Floating Wood

I saw this photo that IceDragon on another forum snapped a while back in his thread about visiting Asian fish shops and loved it! I'd love to do this, but how can this be done? Screw the wood to some kind of baseboard and put it under the sand to give the wood the suspended look? It looks like you're looking under a tree or something...



Credit: IceDragon on ThePlantedTank.com forums

 

wow!

 

That's how I would do it.

 

It does seem like they are held in place at the bottom, yes... I have a (very small!) piece of driftwood, and its screwed to a slate plate.

 

they could just be floating, although they would get water logged so probably attached to something.

 

that's sweet! but that what I would do also

 

Apparently some tie them up from the ceiling or the canopy. However, I like my idea the best, though. I wasn't thinking of slate or glass, but of plywood...

 

That is amazing looking. I am not even close to attempting something like that.

 

Your idea seems to fit the bill to me, and that is a really nice aquascaping job.

 

Pieces that big would need to be supported from the top. Those look as if they are floating to me. I have known people who have done this, and they build braces for them above the top of the tank. Having a canopy helps to hide the bracing.

 

That is cool !!!

 

Very cool look!
I would definitely say no to plywood. First off, it's gonna want to float. Second thing is that there are lots of chemicals in the glue used to hold the plies together. Third thing is that it will eventually de-laminate and fall apart. Sooner rather than later, I think.
I would either suspend from the top using heavy fishing line or screw the wood to slate and bury the base in the substrate.
Dale

 

If there was any kind of bracing id exspect it to cast a shadow though?

 

If there was any kind of bracing id exspect it to cast a shadow though?

Along the lines of my thoughts... And the branch that would be screwed would have to be pretty strong and thick. That could be hard to find. It was recommended to me to look for wood in lakes that were already submerged so I wouldn't have to worry about tannins and were already waterlogged.

Pieces that big would need to be supported from the top. Those look as if they are floating to me. I have known people who have done this, and they build braces for them above the top of the tank. Having a canopy helps to hide the bracing.

I've been trying to find more information on this but I haven't been able to find anything concrete yet. Do you still know these people? I prefer the canopy-less look, though...

Very cool look!
I would definitely say no to plywood. First off, it's gonna want to float. Second thing is that there are lots of chemicals in the glue used to hold the plies together. Third thing is that it will eventually de-laminate and fall apart. Sooner rather than later, I think.
I would either suspend from the top using heavy fishing line or screw the wood to slate and bury the base in the substrate.
Dale

Yeah, I know. I know you can build wooden tanks with plywood. That's why I was thinking along those lines. However, the plywood used for those tanks are treated with resin and sometimes fiberglass, which is more cost effective in bulk since you'd be buying the resin in bulk. However, this is a small project, and it'd cost too much to buy a smaller amount of the polymer resin.

So slate is probably the best route to go.

 

That is a cool look. If you had multiple pieces of wood that reached the bottom like that, perhaps you could just screw them to each other, and as long as you got the tripod effect, they should be able to stand up.

 

They look like they are all joined and go across the whole width of the tank.Maybe they have supported it from both sides of the tank as to cast less shadow

 

Slate would be the easiest way to do it, or a top brace.

 

Easy effect to achieve. No way, don't go from the bottom up, go from top down!! A lot of discus keepers do it. Get some wood boards (thin, thick, whatever works) or acrylic. Anything that spans the whole length of the tank. Screw the wood onto those boards that go across the tank and let the tank support them while the wood goes into the water.

Here is a picture to illustrate. These are pictures from Discus Hans. First, the wood with driftwood screwed to it laying on top of the tank.


And what it looks like in water.

 

huh, amazing, no shadow either!

 

No shadow because the piece of wood at the top that holds the driftwood by screws sits on the top of the tank just like the light. So its not under the light casting shadows.

 

that is very cool! I wish I could do that! lol that idea sounds good. screwing it to slate should work good good luck with it

 

That looks like a pain to lift, especially when you're feeding the fish or if the tank was planted and plants were on the driftwood.

Personally, I'd cut the front of the acrylic off so I wouldn't have to worry about feeding the fish or doing water changes. Also, I'd just screw the wood directly to the acrylic, no wood slat. That slat is rather ugly looking, IMO.

 

really? I think it looks very lightweight and slim, not to unsightly, could easily be painted. It would make it easy to transport the wood around aswell.

