Fish skeleton removal
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I was reading about fish taxidermy and from what I remember just about the entire fish is reconstructed out of other materials. I think that your fish is just really used a model.david17;3925162; said:
By saving the skeletons it is a lot cheaper and it is still your fish.
It's pretty complex though. The pic you see that I posted is before degreasing and whitening. The skeleton falls apart completely during those processes. The fins and gill rackers were removed before putting it in with the beetles. I have them preserved skin and all. Makes for a more interesting mount. I'll have to post up some pics when I get a chance to work on it again. It's fully degreased and whitened now. I have many smaller fish skeletons also. You have to watch the beetles carefully to know when they are done or they will munch the bone as well. They have to be misted several times a day, and their habitat has to be kept clean and free of parasites, excess humidity, and sealed so that none can escape. It's always best if you have more larvae than adults as they eat more and ensure the future of your colony. You can purchase colonies on ebay, but just beware that not all are equal. If they have parasites return them to the sellar immediately. It's really cool. You should youtube dermestid beetles time lapsed. You can see them taking tiny bites in person. You still need to remove the majority of the tissue by hand before offering to the beetles or it will rot quicker than they can consume it. They basically do the nit picky stuff for you.
Those beatles sound really cool and helpful. I am debating whether I should get a colony or not, how long do they normally take for smaller fish? (Under 5")
I was afraid to bring this up earlier because of a possible misunderstanding, but one of my tanks is having problems and one of my smaller dragon gobys passed today. I have seen many fish die, but for some reason when the dragon goby died I was a little more upset.
I was going to let him perish on his own, but it was lasting for hours and he seemed to be in a tremendous amount of pain (thrashing around violently etc) and I ended up putting him in a small tank with baking soda in the water so he would pass out then die in his sleep from lack of oxygen. I put him under a filter cover in the water so he wouldn't float and breathe the air. Luckily this was very quick.
Autopsy results confirm my suspicion of a problem with his swim bladder. He had a swollen gut really badly and he was floating uncontrollably. When I opened his abdomen, I noticed a big black sack that was very large. At first I thought it was a massive goby turd, but then I saw that farther back. It looks like it must have been his swim bladder. It felt very spongy.
Unfortunately, his skin seems to be tougher than his bones so I think I will leave the rest of him for some of those beatles or something.
I was going to let him perish on his own, but it was lasting for hours and he seemed to be in a tremendous amount of pain (thrashing around violently etc) and I ended up putting him in a small tank with baking soda in the water so he would pass out then die in his sleep from lack of oxygen. I put him under a filter cover in the water so he wouldn't float and breathe the air. Luckily this was very quick.
Autopsy results confirm my suspicion of a problem with his swim bladder. He had a swollen gut really badly and he was floating uncontrollably. When I opened his abdomen, I noticed a big black sack that was very large. At first I thought it was a massive goby turd, but then I saw that farther back. It looks like it must have been his swim bladder. It felt very spongy.
Unfortunately, his skin seems to be tougher than his bones so I think I will leave the rest of him for some of those beatles or something.
Tadpoles also work well at cleaning up smaller fish, or so I've read. Guessing you'd need a couple hundred for them to actually work though.
fish under 5" can be done in a matter of 24 hrs or less with a colony 5,000-10,000 individuals strong. A few days with only around 1,000. Removing the flesh is not the long part. it's degreasing whitening and assembly that takes long.
Here's a pic of when the beetles first started in on their new sacrafice!
There's only a few scouts now, but once they release their pheromones the hoard will come out to play.
Here's a pic of when the beetles first started in on their new sacrafice!
There's only a few scouts now, but once they release their pheromones the hoard will come out to play.
Please also note that it helps to have an intimate knowledge of fish anatomy before you start slicing into them to remove fleshy portions.
