Sinking wood, making wood sink (bamboo)

[andyroo]

I've got a dozen 1' lengths of bamboo (2" interior diameter) in a bucket in the yard. Any thoughts on accelerating the sinking process?
* Microwave/boil? Does the heat/expanding help water get in? Then how do I get the stink out of the drapes?
* Trying to not go to stainless wire (I like the clean simplicity of a pile of bamboo tubes) but will likely need to. Similarly not keen to top with a tile or stone, at least not in the aquarium.
* Also thinking of putting in a bag & carrying to 100' depth for 10minutes to pressurize water into 'em, but that's a whole next-level of effort
* does green bamboo sink faster than brown/dead? I expect they'd last longer too, but some spp have noxious anti-competitive root chemistry so I'm reticent to stray from what I know to be safe.

This type of bamboo is fantastic loach/goby/knife/catfish habitat & doesn't tint the water, lasting ~3years before the snails get the better of it. However, it's annoyingly unpredictable in how long it takes to sink- some days to short weeks, others will rest just under the surface for a year. These pieces in the bucket are 98% sunk after ~a week, but that last 2% is the question.

 

[Rob909]

Did these things ever sink for you? If you’re worried about boiling inside, it can also be done over a bbq or fire pit. You can tie them to rocks to be sure the entire surface area is absorbing water rather than having the floating side above the water level at all times. You can also silicone them to pieces of slate or rock to weigh it down. This way it will be usable, while water logging. You’ll want to use dry bamboo as green bamboo can rot in the aquarium. Hope this helps.

 

[andyroo]

Ha! The last piece went into the skud&snail tank as I got fed up with waiting for it. It bobbed end-up until last (#@!!&!&!*) week!
So, more than 2months. I think the take-home here is to put 20 in the bucket in order to get 10, & the rest grow orchids

Yes, your suggestions do help. Roasting (burning) might be aesthetically interesting, too. I plan to use bamboo (with plants over sand) as the only decor/habitat in this in-wall (as soon as I re-seal the leaks) & will set a rock and/or concrete into the bottom node of the bigger multi-node segments (drilled/chopped, of couse). The smaller will be sunk in a drum in a mesh-bag for a week, sinking 30pcs to get my intended 10.