# Culling



## EcleckticGirl (Jul 26, 2005)

Speaking of killing fish...

I have an Endler that seems "just ain't right". His colors are cloudy compared to the others and his dorsal isn't the same shape as the rest of the showy guys. At first I thought the poor coloration was just that he was a juvie still coming into his colors, but the females shrug him off faster than they do the other tuxedo-clad gents. He's also nearly the length of the females rather than the compact male size.

I wonder have I got something that needs to be culled, or have I got a variant developing? 

I plan on posting this on the EndlersR.Us site too, just because that's their bag, maintaining strains, etc. But I am curious about your opinions. 

Has anyone had to cull or euthanize a fish?


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I'm no expert on breeding fish, but if you have one you don't like, cull it! Get rid of him before he gets a chance to pass on his less than desireable genes to more in the tank! I'm curious to hear what the endlers Experts have to say.

I have had to euthanize fish before, mostly tetras. Nothing nice on my end though, they got the flush. However, I usually wait until they are on their last leg before flushing. Back when I had Oscars, euthanizing fish was no problem!


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## Simpte 27 (Jul 16, 2004)

Get some clove oil from your local brewing facility since its used in brewing. You can also find it where they sell aroma therapy oils. Start with 1/4ml per liter of fishwater and stir . Add fish. Mix another solution of treated water (1 liter) with 1/2 ml. Add to original mix. Leave for a cpl of hrs as fish can recover from the deepest "sleep" since fish are cold blooded. You can then freeze or dispose. Freezing is just a guarantee they have passed.


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## EcleckticGirl (Jul 26, 2005)

Well, I found a post about a "huge endler male" in the Breeding forum at ERU that talked about this issue so I got my answer without having to wait. I will cull him.

Thanks for the info, Damon. That's a lot of solution for one tiny fish. I have Clove Oil around for dental pain, but not in that quantity. I think I will scale it down for the little guy as I have the means to measure 100ths of milliliters (and less) with my syringes.


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## Rupert (Feb 22, 2005)

EcleckticGirl said:


> Speaking of killing fish...


Culling / euthanasia 
Not a nice topic but at some point in time with you end up with more than can be supported by the tank or that can be given away. Sometimes a fish needs to be put down, preferable not down the sink as this is a cruel way for a fish to die. I separate the fish and put them into a separate container and allow the water to reach room temperature. The container is small enough for me to be able to pour out the contents in to a fish net in one motion.

Concurrent to that I put a litre container of water in the freezer to become icy, I put some ice cubes in another small container with a bit of water and wait for it to cool down. I pour the guppies out into the net and put them into the ice water at the same time pouring the ice water over them, it is virtually instant.


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## molurus73 (Apr 15, 2005)

Wow. This is a rather morbid thread. [-o<


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## EcleckticGirl (Jul 26, 2005)

Yeah, well... I wish I had known my Oto was suffering rather than finding him belly up in a pile of rocks when I got home from the GCAS auction last Saturday. I would have sent him over Jordan a day sooner with hopefully a lot less suffering. 

How are your Discus today, Jim?


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