Fastening driftwood to the covers - Silicone?

TalenT · Post by **TalenT** » 05 Sep 2005, 21:27

I would like to try to fasten some (small and not too heavy) pieces of driftwood to the (downside

)of the glass covers on one of my tanks. I think it will look nice to have the illusion of overhanging branches dipping into the water.

I have thought of two ways to deal with the problem:

1. Use acrylic covers and drill holes in them, holes in the driftwood and fasten them with stainless steel screws.

2. Use glass covers and fasten the driftwood with silicone.

In both cases one would preferably saw the driftwood so to get a plane surface to go against the covers, I realize this would be of most importance when using silicone.

There's one question though. I have never tried to fasten wood to glass, silicone or otherwise... Have you? Did it work well? Does wood swell when it gets in water? If so, can this be a problem, damaging the silicone "seal"?

I would prefer to use glass covers, beacause I'm using spotlights and they would be only centimeters from the covers... I'm guessing the acrylic would most certainly melt.

Post by **Shane** » 06 Sep 2005, 00:31

Just did it yesterday, though I have only fastened wood to the back and sides of the tank. Just use a stainless steel screw and some good size suction cups. Works like a charm.
-Shane

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 06 Sep 2005, 10:34

I like Shane's idea (and it would surely work on a horizontal cover as well as on a vertical one, if the right size cup is used).

Another idea would be to use cable-ties (buntband in Swedish). They can be used to fasten all sorts of things in all sorts of ways...

--
Mats

TalenT · Post by **TalenT** » 06 Sep 2005, 22:41

thanks for the tips. Just to make sure that I haven't misunderstood you... you are suggesting that i fasten suction cups to the wood (using screws) and then fasten the suction cups to the glass the usual way, no silicone used?

I'm asking because I've seen people using silicone with suction cups for fastening internal filters and such, to get it to hold permanently. As you know suction cups tend to loose their function with age.

I would like the driftwood to be fastened more permanently, and I would like to minimize the risk of it (suction cups) loosing its hold and drop to the bottom, maybe hurting some fish. As I wrote in the previous post, I will not use too heavy pieces of driftwood, but I guess they would still be able to hurt or trap fishes, should it suddenly sink to the bottom. Have anyone tried to fasten driftwood directly to glass using silicone? Will this be a more permanent hold than suction cups?

MatsP - thanks for the tip of using buntband, still, thats made of plastic and might melt if they happen to come near the spotlights... might be of use in some other way though.

barksten · Post by **barksten** » 07 Sep 2005, 08:09

MatsP wrote: Another idea would be to use cable-ties (buntband in Swedish). They can be used to fasten all sorts of things in all sorts of ways...

--
Mats

That's the way! There's no limitations of "strippor" (strips, zip-ties etc. -you can even call them what you want!)

barksten · Post by **barksten** » 07 Sep 2005, 08:12

TalenT wrote:
MatsP - thanks for the tip of using buntband, still, thats made of plastic and might melt if they happen to come near the spotlights... might be of use in some other way though.

I use them to fasten the exaust pipe of my nitro R/C car. And that pipe gets HOT without any problems.

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 07 Sep 2005, 09:21

barksten wrote:
TalenT wrote:
MatsP - thanks for the tip of using buntband, still, thats made of plastic and might melt if they happen to come near the spotlights... might be of use in some other way though.
I use them to fasten the exaust pipe of my nitro R/C car. And that pipe gets HOT without any problems.

I second that. If you put the spotlight RIGHT ON the cable-tie, it may cause a problem, but as long as you don't have contact, or are within millimeters, it should be fine.

--
Mats

TalenT · Post by **TalenT** » 10 Sep 2005, 20:09

Thanks for the tips guys!

One question still remains:

Have anyone tried to fasten driftwood directly to glass using silicone? (This would be the best soloution in this case... so, anyone dun it? Did it work well?)

Post by **Shane** » 11 Sep 2005, 06:21

I have, but only to the sides or back of a tank. Just a crazy question... how will you take the top off to do maintenance when it has driftwood stuck to it? Also, why not just use wood that floats? When it eventually sinks you can take it out, let it dry a few days and, poof, it floats again. Maybe I am not clear on the effect you are trying to achieve.
-Shane

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 11 Sep 2005, 10:29

TalenT wrote: Have anyone tried to fasten driftwood directly to glass using silicone? (This would be the best soloution in this case... so, anyone dun it? Did it work well?)

It doesn't work at all. Looks great as long as you don't have any work to do inside the tank, but if so..... still gives me the shivers thinking about it.
So I decided to screw the driftwood into acrylic covers, which wasn't a success for three reasons:
- the covers bent through
- in case you needed to catch a fish you had to screw for half an hour first; by the time you were ready EVERY fish was out of sight
- same as with silicon (see above)
What I do now is buy large pieces and place them vertically: very handy with more or less the same effect.

