# EMERGENCY!Need to put my fish down ASAP - how?



## 1stAquarium (Jan 4, 2010)

One of my male guppies has somehow just got stuck upside down in the back of the filter and when I noticed and got him free, his body is totally bent and twisted, his gonopodium has been half ripped off, and he's laying in the bottom of a jug of aquarium water on one side dying. I want to put him out of his misery, what is the quickest, best way? I have no clove oil  
Please help asap


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## 1stAquarium (Jan 4, 2010)

Should I just take him out of the water?
He keeps getting up off the bottom and having a swim round but I really think he's in too much of a state to survive.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

In this link the freezing method is explained:

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/tropical-fish-diseases/how-humanely-euthanize-fish-698/

I had to use the feezing method once as I had no clove oil. If you get the water to sub zero before you put your fish in it they will succumb very quickly. Better that than to have him suffer due to the current state he is in. Sorry. :-(


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## 1stAquarium (Jan 4, 2010)

Thank you. I really don't know what to do, he is alternating between laying on the bottom on one side, and swimming about, albeit unevenly


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## Jill0 (Jan 8, 2010)

I'm sorry for the situation with your fish. I would recommend ice water.


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## 1stAquarium (Jan 4, 2010)

Thank you. So do I just put him in ice cold water, or cold water with ice added too?


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

I would put a container of water, packed full of ice, in the freezer. After about ten to fifteen minutes the water will be cold enough so that when you put your guppy in it death is nearly instant.


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## 1stAquarium (Jan 4, 2010)

I ran a jug of freezing cold water (it is snowing and ice cold here so the water is freezing anyway) and filled it with ice, then put the fish in with a dark towel over the top. He died instantly. Thanks guys :'(


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

You did the right thing and I'm sorry you had to go through this experience.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm so sorry about your guppy! I'm sorry you had to go through that!


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Aarrrgh!! That must have been hard to do. Kudos to you for putting him out of his misery tho.


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## stephanieleah (Oct 31, 2009)

Condolences...I have seeing them suffer but putting them down is sometimes harder. And thank god for our forum members who replied so quickly.


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## 1stAquarium (Jan 4, 2010)

Yeah thank you everyone, I hate 'playing God' but I knew he wasn't going to make it and was probaby in pain so I think it was the best thing to do. I'm just glad I joined this forum and people were on hand to help, I would never have thought of the 'freezing' method!


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## HollyinWA (Dec 29, 2009)

Sorry you had to go through that, but goodles to you that you had the guts to get him out of his suffering. I dread the day when I will have a situation where I need to consider putting a fish down. I am a whimp when it comes to that. That is one thing I do not like about having fish. 

I had to put two horses down in my lifetime (within the last 5 years)....the Vet Hospital did that is....and it was the worst thing I have ever had to go through out of all the animals I have had. It was also VERY expensive trying to save them. I lost my beloved Percheron draft horse in June last year. He had to be taken down to WSU (Washington State University large animal hospital). It cost us almost 10 grand and we had to have them put him down. I was devastated. I still have horrible visions of him being there. I miss him terribly and also my Saddlebred/Arab that we lost as well in 2005, a month after my dad passed away. That was also the same year I lost my Pug from a preditor....possibly a Mountain Lion but not 100% sure. Our Chocolate Lab saw the whole thing.


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## 1stAquarium (Jan 4, 2010)

I'm sorry, that's a lot of animals to lose. A mountain lion, wow, that sounds so absurd to me living in England! Must be so expensive keeping horses too, I think they are beautiful creatures but I'm a little scared of them after riding one in Greece a few years back and getting kicked by the one in front (ouch!). Admittedly they were quite skittish, probably not very well cared for horses, so I am determined to give horse riding another go at some point!


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