Comments on: How to Dispose of a Goldfish That Has Died

on 11/12/2008 Ha ha. Its like 'Fish funeral for Dummies'. I feel step 7 is extremely complex and complicated. :D

on 6/27/2008 Well I've been having a rough day and this article just brightened my day. It brought me the giggles I needed. This article is useful for anyone that has kids and has encountered the first dead goldfish. Thanks ;)

on 4/5/2008 1. I don't think a dead goldfish "cares" if s/he is buried in water or dirt.
2. Going into the sewage system is not guarantee that everything will be processed out. Scary, I know. Perhaps you have seen in the news recently that pharmaceutical drugs are showing up in trace amounts in our drinking water in most major cities tested. This is because we are such a highly medicated society that enough people are peeing out drugs into their toilet that very small amounts are now seeping even into our water table.

on 1/19/2008 I agree with Bill on the dead fish, but please do not flush dead dogs as they do pose a risk to native fish.

on 9/12/2007 last week i added a sucker fish and another small under water frog to my tank today my new fish and frog both died today my original beta and frog i have had for a few months are still alive so what do i need to cleah the tank?

on 5/11/2007 Last comment was a test...
Just wanted to say that flushing a dead fish will not infect the waterways as most infections or parasites will leave its host when it dies. If your fish died of disease, the infection or parasites are likely to have went back into your aquarium and are waiting until you get another live fish so they can attach to it or attack it. Flushing an infected (sick) live fish is by all means more dangerous for waterways than flushing a dead one.

on 5/11/2007 blah

on 4/5/2007 Never drag a goldfish backwards by its tail as it will starve the gills of oxygen and kill the fish

on 2/16/2007 I got a recommendation from a local pet store owner to use white vinegar to clean equipment in my gold fish tank. I used this for four years, but then my fish died of illness. I'm not sure the vinegar works to disinfect. I have not set up the tank again.

on 8/8/2006 There's nothing wrong with flushing a dead fish down the toilet. If our native fishes' health are in danger when we flush dead fish down the toilet, I don't think it's humane to use it. Us humans flush more harmful stuff down there than a dead fish.

on 11/30/2005 To those so concerned about flushing dead fish and exposure to native fish. I would like to know where you live so I won't move there. Any place that pumps raw sewage from toilets into streams as part of waste disposal has a lot more to worry about than exposure to dead goldfish.

on 11/22/2005 Please do not flush any dead fish down the toilet, as if they are diseased, they can transmit the disease to the native fish, and this will kill off the already decreasing numbers of native fish.

on 11/22/2005 I've been keeping tropical fish for over 6 years. The first proper tropical set-up I had was great. I went out bought a lot of tropical fish, but the next day they all died. They died because I did not cycle the tank properly. After you have set up your tank properly (with the filter and the heater on and the airflow working) leave it for about one week. After the first week, do a 30% water change. Now you can go to an aquarium shop (not a pet shop) and ask them for a hardy aquarium plant. If your aquarium is big one, buy more than one plant. I usually recommend 1 plant for every 10 gallons (this is just for the cycling of the tank). After the tank has cycled, you can get a lot more plants. If you do not have a aquarium light, buy one now. It will help with the plant growth. Wait another full week and do another 30% water change (without disturbing the gravel). Now it's time to go buy a few fish. Buy hardy fish. Ammonia levels might be a bit high, so I usually recommend tiger barbs, but you have to buy more than about 4 of them, otherwise they will bully other fish. If you buy a lot of tiger barbs, they will swim together in a school and make there own fun within their group. Another option is to buy guppies. After another week, if all has gone well, you can begin to add about 2-4 fish to your tank per week (depending on what sized tank you have). Every week, do a 20-30% water change and regularly check the Ph, ammonia, and nitrate levels.

on 11/22/2005 Aquarium fish are often different than the fish in our rivers and streams. Some are even natural pests, or they could give other fish a disease. It's important not to let aquarium fish get into our waterways.

Don't flush them down the toilet or put them down the sink, whether dead or alive.

Give healthy live fish, plants, and animals to a friend or a public aquarium. Any other aquarium contents and dead fish should be put in a plastic bag and placed in the garbage bin.

on 11/22/2005 Fish live their lives in water. How would you like to be placed in the cold dark earth after languidly swimming around in the cool blue waters of your fish bowl? A fish would be out of their element buried in a box in the ground. Give the little guy his appropriate "burial at sea." Say a solemn prayer and send him to the last bowl he'll ever swim in ... the toilet.