A Slightly Mad Idea?

[BlueDragon]

No idea where to put this...

So I collect skulls and bones. I have a few Rabbit skulls, a Hare skull and some Deer skulls... and a Fox skelenton. I was wondering if it was a mad idea to put a real skull into my tank? I was thinking one of the smaller Deer skulls I have. I always steralize them when I bring them home by soaking them in a Milton soloution before giving them a scrub, so they're not dirty in any way. The one I'm thinking of using has the back broke off, so even the inside of the skull has been cleaned well 'cause I was able to get to it. I've had a few years now too.

I live litrally two streets away from a huge Nature Reserve and that's where I find most of the skulls. I love to go for day walks around there and have been doing since I was a kid. I eventually want my tank to somewhat resemble the river that runs through it with wood and rocks and plenty of 'rivery' looking plants. I often find bones in the river and I thought a skull would be acurate and an interesting addition to my eventual plans.

Is it a compleatly mad idea or not?

 

[mattyeatsmatts]

You.....collect.....skulls......

 

[SamLovesCorys]

Think it would be fine though. At my local public aquarium they have a real horse skull in the piranha display!

 

[Tonyb111111]

IMO I think that if they are clean, old and dry they will be ok, but I suspect if you have acidic water they may corrode over time due to the mineral content. I don't think it's a mad idea, I was very close to getting some antlers to put in mine, after tying moss to them I think they would have looked pretty good

 

[Wills]

Does bone not raise the Ph of a tank?

 

[lloyd]

I would check your water parameters, if your water has a high ph and is quite hard then go for it. if your water is quite soft and your tank is small then its probably not a good idea due to ph swings. . . . maybe a fake skull in that case ?

how big is your tank, are you going to go for native fish?

 

[BlueDragon]

Oh, yeah, I collect lots of weird and wonderful things! I also have crab claws, fossils and a mummified birds foot. A mummified Bullhead Fish, a Rabbits tail and some more usual things like semi-precious stones etc. My Fox skelinton is called Brambles and he even has his own display basket ; )

A Horse skull in a Piranha tank, that's a great idea! X )

Tony: I think your antlers idea would be a really great idea too : ) I have antlers too but they live on my wall X )

My tank is 24 inches by 12 inches and 15 inches high, so not huge. But neither is the skull, it was only a very young Deer. And my PH is really low at 6.4 The Fish I have at the minuet are my Guppies and two Platies, so no, not native. I don't have any fake skulls... why have fake ones when you can go out and get the real thing?

Anyway, aren't fake skulls made with bone resin? The ones I've seen nearly always are. What's the difference? It's still bone.

 

[DrRob]

The difference is the resin, a non permeable matrix. A lot of them are also plastic.

Bone is generally a collagen matrix containing what is, basically, not too far off the chemical structure of limestone. So it would dissolve more slowly due to the matrix, is a small quantity as it's quite spread out, but would have similar effects on the chemistry. Plus, being a natural substance, it'll be prone to biological attack, whether from microorganisms or certain fish, which could cause fluctuations. I'd probably avoid a plec on them, but I could just be being overly cautious. They'd also probalby make a great anchor point for algae.

Ovearall, if you'd happily put a small piece of limestone in your tank, and are happy with the effect that would have on the parameters, then it should be fine.

 

[BlueDragon]

I'm still unsure what limestone would do to my tank. I'm still a bit confused over rocks in general as everyone seems to have a different idea : /

I kinda like the idea of algae growing on the skull, making it look like it's always been there. And I could always scrape some off every now and then to keep it right. Plus the Fish love to eat algae so it might benefit them that way if it was a good anchor for it to grow?

 

[lloyd]

Your water is quite acidid so putting a real skull thats high in calcium will dissovle quickly, causing your ph and kh to raise. ths is the same with adding limestone as its also very alkaline. your fish are more than happy to live in water with high alkalinity, you just need to watch how quickly your ph and kh raises as you may be quite suprised how quick it does and fish are not very well adapted to cope withmassive changes in kh . if i was you i would add the skull but make sure to keep up with your water changes and maybe make them bigger i.e 50% a week.

the other alternative is a plastic skull from the pet shop. the benifits of using this is that your water parameters wont budge.

 

[BlueDragon]

I'm changing over half the tank water every day right now anyway 'cause I'm having to do a fish-in cycle. Not my choice, but never mind.

I'll have a think about the skull. I do really like the idea, but if it's going to mess my readings up too much then it might not be worth it 'cause I think my poor Fish have probably been though enough for now.

 

[Craig89]

A picture of the fox skeleton is definitely needed

 

[bae1994]

I've always wanted to recreate a river theme but like my local river ( trolleys and traffic cones etc ) and the theme you said sounds very cool so if I was you I'd get a plastic one and do it, it sounds pretty good

Also the fox sounds odd

 

[BlueDragon]

I don't actually have a photo of Brambles, the Fox, I'll have to take one for you : ) He lived on top of the viv untill he was given his basket, now he sleeps on the floor X )

And he's not odd... he's actually very friendly ; )

Yeah, I suppose I could get a plastic skull. But are they as good as the real thing? I mean are they acurate or just a bit... cartoony?

The river has always been a part of my life, I've been walking down to it and around the reserve since way before I was aloud to! I still do love to walk around, see what I can see. I'm an amature wildlife photographer these days too, so it's one of my favourite places to go take photos. And I'm still finding new places! I can remember when I used to go hunting for the river life we have, little Fish, Dragonfly larva, Stone-clingers... I still do secretly ; )
So I'd love to have a peice of the river at home, in a way. With tree roots and rivery-looking plants... and a skull.


As you do...