preserving a fish
- Thread starter ninba22
- Start date
iv always wanted to try this method...not with a fish but hey.
when coca cola is left in sunlight/warmer temps, it turns in to fomaldehyde....try puttin it on coke and leaving it in the sun....see what happens
when coca cola is left in sunlight/warmer temps, it turns in to fomaldehyde....try puttin it on coke and leaving it in the sun....see what happens
pure ethanol is going to be your best bet, you're going to get some discoloration over time, but that is what's going to be the best for preservation. This is what we use in our labs and in the field at the university that I research at.
coke into formaldehyde? I've never heard that!
coke into formaldehyde? I've never heard that!
Aspartame, the sweetener in most diet sodas, does break down in warm conditions with formaldehyde as one product. However the amount of formaldehyde produced is too small to be useful as a preservative.
The typical method for fluid preservation of fish involves 'fixing' the specimen in formalin (a solution of formaldehyde gas in water) before transferring it to alcohol. Your preserved dogfish may have been formalin fixed already. Even if it hadn't, fixation is not absolutely necessary.
Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and ethyl (grain) alcohol both work fine as preservatives. Isopropyl alcohol is cheaper, but ethyl alcohol preserves color better.
If you use isopropyl alcohol, any concentration from 40-70% should work; you don't want more concentrated because it can cause shriveling. Rubbing alcohol from the drugstore is already somewhat diluted; be sure to check the bottle for the concentration.
If you use ethyl alcohol, any concentration greater than 60% should work. Denatured ethyl works fine and is less expensive than straight corn liquor, but may be hard to find.
Be sure to keep your specimen away from sunlight and extreme temperatures!
The typical method for fluid preservation of fish involves 'fixing' the specimen in formalin (a solution of formaldehyde gas in water) before transferring it to alcohol. Your preserved dogfish may have been formalin fixed already. Even if it hadn't, fixation is not absolutely necessary.
Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and ethyl (grain) alcohol both work fine as preservatives. Isopropyl alcohol is cheaper, but ethyl alcohol preserves color better.
If you use isopropyl alcohol, any concentration from 40-70% should work; you don't want more concentrated because it can cause shriveling. Rubbing alcohol from the drugstore is already somewhat diluted; be sure to check the bottle for the concentration.
If you use ethyl alcohol, any concentration greater than 60% should work. Denatured ethyl works fine and is less expensive than straight corn liquor, but may be hard to find.
Be sure to keep your specimen away from sunlight and extreme temperatures!