I put this scape together 2 weeks ago. I was stupid the first time and thought tHe sTiCks wiLL jUsT sTanD wiTh tHe SuBstRate. I had already put a layer of aquasoil, then a layer of black pebbles, then the white pebble trail you can see in the pic. Realized real quick I need to fix the sticks with some kind of platform, and I had and DID pick out each white pebble, scooped out the black pebbles, trying to separate them from the aquasoil as good as I could.
Then I huffed a ton of aquarium superglue, stuck the sticks to two pieces of glass with cotton. Let it dry over night, it was STABLE. I put the glasses in the next day and layered everything on AGAIN. I put some carpeting plants for a DSM and left for a week. THEN I COME BACK AND THEY ALL CAME LOOSE. I am at the end of my wits. Will silicone hold better? I am ready to give up on them tbh. I used hazel wood, would it rot quickly?
Any advice and also any thoughts and prayers are appreciated greatly 🙁
Posted by AH-Monster
6 Comments
Counter sunk stainless steel screws in 1/4” sheet of acrylic maybe?
Wood is buoyant because it’s full of air. Could you soak them somewhere for a few weeks and then rebuild?
Soak em. Get a 5g bucket, it can be chlorinated, let em soak, change the water every 3 days. Itll take a while, but its worth it. Will go faster if you start with HOT water each time you change
Man, I can’t wait to see this tank once you get it figured out. I like the idea of countersinking a stainless screw through a thick flat plate of plastic. Id go as far as covering the threads in silicon, can’t hurt. As far as rot, not sure. I’ve only ever used mopani wood in any of my aquariums. No reason to rush. This is the best part!
Enjoy the designing!
To add to the good advice from others regarding water logging and fixing the wood – you need to strip the bark off too. If you leave it it will eventually fall off by itself but will go gross before that. Boiling the wood makes it easier to remove.
If you have metal mesh screens you can screw the screens to the bottom of the sticks. If you don’t have metal screens you can screw a large piece of plastic sheet to the bottom of the stick (two liter bottle will work or any rigid flat plastic). Glue a square of plastic over the screw. Then glue river rock to the metal screens or plastic base. Put them in place and bury it with substrate.