Preserving sponges

[jroescher]

I collected some large sponges that washed up on the beach near Cozumel while on vacation in Mexico. What do I need to do, if anything, to preserve them. I air dried them and they turned hard. I don't want them to disintegrate over time.


Phone pic:
http://www.maast.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4576&d=1260495767

[Kristy]

Cool looking sponge, John. Are you wanting to preserve it for OUTSIDE the tank, like on a shelf? Or are you wanting to put it in your tank?

[jroescher]

Outside the tank as a decorative display item on a shelf. I would be afraid of it quickly decomposing and releasing toxins in the water.

[dmweise]

You may want to check some hobby stores from some preserving gel. You can usually keep stuff in a gelatin type substance. Some folks use amber to preserve bugs.

[Kristy]

I bet you could shellac it multiple times to make it stiffer and better preserved, but this is a pretty uneducated guess.

[jroescher]

It dried really hard and no smell. I just wasn't sure what would happen to it over time.

I've said some things out of tank in the past, but never any type of sponge. I just don't know what to expect.