Did I ruin a real trilobite???

[Stormsky]

Years ago I bought this trilobite from a flea market and being dumb, I decided to use it as an aquarium decoration for two or three years. Well once I decided to pull it out and rinse it off, most of the fossil crumbled away leaving only the vague shape of what it was and a couple small fragments. The only picture I have of it complete is from when I first put it in the aquarium.

 

I'm wondering if what remains is enough to know if what I had was real or if I only messed up a fake.

 

 

[Fitch1979]

Remarkable! 

 

You've got what seems to be a Hollardops sp. trilobite out of the devonian of Morocco. On your oldest picture, or what I can make of it, it seems quite original. Also, they are not worth faking too much anyway since they're not the most expensive trilobite around.

 

I'm truly amazed by the erosion the trilobite went trough. Although you state to have it 'cleaned' afterwards. I bet there was just a chalky layer on top of the fossil that would have been safer to remove using a soak in vinegar or something then to rub the piece? Just a fast thought here.

 

 

 

[izak_]

Sure, the fossil was dissolved, but hey thats a pretty interesting result! Whats the PH of your water, just out of curiosity?

Also this is a fairly common species, so I'm sure you'll be able to get another if you liked  

[Ludwigia]

It is/was real for sure. Water certainly is an amazing substance.

[Fruitbat]

Welcome to The Fossil Forum, Stormsky! Since most freshwater aquaria (except those dedicated to African Rift Lake cichlids) have a tendency to be on the acidic side, it's not surprising that it would have the ability to dissolve fossils...especially those with a calcium carbonate base.  Looks like you're going to have to write that one off to experience.

 

-Joe

[Miocene_Mason]

In th future, maybe cover it in something such as Paraloid, Vinac, or butvar.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Oh, dear. 

What a shame, yes, it was real, but could be replaced quite cheaply if you wish. 

[Kane]

That is pretty much exactly how one of my trilobites ended up looking a few years back after I left it unattended in cleaning vinegar for way too long.  

 

You're not alone. My own "make your own steinkern" from 2014/5:

[Bguild]

Hmm, never thought to use trilobites as aquarium decorations. Could be a cool way to make a mini Devonian sea! Although after seeing this trilobite (Real btw) if I'm ever feeling creative I'll be sure to use some throw away bugs.

[RJB]

We all live and learn.  its called life. 

 

RB

[Darktooth]

I once used all my leftover crystals as aquarium gravel and it killed all the fish. It was basicallyall Herkimer diamonds (quartz). I didn't think in would have that result.

[jpc]

2 hours ago, Darktooth said:

I once used all my leftover crystals as aquarium gravel and it killed all the fish. It was basicallyall Herkimer diamonds (quartz). I didn't think in would have that result.

I am not a fish guy;do you know why would quartz kill the fishes?    

[DatFossilBoy]

Oh man...

What a pitty. Oh well,not the rarest trilobite.

But it is,as said above,a very interesting transformation. Can you believe that this fossil lasted millions of years In the rock but gets destroyed so quickly by water? Amazing.

Hope the fish enjoyed this luxury.

Regards

[Kane]

15 minutes ago, jpc said:

I am not a fish guy;do you know why would quartz kill the fishes?    

From what I know, quartz in its more pure form should be safe. It is the impurities that may cause difficulties. A good rule is to clean rocks thoroughly (without soap) before placing them in an aquarium tank. Dolomite, limestone, or anything with higher concentrations of zinc or copper ore are not recommended. Quartz with iron oxides should not be used. 

 

Here is a quick list:

http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/Using_Stones_in_an_Aquarium#Rocks_to_Avoid

 

Disclaimer: I do not have any pet fish. I only eat them in large quantities. OMNOM et NOM  

[DevonianDigger]

I have a bunch of Eldredgeops bugs in the bottom of my betta tank. No signs of any damage yet. But yes, that was a rather nice Hollardops. Oh well, lol!

[Fruitbat]

I have kept tropical fish for better than 40 years and I was wondering the same thing about the Herkimer 'Diamonds'.  Quartz (Si0₂) in insoluble in water at temperatures that would normally be encountered in an aquarium but Kane hit on a very likely explanation for a fish 'kill' when he mentioned impurities.

