Fish aftercare in New Orleans, from koi to betta
Lift your fish out, wrap it and put it in the freezer: that gives you time. Then use this page to weigh cremation, burial and keepsakes for a fish in New Orleans.
- Pond and aquarium fish both covered
- Water cremation where it's offered
- Kind ways to explain it to children
New Orleans, Louisiana
Getting help with a fish loss around New Orleans
New Orleans pets live in shotgun houses, raised Creole cottages, camelback doubles and apartments in the French Quarter and Central Business District. Many older homes sit up a flight of front steps, and street parking can be tight in neighborhoods like the Marigny or Uptown, so mention access when you ask for options. Parade season and festivals can also block streets, which may affect when a collection can happen.
New Orleans air is heavy and warm for much of the year, with August highs around 90°F and heavy afternoon storms. A pet's body needs to be cooled right away: run the air-conditioning, lay them on tile and surround them with ice. Because much of the city sits at or below sea level and the water table is high, backyard burial is often impractical, and many families choose cremation instead.
If you'd like to compare, look a little further afield. Providers serving Baton Rouge may also take fish from New Orleans, and one of them might offer water cremation or a witnessed service that a closer provider doesn't. For a small aquarium fish, a slightly longer drive rarely changes much. For a large koi you plan to keep in an urn, it can be worth the extra miles to find someone who handles aquatic pets regularly.
About 362,154 people live in New Orleans, which makes it the largest of the 17 Louisiana communities we cover.
New Orleans sits within easy reach of Kenner (12 miles), Slidell (29 miles) and St. George (64 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from New Orleans; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
46.4%[1]
The NFDA projected Louisiana's cremation rate at 46.4% for 2024.
10 million[2]
About 10 million US households keep freshwater fish.
13%[3]
13% of UK households keep an indoor fish tank.
3-5% of body weight[4]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on Embrace Pet Insurance and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 National Pet Owners Survey release.
What local funeral customs suggest for a pet fish
In Louisiana, about 46.4%[1] of people are cremated, so it's still something of a minority choice. That can mean your vet sends small animals some distance to a crematory. For a fish, the distance hardly matters if it's frozen promptly. What matters more is an honest conversation about size: a large koi leaves enough ash for an urn, while a tetra or guppy may leave nothing separate.
We take the Louisiana rate from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for New Orleans, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Timing a fish's aftercare in New Orleans's climate
Hot weather also affects the goodbye itself. Garden soil in New Orleans can bake hard in August, so dig early in the morning, water the spot first and make the hole deep enough that the smell doesn't draw animals. If the ground is too hard, keep your fish frozen and wait for a cooler day. There's no deadline on a burial.
New Orleans summers are hot, with August averaging highs around 90°F. Warm water holds less dissolved oxygen than cold water, so pond fish are most at risk on hot, still nights, and losses are often found at dawn when oxygen is lowest. If you find a fish gasping at the surface, get an air pump or fountain running before anything else. Then lift out any fish that have died and put them straight in the freezer.
Fish cremation quotes in New Orleans: what's normal
Cost is a fair worry, even for a small pet. In one US survey of pet owners, 61%[5] said the cost of aftercare was a concern. The good news for fish keepers in New Orleans is that there are low-cost options: communal cremation through a vet, a garden or planter burial that costs next to nothing, or a private cremation only for the larger fish where ash is worth keeping.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Louisiana: Louisiana costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Rules worth knowing in Louisiana
A loss sometimes leads families to give up fish keeping altogether. If you're rehoming the fish that are left, offer them to a fish store, a club or another keeper; don't be tempted to free them in a local stream or lake, however healthy the water looks. Escaped pet fish spread parasites and compete with native species. For the fish you've lost, the local rules in Louisiana are below.
Louisiana keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers New Orleans.
The rules that apply across Louisiana (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Louisiana page. New Orleans may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
A checklist for New Orleans fish keepers
- Net your fish out gently and lay it on a soft cloth, giving yourself a moment.
- Freeze it the same day, sealed and wrapped. A frozen fish keeps for weeks, so the clock stops here.
- Work out its size: measure from nose to the fork of the tail and note the rough weight. Providers will ask.
- Tell the family, children included, plainly and truthfully. Slipping in a lookalike rarely ends well.
- Compare two options, for example a private cremation with a small urn and a garden burial under a new plant.
- Book your choice and find out how they keep track of your fish from hand-over to the day it comes back.
Keeping your fish part of the family story
Hurricane season runs from June to November, and after storms like Katrina and Ida, New Orleans families know how quickly plans can change. If a pet dies during an evacuation or a power outage, a cooler with ice can keep the body safe for a short time. Keep your vet's number and a provider's contact details saved, and allow for delays after a storm.
use the free tools before you ring anyone, read our guides and latest articles, or see how other readers answered in our polls, The services page is the place to compare what is included. If you live between New Orleans and Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles and St. George, either page applies. Every other community in Louisiana, and all of the United States, is listed too.
Reader polls
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Free tools to help you plan
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Ashes weight estimator
See roughly how much ash to expect back, by species and body weight.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Questions people ask
How do Louisiana attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Louisiana human cremation rate at about 46.4%[1]. We show it on the New Orleans page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Which nearby towns can I compare with New Orleans?
The closest communities we cover are Kenner (about 12 miles), Slidell (about 29 miles) and St. George (about 64 miles). Providers based in those places often serve New Orleans too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How does New Orleans's weather affect fish aftercare?
August is the hottest month in New Orleans, with average highs around 90°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Winters are mild, with average lows staying above freezing, so outdoor burial or scattering is usually possible year round.
How much ash does a fish leave after cremation?
Cremated remains usually weigh about 3 to 5% of body weight, and fish tend toward the low end because they're mostly water with fine bones. A large koi might return a few ounces, enough for a small urn. A pond goldfish may leave a keepsake vial's worth. A small tank fish may leave nothing you could collect separately.
Is it illegal to release a pet fish in Louisiana?
Releasing non-native fish into lakes, rivers and ponds is restricted in many US states, and some make it illegal to release goldfish at all. Rules vary by state, so check with your state wildlife agency. Whatever the law, releasing a fish you can't keep harms native wildlife. Pet stores, fish clubs and rehoming groups can often take unwanted fish.
Where can I bury a fish if I live in an apartment in New Orleans?
A large planter on a balcony or windowsill works well for a small fish. Wrap it in paper, bury it in fresh compost and plant something on top. Don't bury pets in public parks or communal gardens without permission. If you'd rather not bury at all, communal cremation through a vet is a simple option.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The NFDA projected Louisiana's cremation rate at 46.4% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [2] About 10 million US households keep freshwater fish. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 National Pet Owners Survey release, 2025.
- [3] 13% of UK households keep an indoor fish tank. UK Pet Food (formerly PFMA) Pet Population 2026, 2026.
- [4] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [5] 61% of US owners in the Cooney survey rated the cost of after-death body care as a concern (27.9% concerned, 33.1% very concerned). Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [6] Private pet aquamation costs about 2.5 times communal aquamation at the same provider. Our estimate: mean of tier ratios 150/50, 200/75, 250/100, 350/150, 450/225. How we calculate.
Tell us about your fish
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