Fake Mangrove Roots

[Samala]

Hi all,

I need to fabricate some fake mangrove roots for an upcoming tank. I know we've batted ideas around on how to do this before.

I just recently had a new thought, and was hoping to get some input before I go ahead with it. I'm curious to know if anyone has attempted something like this before.

Obviously, collecting real mangrove root wood is out of the question. So is just using whatever random branches I can find lying around.

Instead.. I'm wondering: Could I use downed branches from live oak (or other similar trees here in Florida) if I cover them in silicone?

I know silicone can tear away easily from some surfaces, but I really want to make this happen. I can't find any sources for opaque brown-colored silicone, as that would be my first choice for fabricating the fake roots. It would be a fairly simple affair to coat bent PVC tubes into an artistic representation of mangrove roots if I had that available.

SO.. do you think this is a plausible alternative? Keep in mind, the eventual home will be a lagoon style system, and the inhabitants may climb or graze microalgae off of these root structures (well, if I have my way).

Anyone want to place bets on how well this might work out? Or have suggestions on how else I could accomplish this goal?

>Sarah

 

[Samala]

On a related note Petsmart now carries these somewhat interesting interpretations of tree roots.

I'm not excited about them as they seem far too small to make any sort of impact in a 4ft bowfront tank. Plus, I want the roots to dangle in the water column, not go all the way to the bottom.

>Sarah

 

[skimmerless]

I am not sure about silicon, but you might want to look into marine epoxies that are used to protect wood boats.

You can find it in clear or about any color at marinas and boat shops. Like silicon, make sure to avoid the anti-fouling stuff!

 

[jrhupp]

My suggestions go as follow:

Brown silicone is not hard to come by, most Lowe's and HD stock it. What you want is GE Type II WITHOUT Bioseal. However, silicone does not stick well or long term to PVC.

I think the best method would be to bend PVC into the desired shape and paint it with a quality acrylic paint. Maybe look at one of the new plastic specific paints on the market. I would then coat the "root" with a qaulity epoxy, like West System. Don't use a cheap epoxy. They contain a lot of styrene which is no good for the tank. To break the sheen and add texture try including some sand in with the epoxy. Or maybe ground cocconut fiber.

Look around at some of the freshwater and terarium forums. I have seen several similar methods used to build faux rocks.

Jay

 

[ClamIAm]

I've used some of those fake ones petsmart carries before, but that was in a 30 gallon brackish tank. I don't think they'd help much in a big tank

 

[graveyardworm]

I think you could use the oak branches and cover them in fiberglass resin. Color can also be added to the resin. It might take some experimenting to get something that works and doesnt look bad, but I suppose eventually it will be covered in coraline anyway.

 

[Jefe12234]

Why can't you use collected driftwood? If you can find some pieces that have been soaking for quite a while and bleached by the sun, I wouldn't think they'd leach much tannin. Wouldn't that be pretty safe? You could always boil it. Then again, I've never tried this.

 

[Samala]

These are all really great suggestions guys! I'm going to make a trek to the home stores and figure out what I can experiment with and see which works the best. (Hey.. maybe I'll even document it.. for once.)

Jefe: I dont want to use any downed driftwood, even stuff that is quite old, since I dont want any exposed wood in the tank. It just becomes a nightmare long term. There's also an ethical consideration since this will be a teaching tank. For many people, this option might be fine. I just need to create a system that does not toss in too many variables for non-aquarists to deal with.

>Sarah

 

[shutiny]

I got the ones from Petsmart and they worked ok for me. They got some that are over ~24" tall and ~14" wide.

 

[graveyardworm]

Have you read some of Paul B's stuff. He puts tin cans, rusty chain, and other stuff in his tank. I think he coats it all with fiberglass resin, where I got the idea from.