Euthanize Humpy? for Questionland Seattle

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Euthanize Humpy?

No, not Wm. Stephen Humphrey. We have a fish, some kind of tetra, named "Humpy" because he has a humped back. He also has a ripped tail fin, and something horribly wrong with his swim bladder.

He can't swim upright. Humpy points to the sky, tail down, flapping fiercely, all the time. He can barely move around. His back end seems almost paralyzed. He's been this way forever; he wasn't attacked by another fish in our tank, or if he was, it was the first day.

But his appetite is normal, his color is good, he's the same size as the other tetras that we bought at the same time; he's lived a long time.

I can't even begin to grasp the question of "do tetras suffer?", but even if I could, I just don't know if he is or not. He's certainly getting a workout. He has to flap his fins and work his gills twice as hard as his buddies.

He's a tetra, so it's not like he's going to live forever. He's already outlived some of his batch. Should we euthanize him? Or let him live out his string?

Fnarf asked in Other - Pets about 1 year ago | Report

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It seems as though your tetra may have a swim bladder issue if it cannot remain upright. Unfortunately, this problem is generally not very treatable. Given the circumstances, you may want to consider euthanasia as it is probably exhausted. The most humane way to do so is to remove it from the tank and place it in a small container. Then add several drops of clove oil to the water. This will put the fish to sleep and simultaneously take its life.

I have had a freshwater aquarium for several years.

okiku_neko answered in Other - Pets about 1 year ago | Report

2 comments by Fnarf and Chef Robin…

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Ooh, I didn't know that about clove oil. Thank you.

Fnarf commented about 1 year ago | Report

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I know you do not want to imagine this but Fish Suffer. It was recently proven that Shrimp and fish both feel pain. Humpy's life sounds like it is defined by an attempt at Flying rather than being a happy fish in water... do the right thing....put him out of his misery~

Chef Robin commented about 1 year ago | Report

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If I were him I'd take the euthanize option, but to be fair, if I were me (which it appears that I am) I'd also want it.

It sounds like a rough life for the poor guy, but then again he might be a Hawking-fish and be enlightening the minds and lives of his fellow fish despite the apparent limitation and difficulties of his existence.

But if it were me... I'd want to see what things were like in a whirlpool heading towards the drain.

Glad to be of help.

infernactual answered in Other - Pets about 1 year ago | Report

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I think he's probably fine left to nature. I'm think about what "quality of life" entails, and very simply, I think it's the ability to continue to live and enjoy life as you are accustomed to. He eats. He swims as he is used to swimming. What else do fish do? I vote to let him live. However, I'm sort of a softy and the idea of euthanizing this cute little fighter of a fish makes me sad.
Good luck!

new york state of mind answered in Other - Pets about 1 year ago | Report

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He's not unhappy. If he were suffering the stress hormones would have killed him long ago.

Last onset answered in Other - Pets about 1 year ago | Report

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I say no.

He's breathing and eating, which I think fulfills most, if not all, of a tetra's quality of life criteria.

As for suffering, I think that's relative. If this is the only existence he's ever known, then it's normal to him. If he was suffering horribly, well, he wouldn't be now, because he would have been dead a long time ago.

Hell, given that fish fertilize their eggs externally, he's not even missing out on the sex that his "out of spec" swim bladder might prevent if fish actually had sex.

Mahtli69 answered in Other - Pets about 1 year ago | Report

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Don't throw him down the toilet! Viva la Humpy.

lilmonster206 answered in Other - Pets about 1 year ago | Report

8 comments by Fnarf, keshmeshi, and Bion Satir…

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We euthanize in a cup of vodka, usually. I would never flush a living fish.

Fnarf commented about 1 year ago | Report

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Fascinating.

keshmeshi commented about 1 year ago | Report

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Jeez, Fnarf, how often do you euthanize fish, and for what other reasons? (I'm not a fish person so I don't know; I was in fact wondering how you would euthanize a tetra and am surprised you have such a specific and thought out method)

Bion Satir commented about 1 year ago | Report

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Whoa. That's so interesting. When I was reading your question I was wondering how you'd go about euthanizing him and I had this image in my mind of you guys at the vet and tiny little needle.

new york state of mind commented about 1 year ago | Report

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Not very often, Andrew, but sometimes you have to -- after he's been attacked by another fish or something (or, once, when he was so aggressive he was going to wipe out the rest of the tank).

Fnarf commented about 1 year ago | Report