Question about the glue we use

[NStalgia]

Hey guys. So I'm wondering about the glue used to stick plants to rocks or wood. It leaves a white residue. Does it go away after time on its own? On wood I think you can just carve it off. But I accidentally squirted too much on a lava rock and it left a white mark on it and it kinda looks ugly. Any tips on how to remove it? Tried running a dull knife over it but it'll take forever.

[Aiken Drum]

It will get covered over with grime and algae over time, but the only way i can see to get it off is scraping it. Maybe some wire wool? Ive used wire wool to get rid of nerite snail eggs from rock before, try it on a piece of rock not in view first because it smooths the rock surface too and you may not like that look either.

[NStalgia]

I think I'll like that better than seeing this white stuff on. Well I glued some more java moss on it to cover some of it up but it's still kinda visible. It'll get covered up over time right? Cause don't know how I can scrape it now without messing up the moss :\

[Colin_T]

If you are using cyanoacrylate, (super glue), it generally turns white if it's on a wet surface or gets moisture on it before it has set.

I wouldn't worry about the colour.

[Jacky12]

I bought some black aquarium safe silicone adhesive at Amazon.

[m.j.gomez]

Originally Posted by NStalgia

Hey guys. So I'm wondering about the glue used to stick plants to rocks or wood. It leaves a white residue. Does it go away after time on its own? On wood I think you can just carve it off. But I accidentally squirted too much on a lava rock and it left a white mark on it and it kinda looks ugly. Any tips on how to remove it? Tried running a dull knife over it but it'll take forever.

Hello, just putting this out there. Don't know if it will work. When replacing shingles on a roof we use a tar based sealant to adhere. Sometimes it gets a little messy & you have a black ring spots on roof. To remedy this we sprinkle sand on it while wet. This hides about 90% of the discoloration so it doesn't catch the eye.
So long to short crush up some lava rock, use some substrate or something to blend in & sprinkle on glue while still wet. Hopefully this helps!!!!!

[Jacky12]

That’s how I was instructed to mask the ugliness IMO of PVC piping, to coat with safe adhesive and roll in sand or gravel.

[NStalgia]

Thanks. Yea I use that when I'm working with driftwood. I sprinkle some wood dust to make it blend.

[NStalgia]

Ugh, yea good idea. I forgot there's black silicone. Should've bought that when I glued some rocks.

[NStalgia]

Looks like the white stuff dulled a little, you can barely notice it at all. It's still there tho if you look closer. 1st pic is zoomed and you can see it a little. Now I'm a little annoyed at the position of the moss. Doesn't look that great. Looks like I just dropped it on top of the lava rock. Any tips on how to make it look more natural?

[Aiken Drum]

Your moss will grow. You wont see the rock at all after a while.

[NStalgia]

Thanks. I only want them partially covering the rocks tho so I hope they'll look better after a couple trims.

[Aiken Drum]

Id get a bigger rock then. It probably wont be long before your moss looks more like this.

[NStalgia]

I hope it does cause that looks better. But I was kinda aiming for something that looks shorter and hugging parts of the rock.

[Aiken Drum]

Java moss will completely take over the tank if you let it. It wont stay short.