# Advice needed on attaching driftwood to back off aquarium



## studdboyz75 (Jun 2, 2016)

Hey guys, I'm setting up a 90 gallon turtle tank.
For a basking area I want to use a large piece of driftwood.
The piece I have is a little long and a little wide so I'm going to rip it down the center.
I'm thinking about using a chain saw but a friend off mine has a saw mill so I might take it to him.
If ripping it goes as planned, I should have a nice flat back on it.
I would like to attach it to the back panel slightly above the waterline.
I failed to mention that the tank is 24" tall but will only have 15" of water.
Would silicone hold it to the back wall?
Would I be able to attach if its still a little wet from curing?


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

The chainsaw may add petroleum (bar and chain oil) to the wood, so use your friend's saw. 

I do not think the wood will stick when it gets wet, and especially when the turtle climbs on it. As the turtle climbs over the edge and up this will create quite a bit of leverage that can break the wood off the glass. 

I would hang it with something from the rim, or build a pedestal from the bottom of the tank, or both. Do not rely on any sort of glue to stick wet wood to glass. As the wood decomposes it will lose its grip (if it ever was secure in the first place).

How about adding a 'trunk-like' piece of thick branch pretty much vertically under the basking platform? You could get creative (with your friend's saw) and find a branch with a fork. Cut it off so the basking platform is well supported, and use food grade stainless steel screws to hold it together. Then gluing it to the side might work, because the main strength is the support from underneath. The glue is more for stability.

Silicone will not stick to wet surfaces, so the wood will need to be quite dry if you use silicone. 
How about super glue?


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## Aquaticz (May 22, 2009)

Try hanging it with some light weight fishing line- works for me.


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