fish sedation during transportation & euthanasia [ was RE:eugenol/anesthesia]

[Shireen Gonzaga <whimbrel at comcast_net>]

> this page may be informative
>
>
http://www.ivis.org/advances/Anesthesia_Gleed/bowser/chapter_frm.asp?LA=1

Was that link posted in reference to sedation of fish during
transportation? I don't think sedation should be considered
since the dosages are tricky. Mark's plan to use a heater and
battery-operated aerator in a cooler should be sufficient.
Keeping the fish in the dark should help keep them calm too.

Fish do surprisingly well in enclosed conditions. I've sent and
received fish in the mail. (2-3 days in the US Postal Service
system!) The fish are placed in either Kordon breathable bags
or regular plastic bags, then packed into styrofoam boxes. I
usually ship via express mail, but most people send me fish
through priority mail. (Must confess tho', I hate shipping fish,
it kinda bothers me, guess I'm an oversensitive softie ....)

However, I do use anesthesia overdoses for euthanization.
Some people recommend Alka-Seltzer because of the CO2
release, but the rapid bubble rate seems to put the fish in
distress so I stopped using it. Clove oil (eugenol) was
recommended by a fish biologist but I haven't figured out
how to get it and use it. I currently use Finquel MS-222.
The fish becomes sluggish and dies in a few minutes. It appears
quite humane to the fish; meanwhile I'm in tears apologizing
to the fish for not being able to save it  :-(. Argent Chemicals
sells MS-222, a 5g bottle can last you several years if you
maintain generally healthy tanks.
(http://www.argent-labs.com/argentwebsite/trandrug.htm).

The 5gm bottles cost $30/bottle for quantities below 6. For
quantities 6 and higher, it's $15/bottle. If at least 6 people got
together and chipped in for a purchase, it could be quite
affordable at $15+ postage.) IMHO, it's worth the price since
it seems to act quite gently on the fish.

- shireen

--
Shireen Gonzaga
Baltimore
whimbrel at comcast_net