Aquarium Driftwood Won’t Sink:10 Easy Ways to Fix It
Looking for ways to sink driftwood in your aquarium? Or, want to know how to place driftwood in an aquarium?
Driftwood, the branch of trees or wood washed into the seashore or river, is used in the aquarium for creating a natural environment inside the aquarium just like the ocean floor.
Due to the air-trapping feature of driftwood, you may face problems and think that aquarium driftwood won’t sink. Raw driftwood without any processing is almost impossible to sink. Following that, to get rid of this situation, you need to follow some techniques.
That’s why we are here with some special methods that need to be taken before placing the driftwood in an aquarium to sink it without any problem. Get the ideas in detail.
Causes of Driftwood Floating
Driftwood is normally found floating in the river, ocean, or lake due to several reasons. Check out the below points to be clear about this factor.
As driftwood is very lightweight, it traps air bubbles inside it. As a result, it can float easily.
In the floating period, air remains inside the driftwood for which water cannot enter it. Consequently, it is hard to make driftwood sink in the water.
Hence, when it is taken to use in an aquarium, it becomes hard to sink and some procedures are to be taken to make it sinkable.
How To Sink Driftwood In Water
Here, we will direct you to some methods by which you can easily sink your driftwood in the aquarium. You can rely on any of these processes according to usefulness.
1. Boiling The Driftwood
Firstly, we will discuss the boiling method. For better results,
- Boil the driftwood for 30 minutes to 2 hours according to the hardiness of your driftwood
- After boiling, you should transfer the wood to the cold water.
In this case, boiling helps to remove the tannins from the driftwood. Again, as it is a lightweight material, air remains in the vacuum portions preventing the wood from sinking. Boiling helps to remove this air and makes the wood capable of sinking by entering the water inside it.
Whatever, this method may not be applicable to all kinds of wood. That’s why you need to move further for more solutions.
2. Soaking The Driftwood
Besides boiling, you can also soak the woods in water. It takes around 12 to 14 hours to be soaked in the water. Water having a little high temperature may be more useful for this purpose.
Thus, the air bubbles will be removed from the driftwood and that place will be filled up with water. As a result, the driftwood will easily soak in the water.
3. Putting Weights on The Driftwood
Next, the step is weighing things on the driftwood. Different decorative stones are generally used to enhance the beauty of the aquarium. Hence, keeping one or two stones over the driftwood will make it sinkable to the water along with increasing the beauty of your aquarium.
But, you should choose the stone consciously so that it doesn’t get overweight than the driftwood. This may destroy your wood shape.
4. Screwing with Tiles
Then, floor tiles are also used in driftwood sinking methods. For this purpose,
- Make holes in the tiles
- Create clefts in the driftwood
- Then screw it with the tiles.
With this procedure, you can easily place your driftwood in the aquarium.
5. Using Rocks
Using rocks is the shortest way to permanently place the driftwood in the aquarium. For this purpose, you have to screw the driftwood with rocks. Rocks having higher weights are perfect in this case to hold the driftwood.
6.Placing with Plexiglass
After that, you may use the idea of plexiglass. It is mainly a transparent thermoplastic glass that is used in the aquarium for optical clarity and durability. Rather, you can use it to keep your driftwood consistent beneath the water.
To place the driftwood with plexiglass,
- Glue the driftwood with the glass so that it remains perfect.
- Keep it overnight
- Then, put the plexiglass and driftwood in the aquarium
- Cover it with decorative small plants or other things.
Thus, driftwood will be attached to the ground.
7. Entangling with The Aquarium
Following that, you should go for entangling the driftwood to the aquarium. This method needs a skilled hand. Hence, it is seen to be avoided by many people as any wrong step, in this case, will destroy the aquarium. You can also make some holes in it which will enhance the water entering the process.
8. Fixing The Driftwood with Plants
Well, this procedure can be considered perfect for small driftwood. The aquarium plants are very intimate to the driftwood. Tie the driftwood with the plants and let it drown in the aquarium.
This maintains the harmony of the ecology of your aquarium as well as places your driftwood perfectly by preventing the buoyancy of the wood. It is the artificial representation of Aquarium driftwood that won’t sink.
