Removing Rusty Screws from Driftwood

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DragonFish71 said:
Honestly, I don't think you need to worry one bit. Bury it in the substrate, which is what the base is meant for, and enjoy. It's a beautiful piece.

I have two pieces (different tanks) of DW screwed to slate (well, one piece I'm not sure is slate it looks like yours) The one piece that looks like marble had been in tanks for I believe 10 years now (I adopted from a friend along with her tank.) She had no issues, and I'm not having any issues other than now the wood is soft and spongy and breaks off easily.

If you want to replace the screws they do make acrylic screws, which can be found at any hardware store. We use them for a few DW attachment projects and have no problems.
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Thanks for the reassurance. I did want to replace the screws initially with stainless steel but the current ones won't budge and I'm worried about the browning/rust that's already on them. I'll probably put silicone over them and maybe over the slate piece too just to be sure it won't leech anything and the space in between the slate and the DW where the screws are showing. I just want to be sure the silicone I get is safe. Is the GE brand above OK or should I look for something else?

Thanks again everyone this info is MUCH appreciated! Sorry for the questions I'm just overly paranoid. :lol:
 
I've never seen this part on any of the silicone I've used in my tanks:

"BioSeal offers mold- and mildew resistance "

I believe doors and windows is what I used. It should not mention mold or mildew. Whether those chemicals actually have an effect on the tank, who knows. I'm sure many have used them without issue. But...better to be safe than sorry I suppose.
 
mfdrookie516 said:
I've never seen this part on any of the silicone I've used in my tanks:

"BioSeal offers mold- and mildew resistance "

I believe doors and windows is what I used. It should not mention mold or mildew. Whether those chemicals actually have an effect on the tank, who knows. I'm sure many have used them without issue. But...better to be safe than sorry I suppose.
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I seem to remember someone had a thread on here a while back where they used the wrong one and lost everything.

Hmmm I think it was Darcy, she even lost Elvis her BGK.
 
You could use a pry bar which would pull the screw out of the wood, you could then remove the screws.

Probably best to cover the screw hole in the wood with some epoxy to stop and rust that is present leeching.

Then using galvanized or stainless screws simply reattach the wood and good as new.

Would take about 10 mins?

And no marble was harmed in the making of this centre piece DW :)
 
Hm, ok then that brand is nixed. Most of the one I'm seeing on the Home Depot site say something like that though. I've seen some sold online at Petco and PetSmart that are sold as aquarium safe. Maybe I'll call a few around here and see if they sell them in-store.
 
DAP brand is what is commonly available at Home Depot and such. Their 'Pure Silicon' even the stuff with 'door and window' written in the band near the top has no mold or mildew chemicals. If you check the DAP web site, the MSDS for this and aquarium sealant are the same.
 
Scouser said:
You could use a pry bar which would pull the screw out of the wood, you could then remove the screws.

Probably best to cover the screw hole in the wood with some epoxy to stop and rust that is present leeching.

Then using galvanized or stainless screws simply reattach the wood and good as new.

Would take about 10 mins?

And no marble was harmed in the making of this centre piece DW :)
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Well the screw heads seem like they are pretty flush against the bottom piece so I don't think I could get a good grip.

Sigh this is becoming a lot more complicated. lol
 
OasisKeeper said:
Just remember there is no mechanical problem that brute force and ignorance cannot overcome.

:lol:
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That's right. Fix it with a hammer. Anyway a landscape store ir garden center should have slate for sale. A drill isn't expensive. They come in handy for everything. Cordless is best, 18 volts of brute force.
 
I've used a product I believe I bought from pet-co or petsmart to bind some rocks together, it's made by all- glass aquarium and it's 100% silicone and doesn't have the toxic awful smell as some epoxy's do. And its not mold and mildew resistant. I think it's actually made for sealing glass aquariums but I used it for cichlid stones and it worked great!! :)
 
Tigroscr said:
I've used a product I believe I bought from pet-co or petsmart to bind some rocks together, it's made by all- glass aquarium and it's 100% silicone and doesn't have the toxic awful smell as some epoxy's do. And its not mold and mildew resistant. I think it's actually made for sealing glass aquariums but I used it for cichlid stones and it worked great!! :)
Click to expand...

+ it says it's non toxic and safe for FW or SW aquariums.
 
librarygirl said:
Well the screw heads seem like they are pretty flush against the bottom piece so I don't think I could get a good grip.

Sigh this is becoming a lot more complicated. lol
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Put the pry bar between the bottom of the wood and the marble.

That way the wood will release the screws before the marble would break.

I've done it before with furniture so I know it works lol :)
 
librarygirl said:
That sounds like the best idea assuming the slate actually breaks when I hit it. :D

1. What's the best brand of Epoxy to use that's safe? Can I get something at Home Depot or does it need to come from an LFS (if so I'll probably have to order it online as I've never seen aquarium epoxy in the stores here -- although I admit I haven't actually tried looking for it either lol).

2. Should I try slate from a place like Home Depot or stick to the slate pieces they sell at places like PetCo?

Sorry for the questions, I'm just overly paranoid and want to make sure I don't hurt my fish. :D I also want to get this done today so I can continue to soak the DW as I'm getting new fish and plants in a few days and want the piece ready by then. Thanks. :D
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Sounds like you may be going in a different direction, but the epoxy that I've used in the past in the Loctite Professional Heavy Duty Epoxy. Its a two part, and is available at Home Depot.

Home Depot has slate tiles, maybe they would sale you a broken tile or if they have just slate, that will also work. Slate is slate, even the tiles have nothing added to them, so you should be good to go there.

No problem on the questions, sorry it took me so long to get back to you, had to find the epoxy, its been so long since I used it I couldn't remember the name.
 
Just my 10 cents..

I'd go with Dragonfish's first post. Just leave it as is. The little bit of rust that might leak would be way too low to do any damage. And I know of people that bury nails with their plant roots for iron. But I haven't tried it so don't take my word on it.
 
Thanks everyone. Turns out I fixed the problem.

I went to Hope Depot and bought a better screwdriver set than what I have. I also found the DAP Household Silicone that says it's food safe and safe for aquariums and fish.

When I got home I first tried my new screwdriver set and the screws did come out. Turns out I just needed better tools. :D

I replaced the screws with Stainless Steel.

I was going to silicone the screw heads and the slate bottom (or at least the marble piece that's showing). The silicone says to let it cure for 48 hours prior to putting into the aquarium. I'll need this piece ready by Tues evening so if I did it now and let it cure I'd just make it. But not sure that the silicone is really necessary (and I want to keep soaking the DW piece until I need to use it,, although I could keep the slate part out of the water to let it cure). I haven't decided yet. :D

Thanks for your help everyone!

Edit: Just tested the water that the DW piece has been soaking in since yesterday and PH plummeted to 6. :(
 
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Scouser said:
Yea wood that size would lower the ph quite a bit in a small amount of water.

How much water was it sat in compared to tank size?

And better tools always help lol! :)
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It's in an 18 gal rubbermaid tub. My tank is 20 gals.

I have a DW piece in there now but it hasn't affected PH much if at all. I do have some crushed coral in my filter to keep my PH steady as my water tends to fluctuate anyway; PH out of the tap is in the low 8's until it gasses out to low-mid 7's. Hopefully the crushed coral will help and maybe the RO Rite I add as well will buffer it. Maybe to test I'll add some RO Rite to the tub with the DW and see if PH still falls. I really love this piece but I don't want to chance a sudden PH plummet either.
 
Ok you're smarter than me. You used brains over brawn. But where are the pictures???? Glad it worked out.
 
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