Decorations made of bamboo, reed, or cane.
Since we are talking about using wood in an aquarium, we cannot overlook bamboo. It should be prepared in the same way as other wood. Sand the bamboo blocks and cuts. The wood, bamboo stalks, and reeds are boiled for 3-4 hours in a strong salt solution (in a stainless steel or enameled pot); it is useful to add a few tablespoons of baking soda. Then dry them and boil them again in the salt solution for 3-4 hours.
Add enough salt so that, after thorough stirring, it remains at the bottom, dissolving only when the water is heated. There is no need to add other antiseptics or disinfectants to the water – sterility is achieved without them. After the wood is boiled, it must be rinsed in running or frequently changed water for 7-10 days. Afterward, the ends are thickly coated with liquid glass, and after complete hardening, placed in the oven for 1-2 hours.
Anyone who wants to use bamboo tubes, reeds, or cane to decorate their aquarium must disinfect them with hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate, and then, after washing and drying, dip at least their open ends into molten polyethylene to give them strength. To prevent the stalks from spoiling in the water, their ends are pre-dipped in liquid glass. However, there is no guarantee that after a more or less prolonged stay in the aquarium, the bamboo will not start to rot. This depends both on its quality and the thoroughness of preparation.
Bamboo stalks, well known to everyone from old fishing rods, have an expressive texture and a pleasant light color. For a greater effect, it is advisable to use bamboo of different diameters. These parts of the plant are arranged in the body of water to look like reed thickets visible from under the water. The tubes must be distributed in the water in irregular groups, as is usually the case in nature. To do this, the stalks are divided into segments so that, when installed in the aquarium, they pierce the water surface.
How to secure bamboo stalks in the desired position? The first thing that comes to mind is to take a sheet of plastic and attach the stem segments to it at a certain angle using screws. The screws will have to be covered with epoxy or silicone glue (both adhere poorly to wood and plastic). Waterproofing is also essential because even stainless screws will corrode. Therefore, it is easier to mount the stems on a piece of silicate glass using silicone glue and wooden dowels.
To do this, first cut the required bamboo segments and plan how they will be placed on the base. Then glue thin wooden dowels in the right places and let the glue polymerize completely. The next day, attach the bamboo segments to the rods. If everything was done carefully, the attachment remains quite strong even after getting wet. Bamboo stalks can also be secured on a wooden board with holes.
To make the bamboo segment composition durable and ensure the stems constantly maintain a certain inclination, you can secure them similarly at the top as well. This entire structure is installed on the glass bottom of the aquarium, and gravel is poured over it to hide the bottom cuts. Alternatively, you can connect the decoration only at the top and place the supporting glass plate on the internal braces of the tank.
In this case, the bamboo stalks are not fixed at the bottom, which allows their inclination to change. The length of the segments should be such that the lower cut is hidden within the substrate layer. The only thing that must always be avoided during placement is a position where both ends of the stem are tightly wedged between opposite walls of the aquarium, for example, between the bottom and the top brace. Bamboo swells slightly in water, but this effect is still present, and in the worst-case scenario, the stem can break the glass.
Another important note: before assembling the entire bamboo decoration, make sure no air remains inside the hollow stems. To do this, either drill through the stem partitions axially with a long drill bit or make small holes in each section of the stem in places hidden from the observer’s view to let the air out. It is safer to make two holes: one just below the partition and the second lower down, because air might not escape through a single small hole. To prevent the bamboo from polluting the water with coloring substances, soak it in water for at least a week beforehand and make sure it has stopped releasing sap. Unfortunately, such stalks will sooner or later begin to rot, especially where they contact the air. However, the decoration can be replaced after a few years.
Artificial driftwood and stones.
Artificial driftwood and stones made of plastic or ceramics can now be found for sale. Many artificial corals look authentic, which has led aquarists to use traditional bleached coral skeletons much less frequently. The advantage of such decorative elements is that they are not massive, are not prone to rot, and their size and shape can be chosen to match the dimensions of the tank. The downside of any imitation is that carelessly made copies of natural objects can be distinguished by unnatural coloring or incorrect patterns. If you decide to use artificial driftwood and stones, choose high-quality products that successfully imitate the texture and color of natural materials.
General principles of aquarium design.
Decorating driftwood with live plants. 
