when to let go.....

Bert the goldfish we'd had problems with before, i've just gone in to find him circling on his side on the bottom of the tank, im not a fish expert, not claiming to be..

ive taken him out of the tank and put him in a bowl (he was on his own anyway, but it's easier to look at him etc)

he's breathing and has fin movement in one side

but i don't want to keep him suffering if, which im pretty sure, he's just going to pop his flippers anyway...

i don't want to be cruel to him
what would be the best thing to do
or the best way to get rid of him

i've heard of people flushing fish
but i really have no idea what to do

i just either need advice on how to treat him
or to "dispose"

im crying my eyes out like an idiot
so please be a little sensitive with replies

thanks in advance

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depends on what you can stomach doing and how big he is, flushing him wont put him right out his misery fish can survive all the way to the processing plant.
i usually put my fish down the same way a fisherman would, quick hard flick/hit on the head, hard to do simply because you need to watch what your doing and can't look away.
sorry i can't be of much help

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The Zoo5.3.0 Ferrets1.0.3 Corn Snakes1.0.0 Common Boas1.1.0 Dogs3.1.0 Cats1.0.0 Love Birds1.0.0 African Dwarf Frogs10.6.20 Tropical Fish

sorry just read that back and realised it mightuv sounded harsher than meant, don't get me wrong i usually ball my eyes out when one of my fish dies especially if they have had problems and looked to be getting better, i just don't know how else to describe it

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The Zoo5.3.0 Ferrets1.0.3 Corn Snakes1.0.0 Common Boas1.1.0 Dogs3.1.0 Cats1.0.0 Love Birds1.0.0 African Dwarf Frogs10.6.20 Tropical Fish

If it does indeed need to be PTS, then use something like Clove oil. You can buy it from pharmacies, and the internet has dosing. But, when its PTS, just add more and more of it until the fish stops breathing and is non-responsive in anyway. Its painless (its an analgesic) and very humane.

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Member Number 6587

tanks stats?

size
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
pH

any other signs of illness? No spots, fungus, fin rot?

the kindest wat to kill your fish is decapitation, but it's not pleasant.

I agree with Ash, clove oil is the nicest for you.

or get a dish of water, put it in the freezer for a few hours, take it out and break the layer of ice, lay your fish in and then put it back in the freezer. It will go to sleep and wont feel a thing, apparently.

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Neinen. They used to believe that, but its been shown that they do indeed feel pain through this method. They may be ectothermic, but the nerves still fire off loads of pain.

So I believe anyway, I am prepared to be proved wrong.

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Member Number 6587

well guys
....... fish isn't dead
and after his ten minute bowl break
is now back in the tank and happily swimming around
still a bit wobbly but he's still going and looks brighter

i don't know what the hell happened
every time i go into pets at home i get them to check our water samples because i don't have the facility to do so at home and they always say it's good and the levels are good.

i also use that tropical tetra granules thing, and easy balance for the tank

will keep an eye on him
but glad i gave him 10 mins to "think about what he'd done!" before i went down that route !

very odd

also..... white spot has now gone, so must not have been colour change, perhaps was fungal? gosh i don't know!

will get water checked again tomorrow and will take some more pics. he's a lot perkier now..

and since the last pics i posted he's got a sun shield from the window which has made it a lot easier to clean and obviously better for him!

i can only learn
i just don't know what the heck to think!

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gothgirl said something about swim bladder problems? ash my hunky vet.. talk to me
xxx

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i have an angel fish that has balance issues, most of the time he swims upside down but doesnt seem ill in any other way, he's been treated for swim bladder problems etc but still carrys on upside down, he eats and swims fine just upside down so for now we are keeping him goin.

have you got anywhere else to get your water tested? pets at home arent the greatest. i have a home kit that set me back only £20 but then i have some fish worth 3 times that amount so its well worth it. you can get cheaper kits that do almost the same and more expensive kits that do a little more.
sounds like he just wanted to make sure you cared, give him a ticking off from me lol

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The Zoo5.3.0 Ferrets1.0.3 Corn Snakes1.0.0 Common Boas1.1.0 Dogs3.1.0 Cats1.0.0 Love Birds1.0.0 African Dwarf Frogs10.6.20 Tropical Fish

Oh ok! Well that sounds cool Nice one. Keep an eye on him. Tbh, I would suggest you get ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and pH tests... it could be that the water is really bad right now (can happen V quickly), so he was going to die, and the new water in the bowl was better, he recovered, but may go bad back in the tank again...

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Member Number 6587