 

True, it could be. But if the tank was heavily planted, as I'd like for mine to be, all those pointy branches of the driftwood would certainly catch on plants and uproot them, then I'd have to redo the entire tank again.

I'd at least make the acrylic in the shape of a T so it would still have support on all sides and still have access.

However, that idea is certainly a lot more stable than doing it from the bottom up would be, I think, since the biggest parts of the wood would be attached and not the potentially weaker thinner ends of the branches at the bottom.

 

Well yes, its not made to be used with a fully closed top aquarium. Depending on your aquarium and the wood, you should easily be able to clean and feed without it being an issue. I can't imagine you have to lift it out every time.

The slat no one sees except for you. IMO, its no more ugly then a big bulky black light fixture on top, and it can even go behind that.

Oh and there's only 3 ways to do this really. Attach at the bottom, which will still un-root plants, attach at the top which might unroot plants, or hang from the celing (something higher then the tank) where your wood can sway and move and possibly cause problems. I just figure attaching at the top is much easier, as the branches going down into the tank will be very thin compared to the base of the wood which will be at the top, simulating real roots.

 

Well yes, its not made to be used with a fully closed top aquarium. Depending on your aquarium and the wood, you should easily be able to clean and feed without it being an issue. I can't imagine you have to lift it out every time.

The slat no one sees except for you. IMO, its no more ugly then a big bulky black light fixture on top, and it can even go behind that.

Oh and there's only 3 ways to do this really. Attach at the bottom, which will still un-root plants, attach at the top which might unroot plants, or hang from the celing (something higher then the tank) where your wood can sway and move and possibly cause problems. I just figure attaching at the top is much easier, as the branches going down into the tank will be very thin compared to the base of the wood which will be at the top, simulating real roots.

The bottom wouldn't uproot the plants if the piece they were attached to was one big piece that covered the entire bottom of the tank and covered by the sand. Heavier gravel or dirt would make the bottom a very sturdy piece. The problem is, as you said, the bottom branches will be very thin.

So it looks like the idea you proposed is the best method to do this. And you're quite right about the light fixture going behind the slat. That slat would provide extra structure if I were to cut the entire front of the acrylic off. I really love the look of suspended lights, but that wouldn't be feasible for my smaller tanks, not if I wanted to stay cost-effective.

I wonder if thick acrylic affects the amount of light that goes through them to the plants since acrylic wouldn't be as clear as glass...

 

Is there any wood that's safe and will float for a long, long time?

 

Grab some local drift wood and dry it out in the oven or the sun for a period of time. It will float for a while. Also can use suction cups and clear fishing line to make it stay at the top.

 

Thanks for the tip. I wonder how often I'd have dry out hardwood driftwood to keep it floating.

I wonder if lighter pieces would stay afloat longer or more dense pieces.

 

Thanks for the tip. I wonder how often I'd have dry out hardwood driftwood to keep it floating.

I wonder if lighter pieces would stay afloat longer or more dense pieces.

Denser wood would sink faster but softer wood might soak up water super fast and sink quick. I’d guess something in the middle would be your sweet spot.

 

I think your best bet for always floating would be to take saltwater60's recommendation of fishing line and suction cups. You could also pop into the Driftwood subforum and see which type of wood causes the most rage from people trying to make it sink.
As for my own knowledge I just know you're definitely not looking for Manzanita wood. I learned about that particular wood when looking for something that would sink and it really does, was on the bottom in half a weeks time from adding it.

 

Or you could find a log with some sticks coming off of it and place the sticks into the tank and have it prop the rest of the driftwood up on the surface.

 

That's what I was also going to suggest is find some larger pieces and let them rise above the tnk depending on if you have a top and where your light is obviously.
Pics so far?

 

Or coat the wood with something fish safe so it can't absorb water.

 

Or coat the wood with something fish safe so it can't absorb water.

I bet polyurethane would probly work for that, thanks.

 

Let it cure well before adding it, maybe a few days, enjoy.

 

I have no idea what kind of driftwood I ended up grabbing, but its a very hard dense wood. Ive had it submerged a year and it still floats. I drilled a small hole in it and anchored it to a suction cup to keep it in place lol



You can see it in the back corner.

I wish I knew what kind it was to tell you.

Another option is sealing any wood with a very thin layer of silicone. A clear kind. If sealed, it won't take in water and will float.