How to Have a Fish Funeral

Fish are typically easy pets to care for, but unfortunately, most don't have a very long lifespan. If you have children in the home, they may feel grief at the loss of their pet fish when it passes away. Honoring the fish by holding a fish funeral may help children find some closure with the death, and it can provide a bonding experience between parent and child.

Write a short eulogy for the fish. If children involved in the funeral are of school age, you can get their input about what to write. It can be as simple as, “Charlie was a good fish and we loved him very much. Rest in peace, Charlie.”

Place the fish on a paper towel to carry him to his final resting place, if it's the bathroom. If you're burying the fish, you may place him in a small cardboard box instead.

If you're having a backyard burial, use a shovel to dig a grave for the fish. Allow all attending the funeral to say their final goodbyes to the fish. After all have said anything they wish to say, read the eulogy you wrote.

Place the fish in the toilet bowl and flush, if you are disposing of the body that way. If you are having a ground burial, place the fish in the ground. Cover the fish, or the cardboard box it rests in, with dirt.