Actual Skull Decor

[SlimyReef]

How do you guys think an actual skull will hold up in a trop aquarium environment? Reason I ask, is for what I do,
I come across a wide variety of bones/skulls and think they'd look great in my tanks. I have everything from deer,
bear, rabbit, fetal pigs and yes even human skulls. Now I know that a watery environment can possibly quicken decay,
but how quick? If it's a slow gradual decay that won't harm my fish, then I'm all in. Who hasn't wanted to see their
fish swim in one eye and out the other? If it were me I'd rather have my remains appreciated and not just buried
6ft under.

I'd hate to go the route of acquiring replicas like this http/www.skullsunlimited.com/record_variant.php?id=3980
or this http/www.skullsunlimited.com/record_variant.php?id=4589

The prices are insignificant, money is no object, this is about the satisfaction of using my own trophies/discoveries/collection.

I'm sure many of you have tried the same idea. How did it go?

 

[kevinjames]

i think ur idea is alot better than some of the silly ornaments u see in the lfs nowadays. i personally would prefer a skull to a house or pink gravel. although u are coming across as some hunter/serial killer lol. but i assume u are maybe a collector of sorts or someone who digs for fossil/pots/artifacts etc.

 

[razer121]

I think you could possibly treat them to not decay (some kind of sealeant?)

 

[ian]

Why would you want a human skull in your tank! *shudders*

 

[awilson360]

Hmmm I think a human skull would be just a tad bit disrespectful to the dead.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Who hasn't wanted to see their
fish swim in one eye and out the other?

Me

I guess it would prob be ok. I like the whole natural under water Amazon look though (at least I think I do lol)

 

[shroob]

I've seen animal skulls/bones in aquariums on another fish forum, if I remember rightly all the owners did was to boil them. I don't know what other measures they took, so I can't say that boiling would make them 100% safe but I can't see a reason why they wouldn't be safe.

Please note I'm not saying they would be, just I can't see why they wouldn't be.

 

[ChilliPepper]

Ugh what a bizarre idea. What's wrong with woods and rocks?

 

[Shred]

Not my cup of tea but I welcome anyone trying to do something different!

If I were you I'd coat it in some sort of sealant, clear yacht varnish should do the trick.

 

[Gaz_S]

Would there be enough calcium in the bones to affect the water chemistry? Just a thought.

 

[SlimyReef]

Ugh what a bizarre idea. What's wrong with woods and rocks?

Lol no I'm not a serial killer I'm more of an egg mcmuffin killer. I'm surprised by the creepiness factor,
I figured this would be a common want. Look at all the skull/crossbones pirate popularity. What pirate movie
doesn't have the typical skull found on the bottom? Well why not in my tank?

But even take the human element out of it, wouldn't this be awesome decor for a tank?

 

[Gvilleguy]

I like that you're thinking outside the decorating box!! But a quick google brought up some concerns - looks like you'd definitely want to seal it in some way. Take a read of what happened with this goat skull situation:

Goat skull in tank

 

[SlimyReef]

I like that you're thinking outside the decorating box!! But a quick google brought up some concerns - looks like you'd definitely want to seal it in some way. Take a read of what happened with this goat skull situation:

Goat skull in tank

It sounds like they didn't prepare it properly. skulls and bones are found in shipwrecks decades and centuries
later under water and aren't dissolving away. So why would it happen a few days in a tropical tank? Cleaning a
skull is no problem, and it's not just the typical 'boiling' procedure. I just don't know what is safe for my
fish and how to keep it preserved. Course I still might just go with the Velociraptor replica skull. not even sure
what they make them of, but it's gotta be aq safe. just rather have my own in the tank.

 

[Ceramicbull]

I think (just a guess, no degrees or anything) that it would do alright in a higher pH situation, hard water, with good KH. If the water is acidic, the bone would probably dissolve fairly quickly, because the calcium carbonate would rush out and buffer the pH. In a base, it wouldn't need to leave. Or maybe it would just raise your pH much more slowly. in either case, sealing it somehow would probably be a good idea.

I think this wouldn't be a problem with fossils, as the calcium has been replaced by silicon. It's basically a rock at that point. I'd test anything on a bucket of tankwater overnight though just to be safe.

 

[drobbyb]

Something we haven't hinted on here is tank maintenance. While it might be true that some of the calcium may leach into the water, this takes time, and with regular maintenance the rate at which the calcium may dissolve shouldn't be a problem. We can use crushed coral to buffer our water, but in order for it to be effective the coral it comes from must be crushed up to increase it's surface area. A skull certainly isn't crushed!

Just make sure you boil the heck out of it to get rid of any contaminants and you should be fine.