PROCEDURES AND EMERGENCY ACTIONS

This section reviews everything you may need to know about surgical operations on fish, as well as emergency procedures for what to do if there is a potentially fatal accident within the aquarium. It is NOT suggested for anyone to attempt surgery on a fish without prior experience or knowledge. It can be extremely dangerous for the fish, and if done improperly, there is the chance of death occurring as a result. It’s very important to consider all possibilities and make surgery a very last option. If it’s possible to have a trained aquatics vet perform, that is a preferred option and should be taken. Remember to attempt all other treatment courses prior to attempting surgical operations or anything which require anesthesia.

Anesthesia Dosing Guide:

When it comes to anesthesia, you must be very careful to not overdose it or get the calculations wrong, as most forms of anesthesia can also be used to euthanize a fish if overdosed.

There are 4 stages to the use of anesthesia:

#1-4 direct from Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate on Anaesthesia of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L., 1758) Juveniles (http://www.trjfas.org/uploads/pdf_725.pdf ) - See REFERENCES for full citation.

Before you dose anything, research your specific fish species’ classification and the approximate dose for that species. These are only general guidelines but are not specific to any species or individual. Each individual fish will have a different dosing requirement due to size, weight, age, and species.

Always be sure to start with lower doses and slowly increase, keep an eye on your fish’s gills for movement.

If you are unsure of what dose to go with for anesthesia or sedation, researching your species of fish and dosing requirements will provide answers

Common Types, Use, and Dosing of Anesthetic Agents:

Clove Oil
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills
- Generally usable for all species of fish.

Dosing Clove Oil:

400 mg (0.4 grams) of clove oil per litre (.27 gallons about) of aquarium water is enough to kill a fish
General dose is anywhere from 20-100 mg/liter aquarium water for anesthesia..

Goldfish and other Cyprinids:

25-100 mg/liter aquarium water for anesthesia
4 mg/liter aquarium water for sedation

For large catfish:

100-150 mg/liter aquarium water for anesthesia

Benzocaine
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills

Dosing Benzocaine:

General dose is anywhere from 25-200 mg/liter aquarium water for anesthesia

Characins:

50-150 mg/liter aquarium water for light to deep anesthesia

Large catfish:

100 mg/liter aquarium water for anesthesia

Freshwater Eels:

60-80 mg/liter for anesthesia

Eugenol
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills
- Generally used for larger fish

Dosing Eugenol:

General dose is anywhere from 20-120 mg/liter

Characins:

50-200 mg/liter for anesthesia

Rays:

50 mg/liter for anesthesia
20-25 mg/liter for sedation

Isoeugenol
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills
- Generally used for larger fish

Dosing Isoeugenol:

General dose is anywhere from 6-120 mg /liter for anesthesia

Rays:

15 mg/liter for deep sedation to anesthesia

Metomidate
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills
- Intramuscular - For Salmonids, Jacks, Sablefish, and Rockfish, Metomidate must be administered into the muscle

Dosing Metomidate:

General dose ranges anywhere from 1-100 mg/liter for anesthesia and sedation

Freshwater Tropical Fish (livebearers, gouramis):

0.8-1 mg/liter for light sedation

2-PE
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills

Dosing 2-PE:

General dose ranges anywhere from 1-600 mg/liter

Goldfish and other Cyprinids:

0.1-0.5 ml/l for Dose-dependant sedation to light anesthesia

Livebearers (excluding mollies and platys):

600 mg/l for anesthesia
220 mg/l for light sedation

Cichlids:

60 mg/l for anesthesia

Quinaldine
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills
- Used for cyprinids

Dosing Quinaldine:

10-50 mg/liter for anesthesia of cyprinids

Quinaldine Sulphate
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills

Dosing Quinaldine Sulfate:

General dose ranges anywhere from 10-100 mg/l

Freshwater Tropicals (excluding livebearers, gouramis):

5-10 mg/liter for light sedation

Ketamine
- Intramuscular - For non-elasmobranchs, elasmobranchs, salmonids, cichlids, and sturgeons, Ketamine must be administered into the muscle
- Intravenous - For Cichlids and Salmonids, must be administered into the veins

Dosing Ketamine:

General dose ranges anywhere from 12-150 mg/kg of fish weight
Dosing is based on the weight of the individual fish

Cichlids:

30 mg/kg of fish weight for anesthesia
- This follows sedation with 100-125 mg/liter of MS-222

Medetomidine + Ketamine:
- Intramuscular - Must be administered into muscle
- Mostly used for large fish. Generally saltwater.

Xyaline + Ketamine:
- Intramuscular - Must be administered into muscle
- Used for Sharks

Dosing Xyaline + Ketamine:

6 mg/kg for anesthesia
12-20 mg/kg for anesthesia

Propofol
- Intravenous - Must be administered through the veins
- Used for small sharks and Sturgeon

Dosing Propofol:

6.5 mg/kg for light anesthesia of sturgeon
2.5 mg/kg for anesthesia of small sharks

Oxygen
- Inhalant- Must be administered through the gills
- Usable for all fish

Dosing:

Bubbling 100% oxygen in the flow of water directed at the fish’s mouth
Too long of an exposure can kill a fish by causing hypercapnia and or acidemia

MS-222 (Tricaine Methane-Sulfonate)
- Inhalant - Must be taken in through gills
- Generally usable for all species of fish

Dosing MS-222:

General dose is anywhere from 20-670 mg/liter aquarium water for anesthesia depending on fish species.

