Good decor brands

[Sleeveless]

So here is an interesting ask: I recently replaced a faded fake rock in my aquarium with a fake root looking piece of decor I found on Amazon and had decent reviews. The link of what I bought is below.

Amazon.com

This has been in my tank for a week and the finish is coming off. I think my Yoyo's are to blame, but no other decorations I have (all from Petsmart) are having finish come off and the Yoyo's all love going over them all.

My problem is that Petsmart doesn't have anything I like. I'm looking for natural look, but fake. I say fake since I thought about just putting driftwood in the corner, but don't want it to alter the color of my water. I guess I could soak it for a while to get that to stop as well. Basically, any fake brands you guys could recommend?

 

[Colin_T]

If the finish is coming off, take it out and return it. The fish aren't causing it to fall apart, it is badly made (someone got slack and wanted to go to lunch or knock off work early).

 

[Sleeveless]

If the finish is coming off, take it out and return it. The fish aren't causing it to fall apart, it is badly made (someone got slack and wanted to go to lunch or knock off work early).

I am returning it. I got some driftwood yesterday though to replace it. Soaking it now so it will eventualy sink.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I always go for real wood and real rocks if possible. Just use rocks that are clean and chemically inert (I usually look for granite around here; I'm sure you have something that would work in Maryland), and wood that has been dead long enough to be good and dry with no bark. If I get it out of our local creek or lake, I let it bake in the sun for several days to kill any pathogens or other critters that might be living in it. Wood can color your water, but regular water changes will take care of that. The bigger problem is getting the wood to sink. I will often attach the wood to a rock with epoxy or (even better) a stainless steel screw.

 

[MaloK]

Wow... Those are pricey !!!


I really prefer everything natural too. there's nearly never a bad surprise with well chosen natural stuff.

 

[Sleeveless]

I ended up with the natural wood. These fake are going back. I may have to find a way to keep it at the bottom though. I'm soaking it now, but it is just floating. May have to adhere some rock to it or something like Whistlingbadger mentioned.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I ended up with the natural wood. These fake are going back. I may have to find a way to keep it at the bottom though. I'm soaking it now, but it is just floating. May have to adhere some rock to it or something like Whistlingbadger mentioned.

Yeah, getting it to sink can be hard. For smaller pieces, I just buy a short but very thick, stainless steel lag bolt (sometimes it takes two) from the hardware store. Scrub it with soap and water to get off any residue, then drill a hole and insert the screw into the wood. The steel will then weigh it down. That's the easiest thing I've found for fairly small pieces.

 

[Sleeveless]

Yeah, getting it to sink can be hard. For smaller pieces, I just buy a short but very thick, stainless steel lag bolt (sometimes it takes two) from the hardware store. Scrub it with soap and water to get off any residue, then drill a hole and insert the screw into the wood. The steel will then weigh it down. That's the easiest thing I've found for fairly small pieces.

The piece I have is quite large, but would hollow out the center on the bottom and possible attach a stone to it that way.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

The piece I have is quite large, but would hollow out the center on the bottom and possible attach a stone to it that way.

Yeah, if you could hollow out the base and jam a big rock into it, that might work. Epoxy always seems to come loose for me, but I keep trying. You could also tie the wood to a rock with some fishing line, though that might prove unwieldy.