Jump to content

What to do with slate? Other rocks?


Kelly S
 Share

Recommended Posts

I have a lot of thin slate from a roofing project that was never finished by the previous homeowner. I've never used rocks beyond aquarium gravel, and I'm semi-paranoid that if I make a rock pile, it will tip over and crack the glass. I realize that I learned to stack blocks as a toddler and that tons of people scape with rocks, but hey, we all have our quirks. I have a big fake Texas holey rock in my new 29g and the fish love it, but I'd like to add more hides/line-of-sight blocks. The substrate is sand and the current residents are peaceful, but I want to add plants and wood or rocks for more baby shrimp hides. I'd love pictures and tips for using rocks. Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can glue the slate to each other to secure it. I have a piece hiding the horizontal air lift intake in my guppy auto-sorter tank, and it makes great walls for holding back substrate like a little retaining wall. You can also use it as a base to attach driftwood to. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have slate stones in my aquarium. I used some aquarium epoxy to make a stacked cave, and another piece that stands up almost like a sail boat. I have some other pieces i use to set my driftwood on. I did however boil my slate stones to remove any unwanted bacteria, if you do boil them let them cool slowly so they dont crack as slate is pretty good at retaining heat. Here are some pics. 

9DB67C85-2D33-425F-9F3D-D94A9B09B867.jpeg

3A4619E1-C56F-435C-BE06-137A9D0B7457.jpeg

8DBBF56D-F93A-48F7-80E2-A47EAE10CEBC.jpeg

9BC76896-D307-471A-A497-6FBD44CA651E.jpeg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for these ideas! I like the thicker pieces of slate that you have, @Will Billy. The dragon stone looks like a good shrimp jungle gym too. Oh, darn; I guess I'll have to go to my favorite LFS to see what might combine well with the slate I already have! 😉

Edited by Kelly S
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A Google search for strata rock will provide many ideas for your slate roofing tiles, especially the broken ones.  It is light, so unless you have a massive piece, there is little chance of cracking the glass.  Slate and pumice are also very easy to work, using the most basic tools.

These are 3, 4, Leviathan and the new guy sharing "the shelf" from my archive.

Slate Fish 2.JPG

Slate fish 3.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/22/2021 at 11:08 AM, H.K.Luterman said:

This cave I made for my catfish is mostly all slate. The thickest piece is flagstone. I think it looks the best when you stack it in messy layers. I just use other rocks around it/beneath it to ensure its stable. 

 

PXL_20210121_030312098.jpg.4e4cbfdd03755ea0ffd09340630d5d96.jpg

 

I agree, Nature doesn't stack rocks neatly very often, so messy is good.  The weathered flagstone and algae is a really good look for your cave.  I had a 16" Pleco that needed a place to hang out and still be visible.  I never found a way to make slate floor tiles look that natural, so I settled for the shelf.  It was ugly but all of the fish seemed to use it.

That is a lot of catfish. Is the cave big enough for it to get completely inside?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Tanked said:

I agree, Nature doesn't stack rocks neatly very often, so messy is good.  The weathered flagstone and algae is a really good look for your cave.  I had a 16" Pleco that needed a place to hang out and still be visible.  I never found a way to make slate floor tiles look that natural, so I settled for the shelf.  It was ugly but all of the fish seemed to use it.

That is a lot of catfish. Is the cave big enough for it to get completely inside?

Rofl, yes, she actually can fit. She has to flatten her dorsal fin to do it. 

The cave actually used to be smaller but it's grown with her. X3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...