TalenT · Post by **TalenT** » 11 Sep 2005, 15:51

Shane wrote:

Just a crazy question... how will you take the top off to do maintenance when it has driftwood stuck to it?

I'm going to have the driftwood fastened to the covers over the rear of the tank, leaving the front covers free. Should i need to lift the rear covers it will be no problem since the driftwood are more like twigs, not heavy. This isn't driftwood of the kind that you usually buy in an LFS, called "Mangrove". It's a new product, at least here in Sweden, called "Moorwood" and looks like the finer root-system of a bush or young tree, so most of the roots in the moorwood are no thicker than a pinky finger, like small twigs, but tangled, twisted and curved like roots. They are not heavy or big, will probably look like twigs dipping into the water from above (the look I want to create). Most of the pieces of moorwood I've seen floats, they are not heavy like the driftwood called "Mangrove" in the trade.

Marc van Arc wrote:

- the covers bent through

How thick was the acrylic you used? I suspected that this was going to be a problem, should I use acrylic covers. My tank have an internal background installed, so that would create more support for the covers though, the covers would be resting on both the frame of the aquarium and the top of the background.

I'll try to fasten them with silicone, and I will try to remember to report on this thread on how it worked out, maybe I will post some photos of the result as well... Shouldn't it work - no biggie, the moorwood and the covers I can get cheap from the LFS where i work.

Thanks again for all the tips.

Post by **Shane** » 11 Sep 2005, 15:52

I agree with Marc. Once you start using silicone or glue you can pretty much forget ever catching a fish in the tank without destroying your hard work. That is why I just use suction cups now. I can remove the wood easily and then just "stick" it back where I want it.
-Shane

barksten · Post by **barksten** » 11 Sep 2005, 18:38

I guess you want to make something like this:

http://www.on-the-rocks.se/

It looks really nice..

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 11 Sep 2005, 19:54

TalenT wrote: How thick was the acrylic you used? I suspected that this was going to be a problem, should I use acrylic covers.

It was 0.5 cm thick, supported on all four sides and it still bent through. Thicker acrylic was unaffordable to me in those days.
BTW: I forgot to tell that I made slots in the covers, so that I had some space to move the pieces of driftwood horizontally. When happy with the set up, I screwed them into the cover.

TalenT · Post by **TalenT** » 11 Sep 2005, 22:00

barksten - That's exactly what i'm talking about. It just happens that the background I have in my tank is a Back to Nature background too.

Found a picture of the Moorwood:
http://www.aquaristic.net/Productinform ... rwood.html

TalenT · Post by **TalenT** » 11 Sep 2005, 22:05

http://www.on-the-rocks.se/

Anyone got a guess on what those eartheaters are on the right? Looks like Satanoperca sp. , never seen so blue satanopercas though.

Post by **Marc van Arc** » 12 Sep 2005, 20:48

I would go for Geophagus or even Biotodoma spp. I believe all Satanopercas have more pointed snouts.

mallemalle · Post by **mallemalle** » 13 Sep 2005, 11:01

TalenT wrote:http://www.on-the-rocks.se/

Anyone got a guess on what those eartheaters are on the right? Looks like Satanoperca sp. , never seen so blue satanopercas though.

you could check it out on http://www.eartheaters.com

Mallemalle

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 13 Sep 2005, 12:17

mallemalle wrote:
TalenT wrote:http://www.on-the-rocks.se/

Anyone got a guess on what those eartheaters are on the right? Looks like Satanoperca sp. , never seen so blue satanopercas though.
you could check it out on http://www.eartheaters.com

Mallemalle

It seems that most of the species info on that web-site doesn't actually work [it seems to link to

Code: Select all

"www./"

which leads to a 404-error... I think something is missing in the base-page].

However, the Cichlid Room Companion web-site has a "Catalogue" here.

--
Mats

Misskiwi67 · Post by **Misskiwi67** » 21 Sep 2005, 00:02

I have some rather heavy driftwood pieces attached to the back of my gecko tank... So far its worked well. Its not a fish tank, but it can be done. Here's a pic. The large piece on the left with moss hanging from it, and a piece on the right containing half a plant pot are both siliconed to the back. The cork bark between is just leaning against the cage. Both pieces weigh at least a pound or two since they're the thick heavy wood usually used in aquariums. Both are still solidly in place several months later.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 21 Sep 2005, 11:24

You forget to mention how they are held in place.....

silicone?

because once a bit of wood is saturated with water the silicone doesn't hold it anymore, simply because silicone cannot be glued to water

wood = a sponge when it comes to water; I second Shane's suggewstion of using stainless steel screws or similar contraptions.

but wedging it is the best, however, because somehow there's always a fish that has to be taken out

Misskiwi67 · Post by **Misskiwi67** » 21 Sep 2005, 18:24

yes, they're held in place by silicone. The humidity is near 100% for the geckos, but you're right, its probably not nearly the same as having them submerged.

Fastening driftwood to the covers - Silicone?

Fastening driftwood to the covers - Silicone?

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