preserving a dead fish?

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Paul_MTS

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 30, 2005
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Essex- UK
Today I received 2 dead redline snakeheads by courier. As it goes a customer was going to kill them so i said i would take them off his hands and had the local pier display lined up for them.

But alas the bagging wasn't up to scratch so they both died, 11 and 12" in size.

After wedging there mouth open and seeing there awesome teeth im wondering if there's a way to preserve the skeleton?

What thebest way in reducing the head down to the skull?

I tried it in the fire once with a bichir rapped in tinfoil but i stoked the fire too well and reducded it to a pile of ash.
 
70% alcohol for preservation (or at least maintenance of perservation) of our specimens...this is diluted from the 95% stuff we keep on hand in the lab. the actual preservation/fixation, however, is done with formaldehyde. if the fish is larger than just a few inches then i cut the belly so the chemical can enter into the insides of the fish and preserve everything. the fish stays in the form. solution for a couple days. if its a gar or bichir, a fish that has rigid bony scales, then i take the fish out after 2-3 days and just let it air dry. the fish is now dry preserved.

a standard preservation take the fish out after 2-3 days and let it sit in a container of water to soak out the formalin. after a day in the water the fish is removed and placed into a container of 70% alcohol for long-term preservation.
as far as using other alcohol, i think as long as its relatively pure and the proof is about 140 you should be ok...in theory

What thebest way in reducing the head down to the skull? Boil and gently scrape the head clean
 
thanks beblondie, i'ved been told about the boiling and scraping way before. I don't think mother will be too happy about me sticking the kitchen out though ! :S
 
You can also put it outside in a bucket covered with wire mesh and let the maggots do their job. this has worked with shark jaws for me. Another method would be to put it in a nearby body of water in same bucket and let the water creatures take care of it, if you can get away with this.
 
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