"To sedate with clove oil
Things you will need:
• Clove Oil - to sedate the fish, so you can treat it. You should be able to find some at a pharmacy (look in the toothache section).
• Clean Towel and pillowcase
• 2 Buckets one for sedation and one to transport fish back to its tank
• Airstone
Instructions
• Set up your work area and make sure everything is very clean.
o Lay out a towel and one of those hospital blue pads. a pillowcase on top would also work (it's smoother than the towel)
o Lay out your other materials within easy reach
• Place 5 drops of clove oil and some water in a ziplock freezer bag for every 4 litres of water needed to submerge the fish.
• Shake well, then pour into container where fish will be sedated. Use water from the tank if possible and match tank temperature. An airstone would help to keep the mixture dispersed.
• Place fish in the solution. When it turns over on its side and gill movements slow, remove it from the solution, perform the procedure. If the fish doesn't roll over in 5 minutes, then add another drop per 4 litres (shake it up in water before adding).
• You will want to work quickly and finish the procedure you're performing as quickly as possible.
• Make sure you keep one hand on the fish at all times in case he starts flopping around. Don't want any falls off the counter!
• After you're done place the fish in a bucket of clean water and return him to the tank.
• You may need to hold the fish for a little while in an area where fresh water is moving through its gills (e.g. by the outflow of the filter) until he gets less groggy.
To perform a procedure without sedation:
Procedures can also be done without sedating the fish, however, care must be taken to make sure fish doesn't get away from you and take a fall. It will be more stressful for the fish without sedation. Place a heavy towel dampened with cold tap water as your base and then place another heavy cold tap water dampened towel over the fish covering the head but leaving the areas you're working on exposed. This will help to keep the fish from flopping around and may help to keep them calm. Keep one hand on the fish at all times. Be sure to have everything that you need laid out ahead of time. "
It's important to know that over dosing clove oil can be fatal in fish. Please do your own research along with this article prior to using clove oil.
Using clove oil to sedate a fish is also a very humane method for fish euthanasia. Use the method above then place the fish in the clove oil solution into the freezer. I have used a slightly stronger clove oil amount when doing this in the past with quick and humane results.