Livebearers (excluding platys and mollies):

30 mg/liter aquarium water for light sedation

Cichlids:

150 mg/liter (induction) for anesthesia
60 mg/liter (maintenance) for anesthesia

Anabantoids (exc. Gouramis):

200-400 mg/liter (induction) for deep anesthesia
80 mg/liter (maintenance) for deep anesthesia
60 mg/liter for light sedation

Characins (pacu, tetras..) and Cyprinids (Goldfish, carp..):

60-300 mg/liter for dose-dependant anesthesia

Rays:

80-100 mg/liter for anesthesia
45-55 mg/liter for moderate to deep sedation

Freshwater Eels:

75 mg/liter for sedation

General Dosing for MS-222:

Following Chart from https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/11/fish (#99 REFERENCES):

Surgical and Emergency Procedures with Fish:

In some cases, surgical procedures may just save a fish’s life. These can include cosmetic procedures and internal procedures, removal of tumors and growths, etc. While this guide will not review all the step by step information for every procedure possible, there is an included Resources section which includes website links to online resources with step-by-step instructions of various procedures. While it is not at all recommended you perform one of these procedures without prior experience or training, some may simple enough that it is possible to perform without the aid of anesthesia or without experience in surgery of fish.

The main purpose of this subsection is to elaborate on various conditions mentioned within this guide that would potentially require a surgical procedure as treatment.

When A Procedure Is Necessary:

Surgical procedures can mean life or death for fish. In some cases it’s merely cosmetic, for example: trimming back fins. However, in other cases such as removing a tumor, it may mean extending the lifespan and reducing pain.

Basic and Common Types of Procedures and Resources:

Venting a Swim Bladder
- Venting a swim bladder means puncturing it with a needle to help a fish to rebalance itself. This should only be done when all else fails and if you are willing to take the risk.

Resources:

http://www.reefedition.com/emergency-fish-operation-venting-swim-bladder/ #88 in REFERENCES
https://www.saltwatersportsman.com/techniques/rigs-and-tips/proper-fish-venting #89 in REFERENCES

“Milking” Eggs
- Milking a fish can save it’s life if it is an egg bound female or has an ovarian prolapse.
- This involves squeezing the fish from head to tail to force out the eggs.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70O28_955pI
- This video shows the process of milking a male goldfish. This is, however, the same process as milking a female’s eggs. #94 in REFERENCES.

When a fish is choking
- A fish may ingest something too large to swallow that may get caught in its throat. It’s mouth may be unable to move, therefore impeding the ability for the gills to work properly, essentially choking the fish.
- From personal experience, using a toothpick very carefully to dislodge a large, softened pellet (softened from being underwater but still too difficult for the fish to get out of its mouth), worked very well. However, one wrong move could accidentally cause the toothpick to go through the fish’s lower jaw.
- Some fish, like goldfish, may accidentally ingest gravel.
- You can use a cotton swab to carefully push the gravel out through the mouth from behind by inserting it into the gills careful not to damage the filaments.

Prolapses
- An encircling ligature can be placed on the prolapsed intestine, cloaca, etc.
- A CO2 laser can be used to remove it.
- These generally are not available to the public and would require a vet to come in.
- Purse-string sutures can be used around the genital pore or the anal pore to prevent further prolapses, while also allowing the passage of feces and eggs. Again, this may not be possible for someone untrained to perform.

Fin Trimming
- This may be helpful for fish who are biting their own tails due to the weight and causing damage. This is a commonly performed procedure for ornamental fish such as arowana.
- Anesthesia is required for this.
- Anesthetize the fish, but do not feed for at least 24-48 hours prior to the procedure.

Resources:

https://norecopa.no/media/7290/fin-clipping-fish.pdf
- This resource contains important information about some drawbacks to clipping. #90 in REFERENCES.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuVwMmzo7HE
- This video shows a demonstration of trimming a betta’s fins. While it mentions fin rot, trimming should preferably not be used for fin rot, as that is an infection caused by water issues. #93 in REFERENCES.

Manual Parasite Removal From a Fish

The following includes step by step guides to MANUALLY removing parasites from your fish. This is very important for the complete eradication of multiple parasites. Luckily, this is something very rare when fish are properly quarantine prior to introduction to an established aquarium, and many parasites do not require this to be done. These instructions are directed for ANCHOR WORMS, however, it is also a viable method for other parasites which require manual removal...

WORM REMOVAL:

Take fish out of aquarium. One by one.
Use needle-nose precision tweezers for the best effect. Carefully and quickly grab the worms with the tweezers and pull the worms out before they can react.
Apply an aquatic antiseptic to the wound site to prevent infection.
Continue with treatment according to the anchor worm section of the packet.

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