Hello, I wonder if anyone could advise me what to do with my Lionhead fish. It has been living life upside down for at least 6 months. Sometimes it hangs near the surface, other times lays on the bottom. I have tried all sorts of remedies you can buy from aquatic shops but nothing has made a difference. My other fish are fine, but this fish is now finding it difficult to eat as he can't much control his swimming. His quality of life is poor and i'm wondering if and how you can euthanize fish, cause I feel it is cruel to leave him as he is. Any suggestions welcome.
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Upside down Lionhead fish
- Thread starter cobbybear
- Start Date
i have kept various fancy goldfish for about 5 years now and have experienced what you are describing. i believe the fish is swimming like that because of problems with his swim bladder. unfortunately i don't think there is anything that can be done to rectify this.
there are ways of euthanizing but personally i wouldn't attempt these. a swift blow to the head is considered one of them, putting them in the freezer another. i have taken sick fish to my local (trusted) aquatic centre and they have been able to humanely put the fish to sleep.
it's very sad to see your fish get sick. the first one i lost was a lionhead, pudgy was his name. he was a real character too. i now have just 2 fancys, both fantails and these 2 have been problem free so far, but i feel they all can be prone to the same issues due to inbreeding or forced breeding.
let us know what you decide to do.
there are ways of euthanizing but personally i wouldn't attempt these. a swift blow to the head is considered one of them, putting them in the freezer another. i have taken sick fish to my local (trusted) aquatic centre and they have been able to humanely put the fish to sleep.
it's very sad to see your fish get sick. the first one i lost was a lionhead, pudgy was his name. he was a real character too. i now have just 2 fancys, both fantails and these 2 have been problem free so far, but i feel they all can be prone to the same issues due to inbreeding or forced breeding.
let us know what you decide to do.
It does sound like a swim bladder problem... I have 2 fancy fantails right now but they're healthy as horses and have been through basically EVERYTHING (ie: moving several times plus I had gotten very sick when in college and had to be brought home immediately so they lived in less-than-perfect tank conditions for a little, but they were champs)
Here's a site I've used to look up stuff about sick fish though - maybe it contains something you haven't seen before....
http://www.angelfire.com/blues/fish_...adderprob.html
Good luck. I know someone had suggested to me when I recently had a sick tetra that putting it in a bag and smacking it really hard against the wall is the "best" way to euthanize, but I couldn't do it - the fish passed on its own... I would have put it in the freezer though...
Here's a site I've used to look up stuff about sick fish though - maybe it contains something you haven't seen before....
http://www.angelfire.com/blues/fish_...adderprob.html
Good luck. I know someone had suggested to me when I recently had a sick tetra that putting it in a bag and smacking it really hard against the wall is the "best" way to euthanize, but I couldn't do it - the fish passed on its own... I would have put it in the freezer though...
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Thankyou for your replies. I did contact a nearby aquatic shop to ask if they would help but they say they don't like to euthanize fish, so they won't help. I came across this method while searching the web, but i'm alittle worried in case it didn't work properly. Let me know what you think.
Step 1 - Pour water from the fish's tank into a container such as a measuring cup or mixing bowl.
Step 2 - Drop the fish into the container.
Step 3 - Spoon some tank water into a small bottle or baby food jar.
Step 4 - Place a drop of clove oil in the bottle. Shake until it's mixed.
Step 5 - Empty about half of the clove mixture into the container holding the fish.
Step 6 - Wait for 10 minutes. The fish should be sleeping on the bottom. If it's still moving around, add more of the clove mixture.
Step 7 - Add clear grain alcohol, like vodka, to the container when you're sure the fish is asleep. Use about a 4-1 ratio. For example, if the container has 10 oz. of tank water, add 2.5oz. of alcohol.
Step 8 - Check the fish after 20 mintues for gill movement. If there's no movement for 1 full minute, it's gone to fish heaven.
I'm not sure whether to try this or wait and see if the fish dies of his own accord.
Step 1 - Pour water from the fish's tank into a container such as a measuring cup or mixing bowl.
Step 2 - Drop the fish into the container.
Step 3 - Spoon some tank water into a small bottle or baby food jar.
Step 4 - Place a drop of clove oil in the bottle. Shake until it's mixed.
Step 5 - Empty about half of the clove mixture into the container holding the fish.
Step 6 - Wait for 10 minutes. The fish should be sleeping on the bottom. If it's still moving around, add more of the clove mixture.
Step 7 - Add clear grain alcohol, like vodka, to the container when you're sure the fish is asleep. Use about a 4-1 ratio. For example, if the container has 10 oz. of tank water, add 2.5oz. of alcohol.
Step 8 - Check the fish after 20 mintues for gill movement. If there's no movement for 1 full minute, it's gone to fish heaven.
I'm not sure whether to try this or wait and see if the fish dies of his own accord.
This puts the fish into a deep sleep in which it doesnt wake
yes that method does work well...Its on quite a few aquatic sites.
I`ve heard of using clove oil too but I also read it`s very important to get the measurements right.
A book I read when I kept fish suggested using Alker-Seltzer or similar because it forces the oxygen out of the water. First time I had to do it, it worked really quick, within a few seconds. The second time it did not!
so I wouldn`t recommend that method!
A book I read when I kept fish suggested using Alker-Seltzer or similar because it forces the oxygen out of the water. First time I had to do it, it worked really quick, within a few seconds. The second time it did not!
Try looking on www.aquariainfo.com I used to be a mod on the forums there and I seem to remember our goldfish guru describing how to fix/help a situation like yours (it was many years ago, so you'll have to search for it). I think it is a swimbladder issue and is specific to the more ornate/round fancy goldfish....The more "round" the more likely they are to have said problems.
What I do for euthanizing fish is the following:
1. Put fish in a rubbermaid container with tank water.
2. Dump said container and fish into a rubbermaid container (w/ lid) that has extremely cold water (w/ice and dechlor).... After 1-2 seconds in the ice-cold water, the fish's body temp drops drastically, rendering unconscious.
3. Put lid on and leave in your freezer for 4-8 hours (this is to ensure that the fish is completely dead).
This method has proved the easiest and most reliable for me... I used to just place the fish in the freezer (in tank water in a container) but they would often be in odd positions when I took them out (i.e. as if they had struggled or were in pain), so I use the above technique as it is very fast and the fish is not awake while the ice crystals form.
Art
What I do for euthanizing fish is the following:
1. Put fish in a rubbermaid container with tank water.
2. Dump said container and fish into a rubbermaid container (w/ lid) that has extremely cold water (w/ice and dechlor).... After 1-2 seconds in the ice-cold water, the fish's body temp drops drastically, rendering unconscious.
3. Put lid on and leave in your freezer for 4-8 hours (this is to ensure that the fish is completely dead).
This method has proved the easiest and most reliable for me... I used to just place the fish in the freezer (in tank water in a container) but they would often be in odd positions when I took them out (i.e. as if they had struggled or were in pain), so I use the above technique as it is very fast and the fish is not awake while the ice crystals form.
Art
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
Thanks for all your advice. I euthanized my fish today using the clove oil method and when he was sleeping I put him in the freezer. It worked well, he didn't appear to be in any discomfort. I really didn't enjoy doing it though and hope I don't have to do it again anytime soon.
