Are Skulls Safe For Aquarium Use?

[Spishkey]

i have just seen an advertisement for goat skulls and wondered are they really ok for aquarium use? they are apparantly baked, but is there anything i should do before putting one in my tank? should i rebake to be on the safe side? if so how long for? also these have long horns on them, would there be a way of 'trimming' the points down without damaging the horns too much? seen a fabulous one for in my larger tank but just want to be safe than sorry!

 

[shelaghfishface]

good morning, im sure i read somewhere that you can use them as long as they are boiled properly,but im not 100% so wait for some more advice on that. do u really like the look of them then? they dont appeal to me one bit lol,but each to his own

 

[saz326]

Again not my taste - but anything "dead" being put into an aquarium (like rocks, ornaments etc) can pretty much be treated in the same way.

Bone is porous, so I would boil rather than bake. This gives the hot water a chance to wash out any nasties laying in wait in little grooves and pits etc.

You could use a sterilizing solution - similar to that used for babies bottles if you like. "Milton" springs to mind. Sterelize as described on the directions, and then boil to ensure any sterilising soluton is removed.

 

[Truck]

if you boil them theyll be fine

 

[Spishkey]

many thanks for the replies, if you would have asked me yesterday did i like the look of them, i would have said no i think they are awful, but after seeing these i think they would look really different in my dark and creepy set up!

 

[tibby25731]

I'm intrigued - can you show us a pic??

Also, with regards to the points - I would just sand them down a little

 

[england]

i was imaging you butchering people and using there skulls for caves

 

[Spishkey]

http/www.kapaza.be/Dieren_en_toebehoren/...l_kop_geit.html



i love it!

 

[shelaghfishface]

Eeeewww.. that is seriously gross be great for a halloween themed tank tho

 

[tibby25731]

Gruesome! lol. It looks like it is grinning!

 

[kribensis12]

I would be worried about the skull letting off Calcium into the tank. That can mess with your water.

 

[SPO-00L]

^^ thats what i was thinking. I guess it would be good if you had a tank with turtles.. not sure about fish though

 

[TylerFerretLord]

The amount of calcium it would leech is minor and unlikely to change the ph much. Heck, I have several large shells and many small ones in my tank and my ph is barely above 7.

If you do frequent water changes I wouldn't worry about it.