Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 11:50:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: esarchy@wsunix.wsu.edu
To: Aquatic-Plants@actwin.com
Subject: RE: Driftwood and suction cups
Kent (and others),
Attaching driftwood to suction cups allows you to create some
very
neat, and realistic looking, aquascapes. I prefer to use plastic
screws
(regular screws made out of very hard plastic), but they can be
hard to
find. The second choice is aluminum screws. Ask at your local
hardware
store for some type of screw that will not rust. I am sure there
are other
options. The suction cups I use are sold in aquarium shops as
heater/
airline holder suction cups. They are cheap (US $1.99 for six
last time I
bought them). I am sure that there are other sources for these
also.
As to designs... I have used gnarled brances just stuck to the
back of the tank all over (similar to using silicone to attach
slate).
Fill in the gaps with lots of Java moss and Anubias spp. This
gives a nice
background. For 3-D set ups there are two options. One is to
collect
straight and forked driftwood. Stick the top to the back of the
tank and
the bottom to the tanks bottom. This gives a 3-D effect that the
"roots"
are growing from the back of the tank and into the tanks
substrate. It
looks very natural and provides a great maze for the fishes to
swim
through. The other option is for a SE Asian tank. Replace the
driftwood
with bamboo and plant hygro, crypts, etc for a nice Asian bamboo
swamp.
I am sure that others have other ideas about how to attach the
wood. These are just three set ups that I have really liked.
-Shane