my mantis died last night

[joeyd]

she was loved by all and will be missed dearly.

*sniff* *sniff*

anyway, i want to preserve her the best i can and was wondering if formaldehyde or alcohol would be better. im looking for something that'll have the least amount of discoloration over time.

[Gonodactylus]

A standard way of preserving crustacean is to start with formalin for 24 hours, then change to 70% ETOH. However, this will cause an almost complete loss of color. I don't know of any way to keep most of the color except to freeze dry the specimen.

Roy

[got chow]

Hmmm....
Interesting. Guess there's really no way to keep them looking like they do when they're in our tanks then. :(

JoeyD, I got your e-mail, but I haven't not preserved him yet, he's still sitting in my freezer frozen in a block of ice...

[joeyd]

got chow - i'd like to try the acrylic casting mentioned in your post:

http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=135084

my specimen is in the morgue (freezer) until i decide how to go about making what will hopefully be the coolest paperweight in the office! im thinking the eyes will be the hardest part.....we'll see.

[fishmonger]

Traditionally, I like to perserve my shrimp in a flour/cornflour mix, season with a little cayenne pepper and salt. Dredge the carcass in the flour mix. Preheat a cast iron skillet to 350 degrees. Lightly fry the shrimp for 2-3 minute on each side or until golden brown. Drain shrimp on paper towel---Here is the key---RESEASON IMMEDIATELY!!! with cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Serve with drawn butter and lemon. For more tips please visit my website DeadFishRecipes.com (http://www.DeadFishRecipes.com)