# attaching Buces and Anubias



## Andrew Butler (5 Jan 2021)

A topic that I keep seeing floating around but haven't really come across an indepth answer. How does everyone attach Buces and Anubias to wood, the small pieces in particular. As much detail, photos etc would be great please. 

How to avoid the dreaded white marks left from glues (maybe one type doesn't?)
Knots to use and how you go about using them without the plants sliding all over the place.

Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, I'm sure someone will tell me.

Thanks
Andrew


----------



## foxfish (5 Jan 2021)

Clear bait elastic is probably the easiest method but I find the new stuff takes ages to rot away.
A few years ago the transparent elastic my local tackle shop sold would last about two months under water before it melted away but the one they sell now seems to last forever.








						SEA FISHING BAIT ELASTIC COTTON FOR PEELER CRAB LUG WORM. 1 2 3 4 5 or 10 spools  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for SEA FISHING BAIT ELASTIC COTTON FOR PEELER CRAB LUG WORM. 1 2 3 4 5 or 10 spools at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.



					www.ebay.co.uk


----------



## thatblokeoverthere (5 Jan 2021)

I use dark brown linen thread. It is very strong and the muted colour blends in really well with lots of colours of wood and stone, then it rots away after several months.

Sent from my [null] using Tapatalk


----------



## tam (5 Jan 2021)

Gel superglue will spread less than regular. If the wood is already in the tank, then you can also glue to a chip of the same type of wood outside the tank where it's much easier to work carefully, then glue that bit of wood to the main piece. As you are then glueing two bigger surface areas it tends to leak out the sides. I would guess you could also use thread to tie to a small piece and then glue that to a big piece if tying direct isn't easy due to the wood shape. Mostly though I just wedge -they grow roots pretty quick.


----------



## Sammy Islam (5 Jan 2021)

Thread always came undone somehow for me. I find gel type super glue to be best, just a tiny dab, just enough to stick it down and once it grows in it will attach itself. Also you can sprinkle a little bit of crushed soil in the glue area to cover up any bit that would turn white.


----------



## Andrew Butler (6 Jan 2021)

Thanks for the input everyone, nothing really standout or different from what I've done in the past (aside from what @foxfish suggests) I was hopeful someone might have a different answer.
Does anyone else have input how they keep the pieces there or any other ideas for small pieces in particular, I've got some in vitro.

Has anyone found anything to hold the plants in place while the micro dab of glue goes off that they can remove easily afterwards? - Keep in mind these are tiny, little pieces.
Plastic coated wire is the best I've come up with but doesn't always hold things where I want.

@foxfish how do you go about using this, just tie a knot?

I find if I want to be intricate then using cotton or fishing line I can tie a running slip knot (two half hitches) and tighten that up, then holding it tight with a pair of tweezers or similar I can put a simple additional overhand knot/hitch on this to secure it and snip the ends off - it's a lot of fiddly work though and have to be super careful that pulling the knot tight doesn't just cut through the plant.

*edit I've not tried the method @tam says either but these are micro Buces onto thin, spindly pieces of wood so will have a think on that.


----------



## foxfish (6 Jan 2021)

When using the bait elastic for its designed purpose, you just wrap it around the bait multiple times and it sort of self emalgamates its self so you can just pull it tight without any knots.
But for tying plants I just use a basic overhand knot, it is very stretchy so much  easier to use than cotton.
Unfortunately  there does seem to be a few types available, I don’t know about the one I linked but, for the cost it might be worth trying?
For fixing small pieces of plant out of the water on a dry stone or wood, I would always use superglue, you just need to be very careful not to over apply ...


----------



## zozo (6 Jan 2021)

I still had some 10 metres Dyneema line 0.06 mm in moss green colour left from my fishing days. And I thought why not take this since I had no other use for it. And for me, this really was a Eureka moment... When it comes to tying plants this stuff absolutely rocks the boat.

