I use oil of clove, eugenol. For such a small fish use a small container, put 5 or 6 drops into a cup or so water and shake it well, put the fish in a small bowl with some tank water and then add the shaken mixture. He will float quickly, when you see no gill movement (5-10 minutes) put him in the freezer for several hours.

I'm sorry for your loss.

Sorry to hear about that. Does he act sick? It doesn't sound good and you are the only one that can really make the call to put it to sleep. I have had to do it once since I got back into the hobby last fall. It stinks but not as bad as having to put my dog down last spring. I'll NEVER do that again.

I use clove oil and some tank water.

Tom

cinder block dropped on his head. its painless and the quickest

I remember someone saying they put the fish in a cup of water in the freezer. Sounds like a painless death.

That's untrue - when the ice crystals form in the cells, that causes a lot of pain. Clove oil and vodka is probably the most humane. Clove oil to put the fish to sleep, vodka to suffocate it.

Though squirrel's method sounds harsh, it is similar to what I do. It is over with very quickly. I place news paper near an outside garbadge can, net the fish, put it in a plastic shopping bag ( not a clear bag), place the bag w/fish on the paper, drop the block (or any heavy object, even your foot), fold the paper over the bag and dispose. Sorry to hear, if your aquarium is empty now consider a fishless cycle to reduce stress and increase chances of new fish survival.

Hey everyone thanks for your help
The night that I posted this message my clownfish tried to eat for the first time in two weeks.

Although he was eating for the last couple of days, today i found him dead and sucked up against my filter. Poor little guy :(

I have a hawkfish left... who seems great... even bit me today when I tried to move my turbo snail onto the glass!

I think I will leave the tank for a couple of weeks and hopefully purchase two juvenile perculas

Sorry for your loss.

Vodka and freezing are not humane.

Blow to the head and decapitation are considered humane by the AVMA. I use clove oil though not approved by them because I'm afraid of not killing the fish on the first try. MS-222 (finquel) is also considered humane if you have it.

Adrea

I'll add that vodka is not needed, tank water will work just fine. Just be sure to mix it well with the clove oil. The fish goes to sleep within 30 secs or quicker depending on how much you use.

Tom

A few years ago I had to euthanize my Keyhole Cichlid. I was not impressed, because I liked that fish alot. Anyway, my aquarium handbook said to do the decapitation method as it is the quickest and most humane. As soon as a 'Vacancy' comes up in my tank, I will likely get another Keyhole.

Bump! For a person in need...

I know that the original poster has resolved this issue with his sick clownfish by now, but just for the record clove oil is the best way to euthanize a fish. All of the other methods that were suggested (e.g., blow to the head, putting fish in
the freezer, chopping off the fish's head) are inhumane.

Because this page comes up first in a search on fish euthanasia I wanted to set the record straight.

Here is a link that might be useful: About Fish Online Tropical and Saltwater Fish

Here's the million dollar question. To put a fish down, should one use clove bud oil or clove leaf oil?

I would cut it open and examine all the parts as an educational experience. I you don't know fish parts from cleaning or dressing game fish then look up the fish anatomy. Do a Google advanced image search on exact phrase '' fish anatomy''. Find an image showing the innards and mouse-over it. There will appear a link to ''similar''. Click this and get many pages of images.