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Can I flush fish down the toilet?
Can I flush fish down the toilet?
Firstly, if you are even thinking about doing this, you are not fit to keep fish in the first place. Southern Water released a statement regarding this practice, reminding customers that the only thing that should be flushed down the toilet are the three P's - pee, poo and paper. Certainly not live animals or fish.
Flushing a diseased fish, or a dead fish that could potentially be carrying a disease or parasite, is not only criminal animal cruelty, but could potentially be releasing that disease into the wild. Plus there is always the remote chance of passing those diseases on through the water to yourself or the immediate waterway environment. Would you feel comfortable sitting on a toilet knowing that a diseased fish had just been in there? There are certainly many diseases that can be passed from fish to human, just ask any fish store owner!
No fish, regardless of how hardy, is likely to survive being flushed into a sewerage system or septic tank. If you have a fish with a disease, you should be taking responsible steps to address the problem, and never see 'flushing' as a solution to the problem of disease or disposal.
How do I dispose of a dead fish?
There are several options for disposing of a dead fish. You can bury it in the ground, but make sure to bury it deep enough to prevent other animals from digging it up.
Alternatively, you can put it in your garden compost bin to break down for use as garden fertilizer. To remove any odour and kill most developing bacteria or parasites on the corpse of a fish, you can place the fish in a freezer (in a bag!) for a few days before disposing of it.
Do not, under any circumstances, feed your dead fish to a pet cat or dog. The risk of passing on infections and parasites is very real.
To browse our range of fish disease treatments please click here.
To browse our range of healthy water treatment products please click here.
Photo credit(s): Canva Pro Licence
