floating driftwood...HELP

[Annie/Aggie]

HELP.. :x I am totally irate! I purchased this nice piece of java fern and paid way too much for some lovely driftwood to attach it to and there is NO WAY I can keep it all sitting on the bottom of my tank. Does anyone have any suggestions here before I go crazy? I have tried fishing weights but am having an extremely difficult time anyway.

 

[newfound77951]

Most driftwood floats, and yes, it can be VERY expensive. There are a few options, depending on how big the piece is. You can boil the wood until it sinks, or if doesn't fit, pour boiling water over it several times. You can also attach a piece of slate to the bottom of it, with screws or maybe silicone if the wood is dry. Third option is to weight it down with rocks and wait (last resort).

Where did you get it? If not from the LFS then I would definitely try and boil it to make sure there aren't any nasties living in it.

 

[Annie/Aggie]

I got it in a bag at pet smart, it looks really clean and isn't discoloring the water but it was for small reptiles, is there any chance it will never sink?
Actually I have some slate here is there a special kind of silicone to use that will be safe for both ADF's and fish?

 

[cbk.o4]

since it wasnt meant for aquarium use i would definately boil it. for a while.


use ge silicone #1, it says not safe for aquarium use on the label now but it is, just make sure it is clear, and is the door and window #1 in the blue tube. dont use the kitchen one or anything like that, it has mildew inhibitors in it.

Aquarium Glue thread

check out that thread, it has a picture of the kind of silicone to use.

 

[Roach182]

I bought 4 pack of 1 1/2 inch diameter suction cups from Walmart for 80 cents, I screwed 3 of them to the bottom of the driftwood then stuck it to the bottom of my aquarium. Worked like a charm.

 

[newfound77951]

Roach182....great idea! Only thing I'd watch out for is if they let go, the driftwood could hit the cover glass, or bulbs if you don't have a cover glass. That could get messy. But otherwise, awesome idea!

 

[Annie/Aggie]

that is a fantastic idea, thanks, I'm leaving shortly to buy suction cups and silicone, I'll keep you guys posted but I really like the suction cup idea, only thing is both my tanks have a sand substrate, it may make it difficult to stick them on, I don't want to move alot of it unless I have to.

 

[Roach182]

That though crossed my mind as well, my lights do have a sturdy lexan shield over them. I never had a problem though. In fact one time when I was rearranging my aquarium I had a heck of a time trying to get the suction cups to let go so I could move the wood.

 

[woodsplace1]

From experience, I boiled my driftwood even though it looked very clean and nice...boy was it gross. There were things coming out of it that was nasty...after the boiling, mine sank like a charm...I did place it under the water in our sink and let the water soak in...mine looks great now...HTH

 

[chrism]

Suction cups sound good, but i dnt like the idea of having screws rusting in my tank...

i've recently bought a piece of driftwood that wouldnt sink, i just weighted it down with a piece of slate in each corner, (I've also tied slate to the bottom with cotton to wood before) gradually it'll become saturated with water and not need the slate, the piece that i've got has been a right pain... it's been in there a couple months and still semi floaty!

 

[Hoovercat]

[/quote]Suction cups sound good, but i dnt like the idea of having screws rusting in my tank...

This is why stainless steel screws are usually suggested when mounting driftwood is attached to rock. Stainless steel is engineered to not corrode (rust) by increasing the amout of chrome in the steel.

 

[Annie/Aggie]

Well I ended up using the suction cups, I know it works great because I mistakenly bought "grape" driftwood wich supposedly will never sink voluntarily. It definitely got heavier but the pieces not attached by the cups are still happily floating around and they've been in the water 24 hrs. I did make a real mess of my tank though. getting them stuck onto a sandy bottom just about drove me nuts. It's all settled this morning though and looks great. The suction cups are holding wonderful.
For some reason though I was thinking about plumbing I guess when I bought the screws and I got brass ones, do I need to get them out of there right away?

 

[newfound77951]

The brass screws should be OK, they aren't strong (as in don't build a deck with them....they're plenty strong for what you need) but won't rust. Even stainless will rust (or corrode) eventually, but I have 2 pieces of driftwood in my tank with slate bottoms that I have had for 10+ years with no problems.

 

[Annie/Aggie]

oh excellent, thanks newfound77951, being from the rock in my not so distant family history I will definitely trust anything you say if it has to do with water, boats or fish, lol..Thanks

 

[newfound77951]

Ha ha.....well, i wouldn't trust EVERYTHING I say, but I'll do my best!!

 

[LindaC]

I found a really nice piece of driftwood at my LFS and it was already attached to a piece of slate on the bottom, they sell quite a few of them, from what I hear. It was pretty messy trying to get the base underneath my Flouite subtrate though, what a pain but now it's there to stay whether I like it or not.