Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I was gonna put some java fern on this plastic tiger skull I got from the pet store, and I figured I could just tie it on, which I'll be doing any way, since I know it works, but since the skull is pretty smooth, I decided to ask the guys at the LFS.

They're pretty knowledgeable, and have never steered me wrong before, but one guy said if I wanted to make the java fern stick really fast, I could let the stem dry a little bit and GLUE IT ON!

At this point, I was absolutely baffled that anyone would have even tried such a thing, and had no intention of actually trying it, since I didn't want glue all over my decorations if I ever decide to get rid of the ferns, so I just sort of said "Ok, Ok, neat..." whle the guy told me what kind of glue and such.

Has anyone actually done this before? just for informational purposes, I'm wondering just how good an idea it really is, and what kind of glues might be appropriate...

Well, I would suggest using some type of silicone sealant, or perhaps a hot glue gun, something that dries completely, although hot glue guns tend to not stick as well after being underwater for a while. Just get silicone that is aquarium safe.

I suppose the silicone would work. Since the java ferns will put out roots to grip whatever they're on, I wouldn't worry about it coming un-stuck. For a different reason, however, I think the hot glue is a bad idea: The Java fern might DIE from the heat. Using hot glue had popped into my mind the minute he told me I could glue them on, since I'd heard that it works for decorations, but then I thought about the plant.

It seems to me the guy was telling me about some brand of rubber cement, just let the root dry a little, and brush on a dab of... but I don't think rubber cement is aquarium approved. Besides, tying them on usually works fine for me. Gluing though... I think I'll go ask about it again some time, get it straight from the horse's mouth.