STUMP PREP - FOR USE
Day One
This is the stump I dragged home on one of my hikes. Della has decided to help with cleaning it up. It's been sitting on my picnic table getting weathered. I know I should have gotten at it long ago but life has once again intruded on my me time.
This stump is full of character but it also needs to be trimmed to fit. The challenge is to trim and downsize it without losing too much of it's appeal. It will be going into my 55 gallon aquarium.
Taking a good look at the stump there is quite a bit of work ahead in getting it prepared for use. While checking it over I pick off loose little bits of debris, checking for weak spots where the wood has more of a corky or spongy feel to it. Those areas need to be removed.
The wood is discoloured with green areas. That's more than likely mold and old moss that will be scrubbed off during the process. There are also oodles of bug holes that are probably still home to some worms or other creatures. They should come out during the soaking period. The bug holes are actually helpful in getting this stump water logged.
When I soak wood with potential bugs living in it I add Epsom salts to the hot water and that really helps to drive them out.
There were only a few ends that need cleaning up. The rest feel solid enough and shouldn't be a problem.
There are so many ways to set this up it should be interesting to see what I end up with. Now it's time to soak. I will fill the tub with hot water and empsom salts leaving it to soak for the afternoon.
Later I will drain the tub and refill it leaving the stump for the night..
Day Two (five days later)
Drying it out took a good 5 days. This is how my stump is looking now. It's been pressure washed really well. It looks completely different. It took a few days to dry out and now it's a wonderful light brown colour. Now the stump has a healthy look. It has so much character and those lovely worm holes. Each step brings me closer to getting it into my aquarium. I cut a chunk of about 6" from the back of the stump. After taking measurements I have it cut down to the perfect size. It will fit nicely.
Next I drilled holes all over different places in the stump where I am going to attach live plants. I picked up a few but they were poor quality. I will be getting more. I normally wouldn't have wasted my money on them but I wanted to get this into the aquarium so I just got a couple anubias and an Java fern. The stump is now in my aquarium and looks much smaller than I thought it would. I'll be tweaking it for a bit here and there as I finish adding more plants and setting it exactly how I want it.. for now I'm happy with the results.
