Floating Log...Question

JBtheExplorer

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Last year I had a small, flat log floating in the pond. The frogs loved sitting on it. By the end of the year, I noticed it had sunk a bit. I'd like to find a larger piece of wood for my new pond, but I'm wondering if there is something I could attach to the bottom of it to keep it floating so it doesn't sink over time. Any ideas?
 

JBtheExplorer

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Maybe Styrofoam? Just glue it or zip tie it but you might have to paint it w/ some dark color to hide it. Fish safe stuff of course.

That is something I had thought of, but I'm not sure where I would find styrofoam that is safe for fish.
 

sissy

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I wonder if you could hollow out the bottom of a log and spray that spray foam inside it and the foam will make it float or will it go off balance
 

j.w

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I have read that you can coat it w/ some kind of fish safe epoxy resin to make it safe.

Hey good idea sissy of the foam stuff!
 

sissy

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I wonder how safe old drift wood is .I know colleen has wood in her pond but I tried it and the wood turned the water colors .I tried it out in my stock tank with no fish .
 

j.w

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Think that is just the tannins in the wood and as long as the wood is natural and from a safe place it should be fine but who wants brown water. If it was floating in water that was polluted or near a chemical plant I would avoid it. But laying near a river or lake etc. would prolly be fine. I wonder if you could seal a piece of driftwood w/ something that was safe for fish and still kept the natural look of the log, maybe it would float much longer? Like a clear coat of something.
 

sissy

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I looked at those styrofoam logs that look real .This one I had was sitting around here for a couple of years from the logging that was done and thought it would be good and I would worry about my fish ,
 
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When putting driftwood into a tank or pond you should boil it fir as long as you can stand first. That gets out a lot of the color that will leach into the pond. I boiled 2 pieces before throwing them into my 125 gallon and 40 gallon tanks and don't have color issues.
 

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I bought one of these gators and they appear to be made of some kind of Styrofoam. They are painted w/ something,but don't know what so there must be something safe out there to seal stuff to make it fish safe.
lg-78103-63468R_010-pond.jpg


Just looked this gator product up and says foam molded:

Pond or Pool Decoration/Decoy
LOOKS REAL!!
Scare the neighbors & pests with this lively floating alligator pool/pond
decoration/decoy. Original in style and realism. Durable, attractive, foam
molded. Very realistically painted. Reflective red eyes. Great for swimming
pools and ponds. Size 27 1/2 inches long by 9 inches wide. Manufactured entirely
in the U.S.A.

So I think that great stuff foam idea might be a great idea to add underneath the log to keep it buoyant. Do they make it in a dark color?
 

sissy

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I know the one in walmart said soy based extruded molded foam used and is fish safe .I emailed them when my neighbor bought hers to see what it was made of .
 

taherrmann4

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I have had different wood in my ponds and creeks with no problem of tannins coloring the water. I have always gone down to the river to find the driftwood and don't use logs found in the woods so that may be why I don't have a problems with tannins bc it is already leached out. Now for the floating question couldn't you use a water noodle cut to length and paint if necessary.

water-noodles.jpg
 

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