9. Tying The Driftwood to an Anchor Point
Further, tying driftwood to an anchor point will be a good solution to sinking the driftwood into the aquarium. It is almost the same as tying with plants. You have to just tie the driftwood to the anchor point submerged in the aquarium and thus the driftwood will be adjacent to a strong point.
10. Gluing Driftwood
Finally, gluing the driftwood is the last method when you have no other options. Choose a glue that is not toxic to the aquarium water and the fish. Glue it to a rock and keep it overnight in this situation. The next day, place it in the aquarium as you want.
How To Place Driftwood in an Aquarium
To sink driftwood, you need to follow some simple steps like sterilizing the wood, making it sinkable, and placing it properly.
Firstly, you have to wash the driftwood. Clean it with fresh water and then wash it in a solution of water and washing soda. Soak it for 24 to 36 hours in the cleaning solution.
Secondly, you have to sterilize the driftwood to remove bacteria, viruses, or any toxic materials as it remains on the seashore. For this purpose, take one part bleach and nine parts water to make the mixture and submerge the wood for 3 to 4 days. The salt mixture can also help to remove diseases.
Further, boil the driftwood or keep it soaking in any container where all parts of the wood will be soaked in the water. Change the water daily so that the present tannins can be removed. Tannin can make the aquarium color yellow.
Finally, after completing the soaking method, put the driftwood in the water as you want to place it. You can place it with the help of rocks or other materials too.
How Long Does It Take For Driftwood to Sink?
It may take around 2 days to 2 months to sink driftwood in the aquarium. Several factors determine this time.
- Type of the wood
- Porous remaining in the wood
- Constituents of the wood
- Boiling
In the case of wood type, you need to be sure whether the wood is hard or soft. Normally, hardwood takes much time to be soaked in the water.
Then comes the point of the porous part. Driftwood can float due to its lightweight. If the wood is less porous, water cannot enter it. Consequently, the wood takes almost 1 to 2 months to drown.
Sequentially, constituents of the wood mean the materials that are present in the driftwood should be checked if it is sinkable or not. Be concerned that any chemical material doesn’t remain that becomes toxic after remaining in the water.
Therefore, boiling increases the process of sinking. It makes the wood highly porous and the wood becomes much heavier and sinks easily almost within 2 days.
How To Make Driftwood Sink Faster?
Meanwhile, you have gone through some of our methods that can make your driftwood sinking. But among them, the combination of boiling and sinking can give you the best result in a short period.
In this case,
- Boil your driftwood for 2 to 3 hours
- Next, place it in a water tank that is filled up with normal temperature
- Submerge it for 48 hours in normal water
Hopefully, if your driftwood is not so hardy, you can use it in your aquarium in almost 2 days following these methods.
The Necessity of Driftwood Sinking
It may hit your mind that why are we talking so much about driftwood?
Yeah! It has some beneficial effects when it is placed in the aquarium. Take a glance at those-
- Driftwood increases the beauty of the aquarium
- It creates a proper place for fish to hide when they feel unsafe
- It ensures the growth of beneficial bacteria inside the water tank
- Driftwood maintains the harmony of the ecosystem of the aquarium
- It increases the immune system of the fish by slow-releasing tannins
- It maintains the buffer and creates a natural habitat and behavior for the fish.
FAQs
How Long Does Driftwood Remain In The Aquarium?
Driftwood may remain in an aquarium for almost 5 years roughly. But most of the driftwood starts to decay after 2 years. It depends on the nature of the wood.
Is Driftwood Safe For Use In An Aquarium?
Yeah! After cleaning and sterilizing properly with a perfect solution, driftwood becomes safe for use in an aquarium for a long time.
What Kind Of Driftwood Can Be Used In Aquariums?
Any kind of driftwood that is disease-free and dry enough can be used in the aquarium. It should be free from fungal attacks and should not be brittle or spoiled.
Final Thoughts
Finally, we are going to wrap up the details about the driftwood sinking. Hopefully, those who are saying aquarium driftwood won’t sink because of driftwood issues, have gotten their ways to sort out this problem.
According to your need, you can follow any of the procedures or a combination of two or more methods. That’s totally up to your wood condition. But complete the basic steps before the sinking stage which is much more important for the ecological condition of your aquarium.
After all, if you are a fish lover, driftwood is certainly at the center of your concentration. Hence, get your driftwood right now and complete the functions to get a natural sea vibe in your house.
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