Struggling Betta - Euthanasia Advice Needed

[Ashes]

Planted 20g long; 78 degrees; Ammonia and Nitrite 0; Nitrate ~20. 1 Betta, 9 Kuhli Loaches. I bought my Betta (“Aurelius”) from the Co-Op in June. About 1 month ago he went blind. I treated with both Paracleanse and Maracyn just in case something secondary was causing the blindness. About 1 week ago a tumor began to grow under his “chin.” It has continued to grow and his breathing is now labored. He is in his floating log with his mouth at the top of the water so that he can get air. My guess is his gills aren’t working well enough to sustain him. I don’t want him to continue to suffer, but I am too emotionally invested to properly executed the “whack and stab” method of euthanasia, and I have read mixed messages about clove oil. If anyone has an advice on how to ease his suffering, please let me know.

[Alesha]

First of all, @Ashes, I am so, so sorry that you are even needing to ask for this info. But it is the brave thing when our fish are suffering.  I did a quick google search and found this site https://www.theaquariumguide.com/articles/how-to-euthanize-a-fish

I hope that helps. Again I am sorry.

Alesha (akconklin)

[Hobbit]

I’m also so sorry about your betta. It sounds like you’ve taken great care of him. I had to make a similar hard choice for a tetra that had a mouth tumor and eventually couldn’t eat. I euthanized him with clove oil. In my experience it works well and doesn’t seem to cause the fish much stress. The good news is a low dose just makes them sleepy, so if you don’t add enough the first time, there’s no harm done. Just add a bit more.

Sending love. ❤️