he lays on his SIDE most of the day.
Putting the Freeze on Sparkles
Freezing is a commonly used method for euthanizing warm water fish. To freeze your fish, freeze water in a small bag until the ice is slushy. Then place your fish in the water and continue to freeze it. The folks at Web Web Media advocate using the freezer but other people feel that this method must be somewhat discomforting to the fish. Out of all the “old-school” methods, this process seems most humane. The AVMA does not advocate freezing fish as an acceptable method of euthanasia; the only way they would approve of cooling would be to deep freeze an animal already under deep anesthesia.
Decapitation – Swift and Surely
The fish will probably feel something as you slice the knife in; even it is momentary pain. At least this method is quick (as long as you do not hesitate once you start the task). The AVMA believes that this can be acceptable as long as it is coupled with anesthesia to begin with.
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide can be used to euthanize fish. Alka Seltzer is a popular source for carbon dioxide to be released in water. This method may seem innocuous enough but most people who have used this method say that their fish thrashed around a little bit just as if the fish were out of water (here is one person’s story). You may need to decapitate or freeze the fish afterwards to ensure death. The AVMA supports this method and many universities advocate using this method as well (see the University of Washington’s Policy for Euthanasia for Fish Species). Dr. Craig Harms (http://www.petplace.com/fish/euthanasia-in-fish/page1.aspx) describes this method; 8 tablets of Alka Seltzer is required per gallon of water.
Snapping the Neck
Some people effectively snap the neck by hitting the fish over a hard surface or on the kitchen counter (covering the fish in a plastic bag first). Given that decapitation would be a more certain way of severing the neck, decapitation is a preferred method over “snapping” the neck.
GENTLER WAYS TO DEEP SIX THE FISH
In this part of the article, we will discuss other methods of euthanizing your fish. Most of these methods are much more common in the veterinarian/university setting than at home.
Death by Overdose with Anesthetics
Tricaine Methanesulfonate (TMS). This method is probably the most quoted by people with much experience in euthanizing fish humanely (i.e. for university experiments, etc.). TMS is also known as MS222 and commercially is known as Finquel. You can buy it from a pet supply store; Drs. Foster and Smith carry it; a bottle costs $24.99 plus shipping and handling. You can also buy this from PondRx ($14.99 plus shipping and handling for a 5 gram bottle) and Argent Labs. According to fish biologist Meyers’ blog, simply by doubling the regular dose that you would use to anesthetize the fish will euthanize it. This substance is FDA approved for anesthetizing and euthanizing fish; it is the only product that is FDA approved to anesthetize fish.
Benzocaine Hydrochloride is a drug requiring a veterinarian’s prescription; you cannot buy it over the shelf for your fish. The AVMA advocates the use of Benzocaine hydrochloride but not straight Benzocaine. Benzocaine is not water soluble and must be mixed in water with acetone or ethanol, both can irritate fish tissue.
Clove Oil/Vodka Method. Many fish keepers advocate using clove oil to anesthetize fish. You both anesthetize them first with the clover oil and dispatch the fish with another method or you give them such a strong concentration of clove oil that the clove oil alone will kill them. This article probably covers using the clove oil/vodka method is most detail: What is the Most Humane Way to Euthanize a Fish by wiseGeek.com. This process is not advocated by the AVMA in their 2000 report due to lack of research.
Death by Injection – Barbiturates
This is another humane way to kill fish as they will slip into unconsciousness first and then on to death. The problem with this method is you will find it difficult if not impossible to get your hands on it since it’s a controlled substance. Your vet may be able to do this for you. The AVMA advocate only using Sodium Phenobarbital as other barbiturates may cause pain when injected. Vets use this method all the time for animals that they must euthanize.
What to do with your Dearly Departed Pet?
Now that you have a dead fish on your hands, you could choose to bury them in your backyard (follow your local ordinances on the matter), wrap them up and throw them out with your regular trash, or contact your veterinarian and ask them to dispose of your fish for you.
awwwwww poor thing just say a prayer for it afterwards.
Seems like a normal fish to me…. If he’s been like that for a long time then maybe thats his personality. Lazy. Or he is just bored or something.
when are the water changes? are u using any frehswater salt? what is the water temp.
You didnt put the correct info down to tell if the fish is sick. often a slower betta is suffering due to cold water and poor water quality.
Me personally…. My fish room has a personal policy of never euthanizing fishes. While this may run into ethics alittle…..I have made it a policy that if the fish is going to fight to live, that i will do everything i can to help it. So i do not euthanize fishes.
BUT… if your fish is dieing, the best way is to add it to a freezer in a plasic bag so it goes quickly or by adding carbnated water like selzer to the water. These are the two acceptable ways by most fishkeepers.
Again i do not follow this philosophy but that is me personally…
And Again… it doesnt sound like your betta is sick with anything, just sounds like the expert care isnt there.
For more on bettas, please see my betta site http://www.bcaquatics.com
No need to euthanize the poor thing… he is just suffering because you probably don’t have him housed properly. If you have him in a tiny, unheated, unfiltered fishbowl, he is acting like this because he has nowhere to swim, and the water is too cold. Bettas are tropical fish that require temperatures between 76 and 83 degrees. When they are too cold, they will be almost motionless most of the time, and only move to eat. Email me if you have any questions.
