[Nhcoll-l] [EXTERN] Fish with mould

[John E Simmons]

Just to add to Dirk's good advice, once you have the alcohol concentration
raised to a level that will kill the mould it will stop damaging the fish
and you can clean it up later. When you are ready to remove the mould, I
recommend starting with the most gentle method to minimize damage, which
would be rolling a cotton swab over the mould to see if it comes off easily
(that will cause the least amount of surface damage). If that does not
work, then you will have to try using a soft brush.

--John

John E. Simmons
Writer and Museum Consultant
Museologica
*and*
Research Associate, Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
*and*
Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima


On Thu, Feb 5, 2026 at 7:02 AM Dirk Neumann <d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de>
wrote:

> Hi Vanessa,
>
> I would bring it back to slightly above 50%EtOH first (ethanol acts as
> biocide above 50%) and leave it in 50% for some time (depending on the size
> of the fish 1-2 days or several days) until the mould dies off.
>
> Depending on the condition of the fish, you can lower the concentration in
> a second step to support rehydration (which again takes time), or directly
> but slowly increase the concentration.
>
> Cleaning should be done very carefully (mild brush) after the initial
> treatment, as the tissue of the scale pockets might have been damaged.
>
> Hope this helps
> Dirk
>
>
> Am 05.02.2026 um 12:31 schrieb Vanessa Pitusi:
>
> Hi all,
>
>
>
> I was going through the fish collection at our museum and found an
> individual that is not in the best state.
>
>
>
> 80% of the ethanol had evaporated from the jar and it looks like the
> specimen has been exposed for some time, as a layer of black mould has
> formed on the left side of the fish.
>
>
>
> Any tips/advice?
>
>
>
> Should I let it dry out or just place it back in ethanol?
>
>
>
> I will try to remove the mould where possible, but the specimen is not in
> a good state.
>
>
>
> All the best,
>
> Vanessa
>
>
>
>
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> --
>
> ******
>
>
>
> *Dirk Neumann*
>
> Collection Manager, Hamburg
>
>
>
> Postal address:
>
> *Museum of Nature Hamburg*
> Leibniz Institute for the Analysis
>
> of Biodiversity Change
>
> Dirk Neumann
>
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>
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> +49 40 238 317 – 628
>
> *d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de <d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de>*
>
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>
>
>
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> --
> Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels
> Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany
>
> Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
> Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian
> Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
> Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
> Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael H. Wappelhorst
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> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
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