# how to connect pieces of driftwood?



## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

use stainless steel screws


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

Thanks for your reply.
But I thought ss screws would quickly rust out and that wasn't good for the tank. Not true?


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## thelastlife (Feb 14, 2011)

tie straps/zip ties


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

I think zipties aren't going to work well - these are pretty large pieces!


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## BonesCJ (Jan 13, 2003)

Another Trick used in Saltwater to join Live rock is the use of Acrylic rods, drill the holes in the wood and fit the pieces together, very strong. I built 20 inch tall columns using this method. The rods do not have to be that thick 3/8 inch worked for me.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Stainless steel screws are _stainless_. They will corrode only slowly if at all.


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

That's interesting. How do you secure the rods? 
If a stainless steel (or other material) screw wasn't going to affect the tank at all that does seems like the easiest thing overall.


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## BonesCJ (Jan 13, 2003)

Glue would work, alot of time by just using the same diameter drill bit as rod and rounding the end of the rod a bit friction and gravity will hold the pieces together no problem. Here is a thread from Reef Central, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1588395


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## BonesCJ (Jan 13, 2003)

Treat them like wood dowels when doing carpentry


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## outcast (Jul 4, 2007)

stainless steel comes in varying degree of qualities, even the screws.... I've run into rusted stainless steal, oxidized stainless steel, corroded (from chemicals) stainless steel and even stainless steel that was able to be lifted with magnet.

So don't buy the cheapest kind  Bring a magnet just in case, the ones that can get picked up or even moved by magnetism tend to be the lowest grade and will corrode.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Do it right, use some screws, predrill the holes. The whiny know nothings say the screw rust...which they do do......but........this takes many years, longer than most set ups last. Even here, 4-5 years later, I've back out some screws I used that where not even stainless, they where fine, a little corroded, but looked like they'd last another 5-10 years to me. Even the ones where they where buried deep in the soil etc and blackened anaerobic conditions. I've used SS but the plain old coated dry wall screws worked even better. Even 4 years later, no corrosion.

The small amount of oxidized Fe and other metals, so what.
Use the screws, I've never had any issues, the rest is fear mongering.
I've been here and done this for a long long time.


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

Ok, I'll drill the holes and use stainless steel screws!


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Agreed. Screws do the trick. Even if they rust out completely it won't hurt a thing. 

I use brass ball valves too, with stainless balls in them, and have never had a problem... And the brass didn't magically kill my shrimp, either.


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## trackhazard (Aug 24, 2006)

Zip ties. Considering they sell 3 foot ones at home depot, I'm fairly confident you can find a size you can work with. Heck, you can even string them together end to end.

Easy to adjust or take apart if you don't like the way they hold.

-Charlie


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Dave-H said:


> Ok, I'll drill the holes and use stainless steel screws!


Dave, I'm shocked. Don't you need scientific fact first before you arrive at a decision.


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

Let it go...


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

No. Super glue is actually aquarium safe. At least Gorilla Glue brand is. Get the kind that is brown but expands to a white foam. You will need to let it dry for 24 hours out of water. Works great, it has no affects on my CRS.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Geniusdudekiran said:


> No. Super glue is actually aquarium safe. At least Gorilla Glue brand is. Get the kind that is brown but expands to a white foam. You will need to let it dry for 24 hours out of water. Works great, it has no affects on my CRS.


the gel type works quite well and is Reef safe for that matter.

This is a better option for smaller tanks, small pieces that need glues to a slate piece to maintain the position.

Larger pieces, best to go with screwing it together.

Zip ties do not fair well over time IME, and I've got a lot of experience with them. They wiggle and shift when you are in the tank, they move basically.
Unless you get a perfect strapping........they will move. 
They are also harder to hide than a screw. I never use them anymore, they end up being PITA in the long run. I'm sure if some cases, folks can use them, but I still think in most cases, screws/bolts are a better idea for wood and thin rock. 

A trick using the super glue, or epoxy: take some of the wood's sawdust, mix and cover the screw or any holes etc.


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## BobLsaget (Apr 29, 2014)

*Using Dowel rods*

I don't know about you guys, don't feel safe putting extra heavy metals in my fish tank. When that stuff Oxidized its not creating the normal kind of Ferrous Iron that our plants love to eat, it will be creating large chucks of Iron oxide, this is not including the other mystery Elements that the random screw company adds to their Stainless steel Alloy, that a fish could ingest and possibly die from and you would never know why he died.

Some of the commonly used elements in Stainless steel, just some, Chromium, Titanium, Nickle, molybdenum. I don't think you want any of these in your water column.

I am personally in the same situation have 3 pieces of Malaysian that fit together and look like a sweet Old swampy ghost looking tree. When I get home I am using the Dowel rod Idea. I have been considering it for awhile and seems to be the best Idea presented in this thread at least.

Drilling holes just large enough for the dowel to fit through should allow the wood to expand and create a nice fit. 

I plan on boiling the dowel rod and then letting it dry out before connecting my pieces of driftwood. Seems to be the best plan I can think of that won't harm any fish inhabitants.

Super glue might work, but won't have great sticking power that stuff was designed to work on non-porous material like metal or glass, but it does work with other materials. My driftwood is already wet with Christmas moss attached, so I am not planning on using that.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

And can we assume that those who would not have metal anywhere near their tank also have plastic water towers and water lines in their area? I've looked for plastic faucets but most still have metal inside! Paranoid thinking!
Do a little water changing and it will be fine. I normally have to do a few water changes anyway.


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

Wow, this is a bit of a necro...

For attaching driftwood to slate, I've been using nylon machine screws. I just happened to have a tap already for some other reason, so I just get the screws that are the same size, and drill and tap the driftwood, countersink the slate, and screw the nylon screw in.

It works great, no worries about corrosion or anything. If you don't have a tap, you could probably get by drilling the hole slightly too small (depending on how hard/soft the wood is) and friction-fit it. Or if there is a spot where you can drill through, you could just put on a nylon nut.

Anyways, enough people with successful tanks have used stainless steel screws without any apparent effect, so it's probably fine.


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## BobLsaget (Apr 29, 2014)

lochaber said:


> Wow, this is a bit of a necro...
> 
> For attaching driftwood to slate, I've been using nylon machine screws. I just happened to have a tap already for some other reason, so I just get the screws that are the same size, and drill and tap the driftwood, countersink the slate, and screw the nylon screw in.
> 
> ...


Nylon screws great Idea! Thanks.

I wasn't saying You can't have a good tank without Stainless steel but why take the chance on one of your fish having a potential choking hazard 5-10 years down the road. That could be a potential expensive loss down the road just for cutting corners early on, not worth the chance for me. 

Freshwater won't be as big of a deal, unless you keep discus. But Saltwater is highly corrosive against metals and SS is a very bad option in that case.


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