# Preserving my rhom-



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

Well its been about 10 months since my prized vinny died... Over the last 9 months I contemplated what I should do with the frozen remains... I was going to have him professionally done but soon after he died I landed my new (bigger) rhom, so sticking more money into the hobby didnt seem fitting--- I wanted to eat him and was going to but had members on here tell me not to--- A month ago I read the pinned thread in the Piranha discussion on how to preserve these fish at home for little to no cost at all--- Here I am 3 weeks later, very near completion--- I need advice on how to attatch this guy to a piece of driftwood? Sounds simple but its really not--- Please advise on methods you know will work and not ones that you "think" will- I dont want him hanging up and falling off the wood, I doubt he will be able to withstand too many falls-

Here he is FRESH.... out of the freezer--- he had been frozen for nearly 8 months--- I was a bit worried how he would turn out with being frozen that long-









Here he is after 3 weeks in baking soda/ a few coats of acrylic/ no lips/ and new eyes... he still has a little detail work/paint to be done after he dries completely--- By sometime tommorow he will be hanging on the wall(hopefully)


----------



## blacklabel (Feb 12, 2007)

wow good job


----------



## Guest (Feb 25, 2008)

Good job on that Kings.

That piranha looks better than the freeze-fried ones I see being sold all the time.


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

CRAP... i used salt...i was suposed to use baking soda....sh*t sh*t sh*t...! mine has been stuck in salt for 3-4 weeks now when do you think it would be done..? whats baking soda do differant than salt would,,,?

P.s it turned out lovely....

wares this pinned topic?


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

yeah thanks.... he has shrunk down quite a bit--- but in the end i have less than 10$ invested, it looks cool and i can say I DID IT... anyone know how I can get him to stick to my piece of driftwood??? any glue out there that would hold?? gorilla glue?

i dont think salt would work--- baking soda pulls out all the moisture, giving the fish that dired out look--- i think youll need to replace that salt with bs---... the pinned thread is in the p section up top---


----------



## jmax611 (Aug 6, 2006)

epoxy is good stuff it may work

and it looks awsome man good job!!!


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

yeah i think if i bought some of that epoxy stuff and put a glob on the wood and a glob on the fish it would hold well??/ I have gorilla glue laying around... i just dont want to find him laying on the floor someday--- altho I may mount him on it so he can be displayed sitting on a table-?

one thing i couldnt get over was the sharpness of the teeth--- his jaw wasnt very flexible being frozen that long... i had to really struggle to get his mouth open that far-


----------



## airtorey15 (Jun 15, 2003)

rice might work too. i heard if you get water in your cell phone or other device, put it in rice, it will dry out all the moisture. But don't take my word on that i just heard.


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

well thanks, but imo if it aint broke dont fix it and the baking soda method works great-


----------



## Sheppard (Jul 8, 2004)

wow!! that came out great!!

Good job


----------



## Doktordet (Sep 22, 2006)

It lives! It lives! Looks good KOK. There's a thread somewhere and it shows some pics of Kelrx8 when he went to Iquitos. He got some rhoms stuffed and mounted on wood blocks. I think they used metal skewers. (thats what it looked like).


----------



## MiGsTeR (Jan 19, 2008)

That looks awesome!


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

heres my rhom i just took out of salt after being in it for almost a month,, i think hes drying nicely(tail looks kind of chiped up from freezer damage i know) now ware am i going to get eyes..? and KINGofKINGS what color paint or what kind of paint did you use..?


----------



## lament configuration (Jun 22, 2003)

that looks sick as hell!! nice job with the lips and eyes too.

now gotta get a little mount for it or something and you are set.


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

i love how the jaw turned out besides that on a 1/10 i give my first job with no help a 7/10
KINGofKINGS your is a 10/10 for shure... rember iam not done yet so i didn't fully clean the fish yet i just wanted to take a look at it before i cover it in baking soda again for 2 more weeks then ill call it done

making a fish mummy,

heres a simple link i would like to share.....

hey KINGofKINGS what did you use to brush off all the tiny peaces of powder..?


