Help please! I'm sad!

[Sailor Nova]

Here's another update! Carson is very happy with his new home and blows bubbles all the time! Unfortunately,
even though I spot clean his tank with a turkey baster(which does not bother him) I have to change all the water in the tank on a once a month basis. It is recommended by the manufacturer and the small net I got was a tad too big and his tank made it impossible for me to catch him with it! Thank God it was only $1.50 I wasted on that! The hand activated pump to clean the gravel was a waste of money too! It was too big to work! It worked a total of 30 full seconds then never worked again! There's a new model coming out next month that I
will look at and see if I like it or not before purchasing!
The first full tank cleaning was a disaster! Pump above didn't work, Carson was stunned but recovered fast!
The next cleaning, the net freaked him out SO bad! I didn't have the net before...he then was in a coffeee cup which I cut in half to try and scoop him out with it, it didn't really work so well...then when I was half-way through cleaning the tank (it took a long time because of the turkey baster having to remove all the water)
I went to the bathroom and quickly came back (just a few steps away) and got the shock of my life!!! My Carson was on the floor!!! He had jumped out of the cup about a minute after I left the room! It's a good thing I was only 2 minutes in the bathroom! I panicked when he flopped next to the radiator! I scooped him up in my hand and plopped him back in the cup and screamedthe whole time and when my mom came in I started crying and asked her to hold him, which she did. I thought that since he loves his new home, that maybe he tried to get back to it by flying! (He's a fish, he didn't know how he was gonna get home, he was just desperate enough to try flying!) She dumped him back in the tank and I said why did she do that necause I hadn't cleaned the tank yet! Long story short, he had the fish net put over his cup while I finished the cleaning.
That bloody net was good for something! So anyway, now I will put him in a regular size cup and monitor him carefully and I'll have to use the scoop out in your hand method, so I am training him to not fear sitting in my hand. It's the second day of training and he's made progress! He's smart!
I didn't know stroking fish was bad for them, so I will be stopping that for awhile! Also, he sleeps less now that he has the new tank! He's safer, happy and heathy! He likes to go under my finger tip and put his head against my finger and blow bubbles! Not moving, just staying there with my finger on his head!! He's crazy!

[aunt kymmie]

I'm glad to hear that Carson is doing better!

[Sailor Nova]

I cleaned his tank and had him in a cup then I put him back in his clean tank and from the minute he started swimming, he turned into an S shape and twitched! He tried to feed but couldn't! He kept missing the pellet! He's constantly an S shape and acts like he had a stroke! I have been crying all afternoon! If he can't get better than in 2 days I'll end his suffering! PLEASE someone tell me he's gonna live! I did everything exactly the same as last time so all I can think of is maybe the water in the cup was a tad cool?! If so he'd just go into shock, right? He's never behaved like this before! I can't stand to see him like this...PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM TO BE LIKE HE WAS ON VALENTINE'S DAY! Which was yesterday...I hope to wake up and see him normal again!

[Sailor Nova]

I am going to put Carson in a baggie and put him in the freezer to euthanize him. This metod is supposed to be the painless method. The petstore lady said he is probably in pain and since he's unreponsive and can't eat that this will be humane. This is what's best for him.

[veganchick]

awesome! but please don't go touching him no matter how tempting it is, like others said it rubs off their slime coating. You can run ur finger along the outside of the tank and let him chase it.

[veganchick]

Originally Posted by Sailor Nova

I am going to put Carson in a baggie and put him in the freezer to euthanize him. This metod is supposed to be the painless method. The petstore lady said he is probably in pain and since he's unreponsive and can't eat that this will be humane. This is what's best for him.

Oh, sorry I only read the first page. That is terrible! I a very sorry! I would put him in a bowl and slowly mix in clove oil, this will make him stay asleep, then freeze him.

[Cody]

I had to euthanize my male Krib a while back when he got Dropsy and couldn't move. I found using Rubbing alcohol (it has to be a certain type, or the fish will suffer even more) kills the fish instantly with no pain. I had to research the most humane ways to go about doing that because I did not have clove oil. I don't remember the type of rubbing alcohol you need, though.

[dramaqueen]

Cody, I wish you could remember the type of rubbing alcohol so I can keep that as a reference if I ever get in a situation where I have to euthanize a fish.I don't ever want to try something and have it go wrong and make my fish suffer even more because I didn't know what I was doing.

[Cody]

I wish I could remember as well.

I also remember reading about it on a couple of sites... let me see if I can find them.

[Kim]

Oh I'm so sorry about Carson. Please try posting a picture first and give us a chance to actually diagnose him before you euthanize him though.

What size tank is it? Once a month cleaning is really not enough for an uncycled tank, even if you are spot cleaning as well.

Also, in the future it is safest and easiest to just use a cup to scoop your betta out of the water. There is no chance for dropping him or damaging the slime coat as with using your hand, and if done properly it is easier than a net and will not cause injury to a betta's delicate fins. All you need to do is get a smallish cup that you can work with easily, and make sure your betta is on the surface of the water. Then, just gently tip the cup into the water directly next to the betta and let the suction (don't go too fast!) pull your betta into the cup. If done right, the betta will gently but relatively quickly be transferred into the cup with minimal stress. ALWAYS cover any temporary containers while cleaning the tank.

If your picture does reveal that Carson needs to be euthanized, please do not freeze him slowly. This is generally considered cruel. The best method is to use clove oil and later alcohol.