I was taking out the trash in my condo for the first time in a couple months (no, seriously,) and I took the bags to the communal dumpster and prepared to throw them in.
Then I saw a glass container that had been thrown out containing day-glo pebbles. I was thinking of rescuing it, just for the pebbles. Then I peered closer and saw the bottom corner of it still had an inch or so of water in it.
It was an aquarium, of course…WITH A LIVE FISH IN IT. Flopping around, gasping for oxygen. What did the fish do to you that you couldnt dispose of it in a more humane fashion, if you had to kill it?
I, myself, didnt save it because the only water I had on hand was tap water, which would probably prolong the fish’s death even if oxygenation wasnt a problem, due to chlorine and other nasties in the tap water exacerbating the stress the fish already went thru.
Yes, that fish would have been your friend for life. BTW, I don’t know what chlorine does to fish and gill, but we do keep our dolphins in chlorinated tanks.
Really? When I kept fish I was told, and all the aquarium owners I knew always said, that tap water had to sit in the tank about 24 hours before putting the fish in it, so that the residual chlorine which would otherwise kill the fish would have a chance to evaporate out. Unless Ludovic already had a container of “aged” tap water on hand, I don’t see how he could have saved this fish.
He could have stuck it in tap water for the few minutes it took him to hop out to the local pet store to buy a bottle of water dechlorinator. A few drops in with the fish and Bob’s your uncle.
The toilet tank in my bathroom has tap water in it that, while it might not have been sitting for 24 hours, has probably been standing for a few hours, and might conceivably be safe for a short time, until I could obtain a more suitable medium.
Still, no blame to you, Ludovic; at least you’re demonstrating some concern for the poor critter.
Sad that you didn’t save it. I would have nightmares if I did not hop into the dumpster.
I live in an apartment complex and people just throw away house plants. I can’t stand that, so if I find them in the dumpster, I take them home, repot them, and give them a fitting name. The new fern “Found” is doing nicely. I just hope I don’t find any more. I am starting to run out of room.
Just curious, but what would be a “more humane” way of killing a fish? Flush it? Poison? Beat it to death with a hammer?
I haven’t been fishing since I was a little kid (I hate fish, and I’m not too keen on nature in general), but isn’t that what you do when you catch a fish? Toss it in the cooler and wait for it to stop wiggling? Isn’t that what all the big commercial fishing boats do? Aside from not eating it afterwards, how is what happened to this fish any different from what happens to the fish you buy in the supermarket, or catch yourself?
Miller:Just curious, but what would be a “more humane” way of killing a fish?
Any way that wasn’t so slow, IMO. Some people may object to deliberately killing a pet fish under any circumstances, but what gets me is the negligent cruelty involved in throwing the fish away in a little water so it can take hours, if not days, to finish its agonizing death.
They could have popped it in the freezer, or, yeah, they could have smashed it. It’s cruel to let something suffer needlessly. Especially since it’s a pet. A pet fish isn’t like a dog or a rat or a snake, I know, but you still have more responsibility to it than, say, to a fish you catch to eat.
If your water is treated with chloramine, rather than chlorine, no amount of “standing” or “aging” will make the water safe. Chloramine is only removable with chemical assistance. We have good results with a product called Stress Coat, but there are many others. Ammo Lock is another that comes to mind.
Check with a neighborhood fish shop or the water department to find out what’s in your water.
Okay, so did you at least dump the little bit of water that was left in the tank out to give the fish a quicker and thus more humane death? Or did you not take that simple action, and then post on a message board about the inhumanity of “some” people?