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

he isnt painted cue... he was sprayed with an acrylic spray to seal him none the less and give it a shiny look... the little bit of painting im gonna do is around the eyes... i used a grey putty to fill in his eye sockets and then just suck the eyes to it--- now im gonna take black paint and paint thay extra grey around the eye to give him a more natural look-- ill take a finla pic once hes hanging--- cue it looks like that salt ate away at your fish??/ try taking a tooth brush and scraping all that excess sh*t off of him-


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

just throwing it out there King but what about a small bracket like the ones with 2 screws and you just screw the screws into the wood and then the bracket attached to the rhoms back side and then it hangs on the 2 screws...... that was you can take the fish on and off the wood if you need to clean and dust it for some reason OR if you ever move it would make for easier packing not to mention you could always change drift wood someday if you seen a nicer peice you liked to put him on rather then having to rip him off with some kinda glue


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

nice tips ... what do yo mean ate away...? ware do you see this do you mean inside the mouth..? you got to rember he died of hole in the head so he was not eating much the month before he died if you mean the highback part of him is kind of small...

look how this one is done


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

thats a good idea pgd--- where would i get such bracket?? i am kinda questioning putting holes in the fish tho...? i dont want the fish shattering/falling apart on me--

cue i just meant it looks like the salt is eating at the flesh of the fish... it shouldnt be sooo white like that-- try to get that crap off of there-


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

this has 2 metal rods in its belly and small holes drilled in the wood... simpler than you think


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

right.... but my guy is getting attatched to a medium/large piece of driftwood... hes gonna hang on the wall-


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

KINGofKINGS said:


> thats a good idea pgd--- where would i get such bracket?? i am kinda questioning putting holes in the fish tho...? i dont want the fish shattering/falling apart on me--
> 
> cue i just meant it looks like the salt is eating at the flesh of the fish... it shouldnt be sooo white like that-- try to get that crap off of there-


rember it has not been cleaned good yet actualy it was not cleaned at all,,heres some thing what a bout vasolen would that help get the natural color back a little before i spray it with some kind of clear coat..?


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

take a tooth brush to it and see if it comes off--


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

KINGofKINGS said:


> thats a good idea pgd--- where would i get such bracket?? i am kinda questioning putting holes in the fish tho...? i dont want the fish shattering/falling apart on me--
> 
> cue i just meant it looks like the salt is eating at the flesh of the fish... it shouldnt be sooo white like that-- try to get that crap off of there-


i attached a pic of example what i mean. and my suggestion would be drill very tiny pilot holes and it shouldnt damage the fish at all...... because the skin will be kinda dry and crispy you should make the pilot hole and i believe it would be just fine. use # 6 screws because they are skinny or maybe even #4 sized screws

check home depot for the brackets or lowes. they wont cost you more then 5 bucks to mount it


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

KINGofKINGS said:


> take a tooth brush to it and see if it comes off--










to late hes back in baking soda for another 2 weeks..sory thanks for the tips though,, got any pics from before you put the eyes in and painted him with clear coat..?


----------



## Curley (Aug 4, 2004)

You could use the bracket Dan is saying but could u screw it in the wood and epoxy the other side to the fish? that way u wont put hole in him and will still be able to take him off wood and clean. I know epoxy is strong azz stuff and would work to attach to wood, but the bracket just seems better/ Nice job man!


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

Curley said:


> You could use the bracket Dan is saying but could u screw it in the wood and epoxy the other side to the fish? that way u wont put hole in him and will still be able to take him off wood and clean. I know epoxy is strong azz stuff and would work to attach to wood, but the bracket just seems better/ Nice job man!


even a better idea...... well there ya go hahaha i think thats the best way to do it and it just took a couple more brain cells to come up with hahaha thanks for that extra boost curley







i was short a few ahaha


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

so..... screw the bracket onto the wood... and glue the fish to the bracket???

sorry cue... i wasnt able to get pics of him like your asking--- didnt have my camera card around when he came out- he was a bit dis coloured but not as badly as yours-


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

the sunny day could have also affected my pics i took today the sun was coming right in the window the same time i was taking the shot,, ill look at it in a few weeks..then get a tooth brush and give it a good buffing


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

if ur fish is dried out that much already i really doubt its gonna need to sit for a few weeks--- id check on it in one week and see how it looks-


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

ya i just want to double check it because the guts part is still kind of bold still its not crispy like i want to see it but ya ill wait a week


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

glue those keyhole brackets to the fish and then the screws go into the wood and that way you can lift the fish off the screws anytime u want and even change to nicer driftwood someday if you want....... hell you could even hang the fish on the wall by itself without wood even tho it wouldnt look as good lol

so glue the bracets to the fish NOT the wood the wood gets the screws put in it


----------



## Alexx (Jan 20, 2006)

nice job on that KOK

here's the one i did a while ago


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

looks good uk... what size was that guy--- and which method did u use?


----------



## Alexx (Jan 20, 2006)

he was just shy of 16" if i remember right and i used the same method as you (bi-carb of soda)

took about a month as he was very thick

i mounted him in a glass fronted display cabinet that hangs on the wall (i just never got round to putting it up)


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

tell me about the eyes piranha man uk.......what are they made of..? iam stumped with how i am going to make eyes..


