# Make wood sink?



## curtisalanmcgee (Sep 12, 2010)

I collected several nice pieces of wood from a local creek. They look very old and are nice and solid. The only problem is that I can not get them to sink in my tank. I tried soaking them for over two weeks in a bucket outside, but they still insist on floating. In frustration I stuck them as deep as I could in the sand in the bottom of my tank. This only lasted about a day before they popped out. Is there some secret to get them to stay at the bottom?


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

yes, complete water saturation.

as a short cut you could use silicone and stick it to a sheet of glass, and bury that under the sand. however thats somewhat permanent making re-scapes difficult (if you do it to a seperate piece of glass you can at least remove it from the tank.

boiling would also reduce the time required to make it sink


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

Boiling the wood speeds up the sinking process. Thick pieces of wood can take a while to sink, you should notice the driftwood takes longer and longer to float to the surface if you push it down.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Sinking naturally is for guys with patience far beyond mine. I fasten it to rocks. Depending on tools on hand, there are severaL ways that work. With a masonry drill one can drill through limestone or slate for screws through the bottom. If it is awkward or too long for screws, plastic tie wraps used for electrical work will hold it well. If nothing else works to fasten or if tools are not on hand, just laying a large rock on top will work and looks quite natural. rocks on wood are quite common in nature.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I forgot to mention boring holes and stuffing the holes full of rocks. Fill the hole with silicone to hold the rocks in.


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## hcubed (Sep 3, 2010)

I just recently dealt with this issue myself. After reading suggestions to boil, that's what I did. I had a large piece of wood requiring a large pot. I used a cheap aluminum round tub I had lying around (about the diameter of a large Weber charcoal grill), put it on a couple steel T-posts for a "grate" which rested on cement blocks. Then I made a campfire under it and let it boil while roasting marshmallows. The next day, it sunk right to the bottom. That's what I call accelerating the process. It was fun, too. Oh, by the way, it also caused a lot of the tannins to come out in the boiling process. The day after I put it into the tank, my water was crystal clear. Of course boiling kills any nasties that may be on it, too.

A picture is worth a thousand words:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Wow. That looks like it should work but not for me. It is obvious you are in a different situation. If I start that in my backyard the fire department will be here! If I did get it going good, it would cost me twenty dollars worth of wood at least. I'm not in an area where roasting marshmallows is very highly thought of. The only area I've ever lived in where there were NO bottle rockets shot off at the July 4 time. What's all that green stuff? It looks like something growing up out of the ground. Mine only comes in brown!!!! :lol:


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## grd1616 (May 18, 2010)

Some wood never sinks at all so securing it to something or weighing it down may be your only option.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

:thumb:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Keep in mind there would not be much driftwood to collect if it all sank to the bottom. It has to float for quite a while to truly be driftwood.


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## CoolCichlid (Feb 12, 2010)

How about tying it up on a big rock?


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

i have been contimplating bolting mine to a 12"x12" piece of slate. BUT countersinking the bolthead on the bottom side is throwing me for a loop.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I have never found the need for bolts, even on huge pieces of wood. Screws have always been adequate. I actually prefer plastic tie wraps as they don't corrode over time. If you do need to use bolts, does the head need to be countersunk for some reason? Seems like a non-factor if it is on the bottom of a piece.


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

I guess i should have been more clear. Im speaking of a lag bolt. NOT a nut and bolt.

The reason i would need it to be countersunk on the slate side, is that it wouldnt sit flat on the bottom of the tank.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I don't find a need to sit flat. Much of my wood is held down with limestone and they are never flat. I find no need for larger than number 10 screws. Maybe backing off to flat head wood screws would serve if you do really want to countersink them?


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## ChadRamsey (Mar 12, 2010)

PfunMo said:


> I don't find a need to sit flat. Much of my wood is held down with limestone and they are never flat. I find no need for larger than number 10 screws. Maybe backing off to flat head wood screws would serve if you do really want to countersink them?


ok, i can see that. ill use the screws then.

thx


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## walterharris (Sep 19, 2010)

i just bought some black wood, i think its from california. That is all i know about it, along with te fact that IT WONT SINK *** been soaking it in a cooler along with another piece i got with my tank for 2-3 days. How long will it take to waterlog? and is there a faster way to do this?


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## cichlidsrule16 (Sep 14, 2010)

I had to soak my pieces of wood for a month plus I boiled them a few times as well and they still never really sunk so I just said the heck with it and put them in my tank and put some rocks on top to hold them down. It ended up looking really good and natural.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Some wood just may never sink. I've got a large stump of cedar which still floats after more than a year in the tank. Rocks on top is the quickest way or hollow it out and add Quickcrete if you don't want rocks showing. Waiting for it to waterlog is a long term job. Slate floor tiles laid flat on the tank bottom with plastic tie-wraps through tile and wood will leave the tile hidden if the fish don't dig it up.


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## cgmark (Aug 18, 2010)

You guys are doing it the hard way. Get the wood that is already under the water in the river and you will not have that problem. I guess I'm lucky the river here is full of it. The problem is getting to it before it become home to the local fish and critters. I found a nice hollowed out cypress limb, about 3" round, but when I looked inside it already had occupants, some local fish.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I like the big stuff and I sure can't hold my breathe long enough to saw it off under water. I go for the stuff I can walk up to and catch my breathe after sawing. How do you get your chainsaw to run under water?


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## cgmark (Aug 18, 2010)

The trick is to go after a bad storm, a day or two after the water level drops off a bit. Storms loosen up a lot of stuff you couldn't reach otherwise.


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## Aussiecicichlid (Oct 17, 2010)

Boiling dose work, like most of you i can not make a fire in my yard as i would get arrested no dout lol, we have harsh rules here as all it takes is a stray ember to start a bush fire especialy in the hotter months so for smaller peices of drift wood i simply fill up my bathroom sink with boiling water and but something heavy on top of it to keep it submerged, for larger peices i do the same but in my bathtub.

Note-

Before submerging driftwood in boiling water i give them a good wash and a scrub. After the boiling process i let it dry out fully before putting it the tank.

cheers-

Darren.


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