If one of your aquarium fish dies, you might not know what to do with the body. It doesn't feel right to stick the fish in your garbage, but a burial in the garden is a step too far.

So, you may decide to flush the fish down your toilet. It feels better to give it a water-based send-off, and you know other fish owners who dispose of dead fish this way. However, this may not be the best idea in the world.

No matter how small the fish is, it may not reach the drain and may break your toilet. What kinds of problems can fish cause?

Even Small Fish Can Block a Toilet

To be honest, you can probably flush a single small fish down the toilet without a problem. If you put some toilet paper in after the fish, the paper should carry it away and down the drain.

However, this only works if your drain is free and clear and the fish is tiny. If you've had a problem with a fish disease in your aquarium, then you might have a few small fish to dispose of at the same time. You should avoid flushing multiple fish even if they are all tiny.

A few small fish may be pushed together when the toilet flushes. This may turn them into a clog. You won't necessarily be able to reach them to break them apart. They may just sit in the drain and stop it from flushing correctly.

Bigger Fish Might Get Stuck

While bigger fish may still seem pretty small to you, you have to weigh their size and shape before you think about flushing them. If a fish won't flush smoothly through a toilet pipe, it will block the drain.

For example, fat fish can get stuck in pipes and block them. Longer fish may not flush even if they are thin because they are too long to be pushed around bends in one go. Part of the fish will flush through a bend but not all of it. The fish may just keep sliding back in the pipe rather than going through to the drain.

Plus, if you flush a fish with large fins, then the fins may get stuck. Even if the fish's body is technically small enough to fit through the pipe, its fins may hold it back.

If you've already flushed a fish down the toilet, and the toilet has stopped working well, then you should call your plumber. They can help the fish on its way and stop blocked drains to get your toilet working normally again.

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