Soop Nazi
EDIT: Bettas are surface dwellers, and should not spend the majority of their time on the bottom. If they do so, they are probably cold, or suffering ammonia poisoning. In a bowl, the water should be changed 2-3 times a week to remove the toxic ammonia from fish poop and extra food. Getting him a real tank with a filter would almost certainly save it (you would need to do water changes once a week instead of 2-3 times).
The behaviour you are describing sounds like regular behaviour for a betta, they are naturally bottom dwellers.
That sounds normal, but if you must EUTHANIZE it then feed it to your carnivorous fish or fish eating reptile
what size tank do you have he may not be getting enough oxygen. Also Bettas can get very lazy especcally in slow moving water. I would just keep an eye on him.
do a 20% water change weekly for a while and put an air stone in if you don’t have one.
warm most of the day? how? bowls are very hard to heat safely, which could be part of the problem, not to mention the other part of the day the water will get cold, such fluctuations are very stressing. it would better if you didn’t heat it at all really.
if you don’t want to put your fish down and you want your fish to be healthy then give it a proper home. it’s like keeping a dog in a little fenced in area when it’s cold out where he has to step in his own poop all the time and saying you’ll need to put him to sleep when he is sad. give him a proper home and he will be better.
you can make up excuses her but you and your fish are the ones who have to live (or die) with the truth.
What size tank/bowl is he in?
My betta, Monet was in a bowl and was acting very lethargic and lazy even though I was doing everything right. I got him a 2.5 gallon tank and it was like getting a whole new fish, then I gave him a live plant and wow! What a change. Hes so energetic and active now, and has grown, his color has gotten brighter and just overall seems healthier.
Maybe he is in too small of a tank/bowl and is just bored or doesnt have room to more?
If I were you, I wouldn’t try to euthanize my finned friend until trying a few ways to make him better… First, try checking the water for ammonia and pH. If those are out of whack, a pet store will have drops that can correct the problem.
Also, as strange as it sounds, to get your fish moving a little bit and see if you can encourage him to get his system in high gear, try putting a mirror near his tank for a few minutes (not for very long, and watch him closely.) My cousin used to get her betta riled up with this “fake opponent,” (since they’re so very territorial,) when he’d act lethargic, and it seemed to be just the thing to perk him up, even when he was getting to be around 5 years old and would go through stages of being very sickly seeming.
I’ve read that the reason this can work is that this agressive behavior gets their body into a defensive mode, and actually speeds up hormonal production and can often help them to fight disease. I know it sounds a bit odd, because it seems like an unnecessary stress, but look at it as an ego boost for your little buddy… he sees another male fish, gets riled up and does what it takes to chase him off, then this opponent vanishes (because you remove the mirror) and he knows he scared that other fish off!
If you do decide to put your fish down, there is actually evidence that a fish which is frozen can feel ice crystals form in its body and that this causes a great deal of pain for him. Also, I can tell you with great certainty that soda pop or Alka-Seltzer in the water won’t kill him, but will simply force him to strugle to get oxygen by gasping at the surface of the water.
You’ll first want to remove him from the tank in some of his own water in a small container, (because of course, you won’t want to have fish-killing chemicals remaining on gravel or ornaments should you get a new fishy.) There are several things you may then add to his water to put your fish to sleep. A first option, and probably a more expensive approach than others is to add an overdose of Finquel, an anesthetic used for fish. Alternatively, you can add some type of numbing agent… I’d suggest Clove Oil (you can buy it at any drugstore) mixed about 4 parts oil to one part tank water so the oil will disperse through the fish’s container, or a fair amount of Anbesol (that’s right, the numbing agent used for a toothache.) The numbing agent is likely to essentially drown the fish, but to ensure that he isn’t going to somehow wake up, it is said that adding some form of strong grain alcohol (like vodka) is the best way to ensure the death of a fish.
More information is available here:
Again though, if it were my fishy, I don’t think I’d euthanize him, but rather try to do whatever I could to make him more comfortable, if not help him recover.
Another Betta Question!!
Put it in a properly filtered tank with oxygen and a filter! Give it a heater! A consistant temperature! Feed it properly, give it somewhere to swim, give it something to look at! Get him a friend right next door so they can flair their gills at each other!!
Would you like to be housed in a Betta Bowl?????
I have a 4year old Betta!!! I have never lost a Betta! They are a goddam tropical fish!!!!!!!!!
Buy your betta a PROPER tank. At least 2.5 gallons with a filter set on the lowest flow setting and a heater adjusted to 78 degrees. Give him silk or real plants to swim through and over and a cave to hide in. Feed him a wide variety of foods, pellets, frozen, freeze dried, and live. Fast him for one day a week. Do regular tank maintenance and water changes and make sure the water is properly treated with dechlorinater and a touch of aquarium salt. Add in some Indian Almond Leaves or betta spa if you can find it. Do all these things and watch your little guy perk right up. I would bet money on it.