 

-Joe

[Stormsky]

10 hours ago, Fitch1979 said:

Remarkable! 

 

You've got what seems to be a Hollardops sp. trilobite out of the devonian of Morocco. On your oldest picture, or what I can make of it, it seems quite original. Also, they are not worth faking too much anyway since they're not the most expensive trilobite around.

 

I'm truly amazed by the erosion the trilobite went trough. Although you state to have it 'cleaned' afterwards. I bet there was just a chalky layer on top of the fossil that would have been safer to remove using a soak in vinegar or something then to rub the piece? Just a fast thought here.

 

 

 

Thanks for the more specific ID. It's a bummer knowing it was real, but on the bright side, now I know the dealer is reputable and its not going to be hard to replace later.

As for cleaning it, yeah, rubbing it was definitely where I went wrong since I used a brush to try removing the algae that built up on it and it was much more fragile than when I first put it in.

9 hours ago, Foozil said:

Sure, the fossil was dissolved, but hey thats a pretty interesting result! Whats the PH of your water, just out of curiosity?

Also this is a fairly common species, so I'm sure you'll be able to get another if you liked  

Yeah, I didn't expect the rock to dissolve like that. all the preparation marks have been smoothed away. I haven't tested in a while but I'm pretty sure it is around the 7.0 range.

7 hours ago, Fruitbat said:

Welcome to The Fossil Forum, Stormsky! Since most freshwater aquaria (except those dedicated to African Rift Lake cichlids) have a tendency to be on the acidic side, it's not surprising that it would have the ability to dissolve fossils...especially those with a calcium carbonate base.  Looks like you're going to have to write that one off to experience.

 

-Joe

It was in an aquarium with a pair of axolotls so it was on the neutral to acidic side, so that makes sense. I just didn't expect it to smooth out like that.

4 hours ago, Bguild said:

Hmm, never thought to use trilobites as aquarium decorations. Could be a cool way to make a mini Devonian sea! Although after seeing this trilobite (Real btw) if I'm ever feeling creative I'll be sure to use some throw away bugs.

Yeah, I hope my scenario is a good warning to others about using fossils in an aquarium. If you're going to use one, I recommend also coating it in something to make it waterproof.

3 hours ago, Darktooth said:

I once used all my leftover crystals as aquarium gravel and it killed all the fish. It was basicallyall Herkimer diamonds (quartz). I didn't think in would have that result.

That's terrible. I've heard about cases like that and wouldn't have ever thought a crystal could be harmful until I learned more about it. It's usually the colored crystals since what gives them the color are certain metals which are poisonous to the fish when it leaches into the water.

1 hour ago, jpc said:

I am not a fish guy;do you know why would quartz kill the fishes?    

With a lot of crystals, what gives them colors are certain metals which can leach into the water and poison the fish.

58 minutes ago, DatFossilBoy said:

Oh man...

What a pitty. Oh well,not the rarest trilobite.

But it is,as said above,a very interesting transformation. Can you believe that this fossil lasted millions of years In the rock but gets destroyed so quickly by water? Amazing.

Hope the fish enjoyed this luxury.

Regards

That was part of my thought process when I did it. I figured it's already millions of years old and solid rock, surely it can last a few years sitting in water.

43 minutes ago, DevonianDigger said:

I have a bunch of Eldredgeops bugs in the bottom of my betta tank. No signs of any damage yet. But yes, that was a rather nice Hollardops. Oh well, lol!

It held together pretty well while in the tank. It was once I took it out and tried cleaning it that it completely fell apart.

[Ludwigia]

49 minutes ago, Stormsky said:

 That was part of my thought process when I did it. I figured it's already millions of years old and solid rock, surely it can last a few years sitting in water.

It held together pretty well while in the tank. It was once I took it out and tried cleaning it that it completely fell apart.

The trilobite being immersed for 2-3 years in water allowed osmosis to go to work, through which the water seeped into the space between shell and matrix, thereby pretty well dissolving the connection between the two. Taking it out and starting to clean it finished off the process. Trilobite shells are extremely solid, which is why many of them survive the tooth of time over hundreds of millions of years, and as long as they are imbedded in such a way that erosive forces can't get at them much, then they survive. As soon as they are exposed on the surface, however, they usually don't last much longer than a few years, as is the case with most fossils.