It is next to extremely thin also extremely strong (15 times stronger than steel), it is inert and never rots... It is moss green in colour thus it has a perfect camouflage it is indistinguishable from the plant material and it's braided thus plants etc. do attach to it as well. This line is rather slippery and to use it as a fishing line it needs a special knot. A simple knot will slip and undo itself under little force. I experienced this property has a major advantage the other way around with tying plants. Creating a small loop with 2 simple knots and then you can pull it close with a little tug very easily and that's all to it. No need to ask the misses to come and put a finger on your knot. 

Since plants are rather delicate this is a very welcome property.

Because it is so strong I even used to tie pieces of driftwood together and it worked a charm. And after it was submerged for over a year I took it from the tank untied it and could use some pieces again. This stuff stays 100% intact forever even underwater.

Buying this stuff on a bulk role with 100ds of yards might be a tad over the top expensive. And more than you ever need... But some angler tackle shops sell it p/yard then you can buy 20 yards for +/- a quid and it can last you a few scapes.  And as said pieces long enough can be reused after that. 

I can only say if I need to tie plants or hardscape again I found my solution and know what to buy.


----------



## Andrew Butler (6 Jan 2021)

Thanks for that @foxfish they are tiny pieces. I can get the water drained to work around them in future but at present can get the whole lot out to work on a bench. I've never been a sea fisherman so no idea about it.

@zozo I've also never been into fishing involving braiding so not used or have any!


zozo said:


> a small loop with 2 simple knots


Do you mean like 2 half hitches with another hitch to hold it in place or something different? This is what I've been doing with cotton and working fine but very fiddly with the countless pieces and if you pull it too tight it will cut into the plant, I think it would with anything that thin.


----------



## zozo (6 Jan 2021)

Well it as hard to judge, but it requires some as the Germans say Fingerspitzengefühl - Literally meaning Fingertip feeling.

What makes it easy to master is just because this line kinda waxy in texture what makes it slippery and slide easy. Thus making a loop around it with a single knot. Then with the 2nd knot on top of that to secure it, this often results in a loose loop around the hardscape and plant. With cotton thread, for example, the 2 knots will not slide further only tighten even stronger or break or the loop stays too loose.

Now with thin Dyneema line is that slippery it only needs a gentle tug to make the 2 knots still slip and tighten the loop.

But it's simply something or a feeling you have to experience...  It's not easy to describe a gentle tug... Mike Tyson's gentle tug might be a mile away from my little sister's gentle tug of course.

Anyway for me, this line has the best of all worlds, in camouflage, strength, dimensions and easiness to tie. I can recommend trying if you have the chance...

Google Knots in Dyneema, loads of forums with the question of how to tie a knot that doesn't slip? I simply took this property to its advantage.


----------



## not called Bob (6 Jan 2021)

Andrew Butler said:


> Thanks for the input everyone, nothing really standout or different from what I've done in the past (aside from what @foxfish suggests) I was hopeful someone might have a different answer.
> Does anyone else have input how they keep the pieces there or any other ideas for small pieces in particular, I've got some in vitro.
> 
> Has anyone found anything to hold the plants in place while the micro dab of glue goes off that they can remove easily afterwards? - Keep in mind these are tiny, little pieces.
> ...


cocktail stick, worst case you snap it off and it will decay in time, when using glue

black cotton was used to tie some plants down, could not see it on the roots and soon enough rots away


----------



## Andrew Butler (17 Jan 2021)

not called Bob said:


> cocktail stick


In the end I put a tiny dab of superglue gel on the end of a cocktail stick, cleaned/dried the piece of wood with a cotton wool bud and added the tiniest dab to a piece of root in the exact spot it would hit using the cocktail stick, held it tight for a few seconds, repeated a few times on each side and done. What I've done before pretty much.

Looking into the ideas from @foxfish and @zozo I think that these pieces were just too small to do anything like that with, I think the braid would have dug into the plants (like the cotton and fishing line did due to its size) and along with not having any of the bait elastic think the plants would have just been to fragile. Both ideas noted for the future though.

I think the main problem I had was the size of the plants compared to what I've used previously, the photo below is in a 45p just resting whilst it awaits more plants and the crypts to be planted. One in there melting away for good measure and hiding the most awkward part of the buce fixing project.


----------

