What to do with dead fish?

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Alright, so I got my e-mail back and was pleasantly surprised.

He said that this was not an odd inquiry at all, that he has done many pet fish. He actually owns aquariums and even has a flowerhorn.

It would not be difficult at all and would be similar to a sunfish. The pricing starts at $225 for him and goes up with size and added things.

I'm glad this got cleared and I was pretty sure that I'm not the only fish-keeper that has thought of this. There are plenty of people crazy in love enough to want their fish around forever.

 

[Hobgob]

The resin mold idea sounds pretty sweet to me. I would probably end up doing it if I could find somewhere

 

[absolutangel04]

Where would I even find a resin mold? I am not so sure that I would put fish in it, but it would be awesome to put some bugs I have kept in it. I like to keep praying mantises, but they only live about a year grand total.

 

[glassbird]

I do a lot with resin. You can't put anything in resin that is even remotely wet, not even damp. The resin won't cure well, and the item will rot. If you can dry the fish first (maybe using silica "gel", which is really sand) then it MIGHT work. But it has to be bone dry, all the way thru.

I have a large collection of resin molds, but my primary supplier recently retired so I can't give you a link. Check out local craft stores, or google it.

 

[adeebm]

I do a lot with resin. You can't put anything in resin that is even remotely wet, not even damp. The resin won't cure well, and the item will rot. If you can dry the fish first (maybe using silica "gel", which is really sand) then it MIGHT work. But it has to be bone dry, all the way thru.

I have a large collection of resin molds, but my primary supplier recently retired so I can't give you a link. Check out local craft stores, or google it.

Silica gel is sodium silicate, just so you know. It absorbs water. Sand is silicon dioxide, and does not absorb water.

If you leave fish out overnight, they do dry out fairly well(I know from experience, I've had fish jump out before...). That and a little extra drying might be enough for them to be resin coated.

--Adeeb

 

[MrPillow]

Borax is extremely effective at drying out fish carcasses. Used it all the time when performing skin mounts, especially of oily species.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Yea, you can pick up a variety of things to create a mold at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Joanna's, etc. Or you can look up a recipe online.

I would dry the fish out between glass plates to get them a good flat piece instead of the curling up that they tend to do.

 

[joejeff]

Yea, you can pick up a variety of things to create a mold at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Joanna's, etc. Or you can look up a recipe online.

I would dry the fish out between glass plates to get them a good flat piece instead of the curling up that they tend to do.

wow... that sounds hard core... i think i will hit up a pro if i decide to go that route... but hopefully it never happens... my fish will live forever

 

[jetajockey]

I get the idea of burning the deceased fish, but what happens if the smell makes you hungry?

 

[tmfish]

I get the idea of burning the deceased fish, but what happens if the smell makes you hungry?

Then you know to pan fry the next one.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Oh, you guys are crazy.

Apparently, (from what I have heard) pet oscars, pacu, etc. taste alright. Need a lot of spicing or a stronger sauce because they don't have the natural taste? Or something to that effect. There is a guy who goes around to fish shops and takes the big fish that people dropped off and aren't selling. He then has a cook-out with the family. I can see where he is going with this. Better to humanely put them out and then put them to use than have them suffer in a tiny aquarium due to the lack of research of the original owner. Whether or not I agree, is another story and I don't think I could bring myself to eat it.

And about putting your fish in a mold, just find some art student for $20, I'm sure they could fix something neat for you. Or send it to me and I'll do it. haha.

 

[toddnbecka]

I had a half-grown red belly piranha back in college until someone dumped a bottle of beer into the tank. I preserved it in a bowl of rubbing alcohol for a couple of weeks (alcohol will actually dry out the water) then air-dried the fish and put it into a Riker mount. That was about 30 years ago now, and the fish doesn't look much different than it did when it went into the mount. Not as plump or brightly colored as when it was alive, but overall still in good condition.

 

[WhiteWolf]

I live in an apartment complex and I bury my dead fish. I plant a tulip on top of them. We have private entrances so I do have a little bit of a yard of my own. Still, I bet it would look really weird if anyone saw me outside at night with a lantern and a spoon digging in the dirt. I do flush inverts, but I bury fish that were important to me.

 

[joejeff]

I had a half-grown red belly piranha back in college until someone dumped a bottle of beer into the tank. I preserved it in a bowl of rubbing alcohol for a couple of weeks (alcohol will actually dry out the water) then air-dried the fish and put it into a Riker mount. That was about 30 years ago now, and the fish doesn't look much different than it did when it went into the mount. Not as plump or brightly colored as when it was alive, but overall still in good condition.

Riker mount? Is that lee the standard one u ses

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Wow. Very interesting. Was there any smell while oit was in the alcohol?

 

[toddnbecka]

Wow. Very interesting. Was there any smell while oit was in the alcohol?

Only the smell of alcohol, it was an original experiment in preservation (nothing I'd ever heard of before) that turned out surprisingly well.
The riker mount is a black-framed glass top box filled with something like cotton. I think I still have it packed away somewhere, but don't know for certain offhand.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

That's pretty awesome. Great at-home way to dry out the fish.

I was thinking that while the fish is being dried out before the mold, it might rot some. So, this is an alternative to look into.

 

[KonvictKeeper]

I could NEVER imagine eating one of my fish. It would be like eating my dog. I eat fish all the time but could never imagine eating a 10" jack dempsey or something...

 

[MrPillow]

Even Jesus himself was a cichlid eater....

 

[KonvictKeeper]

Really? How so?