“Dumping anything out of an aquarium — fish, animals, and plants — can have devastating consequences for Texas’ natural waterbodies,” according to TexasInvasives.org. “This is true for both freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Never dump them into a natural body of water or flush them down the toilet.”

The San Antonio River Authority (SARA) released a similar public service announcement last November saying aquarium fish are considered an invasive species.

More specifically, SARA officials said armored catfish burrow into riverbanks, which leads to erosion of the banks and eventually bank collapse.