Pins and screws?

[camshaftba]

I am building a new heavily planted tank and a few sites I have seen a few sites that recommend using tacks to pin plant onto the driftwood, and screwing the driftwood to plexi-glass sheets to prevent it from floating/moving. Do these screws or tacks affect the chemistry of the water or do they leach anything into the water?

 

[BHead707]

you could use silicone and glue it to a rock or piece of glass if you dont want to use screws, just make sure ts aquarium safe

 

[camshaftba]

In my experience silicone doesn't bond very well with wood but I can try to find one that works with it, but now I need an idea for a way to attach plants to the driftwood

 

[BHead707]

i myself use fishing line or rubber bands to do it

 

[aqua_chem]

That seems really excessive to me. Plants will eventually root themselves to logs, and wanting to screw your wood in is crazy imo. 99% of the time you will eventually want to change your scape around, but if you screwed it in your pretty much out of luck.

 

[KaylNeko]

Super glue. Get the stuff that is 100% cyanoacrylate. A lot of planted tank enthusiasts use it to fix their plants to driftwood/rocks/etc. It eventually dissolves, but by then, the plant should have fixed itself to the object.

As for using screws--I think the folks who do it use stainless steel and don't have a problem, but I might be wrong on that.

 

[Vircomore]

Ultimately the biggest problem with using various "attachments" in an aquarium is that components can dissolve over time and cause harm to the tank.

- Glues / Silicone - Certain glues contain dangerous chemicals that can poison the water.

- Screws / Metal - Possible corrosion, dissolving of metal into the water (especially copper) can be dangerous to certain invertebrates.

 

[KaylNeko]

The leaching is why all the recomendations I've seen are 100% silicone with no additives, and 100% cyanoacrylate. Folks have been using those for years without negative effects.

That seems really excessive to me. Plants will eventually root themselves to logs, and wanting to screw your wood in is crazy imo. 99% of the time you will eventually want to change your scape around, but if you screwed it in your pretty much out of luck.

Some wood refuses to sink, for whatever reason. And I agree with the driftwood--I didn't use anything to stick the plants in the driftwood because it had little crevices. But for rocks and wood like manzanita, you need something to fix it there until it attaches.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Just use some clear thread/line. I use some of my beading thread I use for jewelry and tie it on until the plant has grown on to the wood and remove it. I don't really think glues/silicon are really need. The plant will eventually lodge itself on there.

 

[aqua_chem]

Some wood needs to be soaked for awhile before it sink. I know somone that sinks their wood in big garbage cans to help waterlog it. Also helps with tanin leeching.

 

[KaylNeko]

Some wood needs to be soaked for awhile before it sink. I know somone that sinks their wood in big garbage cans to help waterlog it. Also helps with tanin leeching.

Very true. There's someone on here or another forum, though, that has a piece of wood that refuses to sink, and I don't think cholla sinks. And some people aren't patient That's why the option to screw it into a piece of slate is out there, is all.