Freeze drying your favorite fish.

by **Peterkarig3210** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 1:52 am

I'm admittedly a bit weird and one thing that proves it is that I have a box in my freezer with all my old fish in it, which have either died of old age, jumping out of the tank, or by disease. I rarely have my fish die, but when I do I immediately put them in the freezer where they eventually become bone dry and light as a feather. They're still beautiful! I wonder if anyone else does this, and I wonder if I could preserve them somehow, varnish them, and mount them? They all still have their bright colors and since all the water is now evaporated from their frozen bodies I don't see why I couldn't now have them stay that way as long as I varnish and seal their bodies so bugs can't get into them. Anybody else preserve their fish before?

by **Snowboss4492** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:51 am

ok thats definately different - -but i wouldn't say wierd, lol - - -just make sure the lil lady doesn't make some really pretty stir fry some night {sorry that was wrong}

freezing anything preserves it, thats why we do it....but i wouldn't think all the moisture would be gone out of the lil beauties - -i hate to say it but a dehydrator would do the trick but leave you with pretty raisins ... might try contacting a taxidermist, or freeze a feeder and see if it works before trying one of the nicer ones - - i do like the idea of "mounting" them - -im pictureing them "floating" on a piece of fiber optic wire from a pedistal of some sort - - -let us know what happens, snowboss

by **Peterkarig3210** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:14 am

I think the chemistry term is sublimation, where water goes from a solid directly to a gas. I've had the fish for years and they're pretty dry. I mean they are light as paper. They dried so slowely that though they're a little bit raisin like, but not much. At this point I don't think they can lose any more moisture. Maybe I'll put them in a jar with some dehydrating substance and get the last wee bit of water, and then varnish. Then I can make a mobile, or put them on mounts with wire like you said.

by **snowboss** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:14 pm

by **gumbii** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:39 am

hahaha... wierdo... lol...

you should fight the lady that has a million cats in her house, then she stuffs them when they die... do you throw them at people when they walk away from your pad...??

lol... j/k...

by **Peterkarig3210** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:02 am

No, but it's amazing what they look like, so very realistic. I had 2 needle nosed gars that died a week from each other from some bacterial infection, and when I put them together in the freezer they looked as if they were together in an embrace of some sort. Unfortunately one fell out of the freezer and I lost it somewhere. Maybe the cat ate it. Maybe when my GF comes over I'll take pics and show you guys.

by **gumbii** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:23 am

hahaha...

OM NOM NOM NOM... cat...

by **ChristinaBug2890** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:15 am

Aweee I'm glad i found this post. Now i feel welcome among the ratemyfishtank posters! you brightened my day :D thanks guys you rock!

by **prskiller** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 7:06 am

That reminds me of my sister. I once opened up her freezer and found her dead kittens frozen in ziploc bags. I asked her what is up with that and she said she didn't have the time to bury them so she stuck them in the freezer until a later time. Talk about gross. It would be cool if you glassed your fish somehow and framed them or something.

by **Peterkarig3210** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 10:36 am

Yea. I'll save them and put instructions in my will that they be buried in my tomb when I die!

Freeze drying your favorite fish.

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