# Weighing down stubborn driftwood



## DRDuck (Oct 8, 2013)

I have a large manzanita stump that I have been soaking for almost a month, but it will not sink. I am hollowing it out and plan on filling it with some concrete, but I wonder if there is something in the concrete mix that may leech out into the water and cause devastation before I even start. I am dirting the tank, so I can't have a piece of slate or something screwed into the piece to weigh it down - it may cause a major mess.

Any suggestions?


----------



## AKnickolai (Nov 30, 2007)

Concrete will leach carbonate hardness into your aquarium, which will raise kH and PH. It seems the most success with concrete fixtures for aquariums are left in baths of water for several months to completely cure and stabilize from a leaching perspective before introduced into the tank. Depending on the tank size, the amount of concrete may or may not cause fast changes to your water parameters. I've researched this a lot since I like the look of concrete backgrounds, but light to keep my tanks fairly soft with a 6.6.-6.8 PH. From what I've read, the leaching can stop anywhere from 1-2months to a year for full backgrounds. The amount that would leach from a stump bore is likely going to be less severe and possibly last for a shorter time. I've gotten around the same problem boring out the wood and putting a PVC tube filled with sand in the bore. Seemed easier than getting anything to set on my partially soaked stump.


----------



## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

I've used slate or tile screwed to the bottom of wood in soil substrate tanks with no problem--but I am careful to be very satisfied with the placement of the wood the first time, LOL!


----------



## junglefowl (Nov 16, 2012)

Bigger driftwoods need more time to sink...I think
Do you have any aquascaping stones, rocks that you can tie to the wood base to make them sink?
What I do is place the driftwood in the aquarium where I like it, then put some rocks on it to keep it down...make sure the wood is strong enough for the rocks to sit on


----------

