How to sink/attach floating roots? *Going crazy*

[Bambikill]

I have a very annoying problem with a couple of roots - I think they are Azalea roots from what I can find when googling. (Pet stores just sell them as "aquarium roots" when they don't know what kind it is.)

They float. And float. And float. I've had them in bucket for weeks - and they still float.
I've boiled them (as well as possible - turning them around every now and then since they don't fit even the largest pot.) I've drilled holes in them to help them sink faster.
And they still float.

I haven't dared to try some of the most logical ways - like weighing them down with large rocks - since I'm terrified that they will slip out and then pop up like a large cannon ball and break the top glass... and besides - their shape doesn't really allow for weighing down by rocks. It would be disastrous if the top glass would explode - both the Axies and my cats would be in danger of serious injuries... And in the fish tanks - it would be the fluorescents at risk.

Eventually, I got pissed and threw them in a corner and ignored them. So I haven't even tried for a long time. But now I really want to make a proper setup for the Axolotl-tank (and the fish tanks if I can figure out how the heck to get these gorgeous roots to sink.)

They are really beautiful and I also like them since they don't release a lot of tannins.
(My water is hard and any slight tannin release doesn't affect the pH much, even when it's other types of roots that release much more tannins.) And they're really neat to tie moss and plants, to.
I really want to use them but I'm at my wits end about how to get the ****ers to stay put.

So - I googled to see if my ideas were any good, but get conflicted results so I thought I'd ask if anyone has tried them.

1) Attaching strong suction cups with stainless marine grade screws. This seems like a good idea but I'm worried about several things... that the cups won't be able to hold the roots in place but also that some people say that it can be dangerous since sand can get under the cup and cause cracks in the glass with time - or that the screws might do the same...

2) Screwing the wood to pieces of slate. I don't like having slate in an Axolotl tank but it can be buried in the sand. But I'm not sure if one can drill slate with normal drill bits? Some say it will but I'm kind of afraid that the slate will wreck - thus again - possible root rocket to the glass roof... This method, however, is better than suction cups in the aspect that there can be a layer of sand between the slate piece and the bottom glass.
Perhaps to screw on really heavy pieces of marine grade stainless steel?

(The sand is fine in texture, never had any problems with Axies eating it and getting constipation.)


I just don't know what to do but would SO like to use the roots... does anyone have experience of these methods? Or any other ideas?

Last time I tried to get the roots to sink, in buckets - they were in there for a month, without any result... and I don't really have anywhere to keep the buckets except for the bath tub/shower, which is a ***** in the long run...

ANNOYED!

 

[Chinadog]

I've used Eheim spray bar suction cups on wood a few times with no problems, you don't need screws, you just drill a hole in the wood and push the back of the cup into the hole. If you use this method to anchor the wood to the side as well as the bottom it won't go anywhere. I use this method for keeping cork bark from drifting around on the surface as well. I wouldn't trust any other brand of suckers for this kind of thing, and even with Eheim ones its best to change them every six to eight months or so. Sand between the suckers and the glass won't cause cracking, it just means the suckers won't stick.
The other method I've used is to bond the wood to a piece of glass with aquarium sealant, then bury the glass with sand or gravel. Depending how buoyant the wood is, you might need to weigh the glass down with rocks as well. With this method I can imagine a small stone between the glass and the bottom of the tank could cause either to crack if you used rocks to weigh it down, you should be fine if you're careful though.

 

[Bambikill]

Thanks for the tip!

It was kind of funny that you mentioned specifically Eheim suction cups because I was swearing last evening over the suction cups of an Eheim filter I have - they seem to be getting old so the filter just falls down and I replaced them with some brandless random ones - that were even worse than the old ones... So I was thinking that I need to buy new ones - then I might just buy some extra then

I was thinking that I was going to attach to both wall and bottom - I'm still a bit nervous but you seem to have had no problems so perhaps I should go for that one.
The roots aren't all that big but the buoyancy is ridiculous. I've never had problems with any other type of roots - they've all sunk in a week, at most. But I can't resist these, they're so pretty... :S

I'm terrified of the bottom cracking so I think I'm gonna try the suction cup trick

It would, indeed, be nice if no screws were needed since I don't like putting metal in the tanks, but it seems a bit scary to just force the sucker plugs in. Perhaps I could put some super glue or aquarium silicone in the hole as well, before plugging the suction cup in.
It shouldn't affect the rubber, I'd assume?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Chinadog]

The shape of the eheim suckers means they almost have a 'barb' on the back, if you measure the width of the barb and drill the hole slightly smaller the sucker easily pushes in and stays there. If there's any forcing going on drill the hole a bit bigger. I will have a look later and see what size it should be drilled to.

 

[Chinadog]

If you use the small Eheim suckers you need a 8mm hole, the bigger ones need a 11mm hole. The small ones have the barb shape on them whereas the big ones don't, they still stay put once they're pushed in. You could always super glue them as well though.

 

[Bambikill]

Thanks for the size of suitable bits!