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

oh and by the way to both of you HOLY sh*t amazing jobs on them i never did add what i thought and WOWZERS they look professional


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

cue the eyes are doll eyes... you can find them(maybe) at a craft store... or take the easy way out and go on ebay and pay 5-6$ for them---


----------



## Alexx (Jan 20, 2006)

^^ what he said

i found a bag of dolls eyes in a craft shop for 50p ($1)


----------



## chomp chomp (Oct 28, 2003)

nice job KOK, can't wait to see to see it all finished up.


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

red dolls eyes.?
how evil


----------



## b_ack51 (Feb 11, 2003)

Looks great kok. Amazed it was that easy to make the fish look that good.


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

its not eazy bro..lol

i wish,,, i actually trying to dry mine with his fins sticking out better( but it didn't happen)


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

Heres what i done today on my project...hey king of kings notice how he got some of the color back after i lightly buffed him down with vasolen...now i have everything in place i am going to put sealer/finisher on it this evening..he has to be on this angle because i had to have a think enuf peace to drill through so i wouldn't have cracking( that would be the worst).. and i have not glued the eyes yet there just setting there..should i stuff the eye socket with some plaster a little bit because when i glue the eyes there going to look kind of sunken in..
View attachment 163108


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

hes hangin up.... didnt paint the putty around the eyes black... i practiced on his non showing side and it looked awful--- im gonna leave it that grey color for now--- the flash on the camera shows off the wrinkles more than it should but you get the idea... im happy the way it turned out and cant wait for another fish to die so I can do it again-


----------



## Doktordet (Sep 22, 2006)

Looks good KOK.


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

I still cant get mine glossy like yours king how many coats did you spray on,,?


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

3 coats... its an acrylic based clear spray... "mattee finish"


----------



## Alexx (Jan 20, 2006)

looks awesome ... nice work.



> and cant wait for another fish to die so I can do it again


^ lmao, quality


----------



## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

that rhom looks sweet


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

how did you mount it on the wood? did you find those keyhole brackets?

how did you mount it on the wood? did you find those keyhole brackets?


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

KINGofKINGS said:


> 3 coats... its an acrylic based clear spray... "mattee finish"


so it is normal for the first coat to sink into the fish not make it vary glossy


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

yeah man it absorbs is


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

actually dan i just mounted a typical picture frame mount on the back of the fish and the fish then mounts on any nail on the wood--- works real slick-


----------



## Moondemon (Dec 9, 2006)

That's a very nice job .. congrats !!


----------



## b_ack51 (Feb 11, 2003)

Looks very good KoK.


----------



## cueball (May 24, 2005)

And king i got a question"how did you get his top fin to stay frilled up like that when it was drying..?" mine just always wanted to settle down naturaly..


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

im not positive cue--- im pretty sure he froze like that and it just kind of held....


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

if its flexible lay it on styrofoam to dry and use toothpicks against the fins to position them how u like. ALSO then cover it in baking soda.

im curious to know if either of you removed their insides with a coat hanger down their throat or if u just left them in???? if you left them in how bad does it smell and if is does try spraying the clear coat down the throat to seal it all up down there too


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

i di not take the insides out but did spray a ton of acrylic down his throat... he "seems" sealed up--- and when you smell him all you can smell is the acrylic... we'll just have to wait and see how he looks/smells down the road-


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

i dont think it should be a problem

if you dont mind me asking what did the live specimin cost you??


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

i never mind a question of cost in the hobby... I only paid $350 for the fish... got an amazing deal from a member on the boards... BUT.. I had a very skittish 9" vin at the time that I had to basically dump to free up my tank for this fish... if you count the hit i took on that fish I had $750 invested in the fish... which is about what he was worth imo... he was a beauty-


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

wowzers

how long did you have him living and what caused the death? sorry if you already mentioned it elsewhere already im too lazy to search hahaha


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

it took me a while to break the news... to make a long story short... he wasnt eating great for me(as is normal with new rhoms)... so i decided to treat him with prazi... around the 3rd and final week he had a long type of worm come out of the eye socket--- from there it was downhill ...


----------



## piranha_guy_dan (Oct 4, 2004)

thats insane....... i cant believe it man. prazi should have worked tho i dont know why it came out the eye....... usually the worms are sh*t out.

very sorry to hear and thats on expensive mount on the wall but at least it looks gorgeous and you will have it forever.......


----------



## KINGofKINGS (Jul 24, 2006)

i dont believe it was a typical type worm.... and from what i was told prazi wasnt the treatment for that particular problem..... idk, im not a fish doctor so i just kind of gave up on looking for answers to his death--


----------



## face2006 (Feb 17, 2006)

nice,


----------

