How to Dispose of a Dead Tropical Fish

There are many ways to dispose of a dead tropical fish from flushing to backyard burial. For the safety of the animals in the neighborhood and the quality of your city’s water supply, the safest method is your garbage can.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fish net
• Plastic bag
• Conditioned water

1. Use the fish net to gently scoop the dead fish out of the tank. Try not to disturb the remaining fish in the tank.

2. Tip the net into a plastic bag and shake the dead tropical fish into the bag.

3. Place dead fish into the outside garbage can for disposal.

4. Return to the tank and verify that there are no additional dead fish.

5. Rinse the net with hot water.

6. Remove 10% of the water and replace with conditioned water.

7. Wash your hands with soap and water.

Tips & Warnings

• Take a sample of the water to your local fish store to have the water tested for issues that may have caused the fish death.
• If multiple fish have died, completely empty the tank and clean it completely before placing the fish back in.
• Never use household cleaners in your fish tank as many are toxic to fish.