Slate as decoration

[Valiceemo]

I'm wanting to have some slate like caves in my tank bit don't want to fork out a fortune to buy some.
So I was thinking about making one.
My question is how?

I'm concerned about just balancing then on one another for of them falling and crushing fish?

Anyone got any tips? How to secure them?

 

[Mebbid]

Get slate tiles and bust them into pieces. You can use hot glue to stick them together. It wont do a great job holding it together if you try to pick it up, but if you use a larger slab of slate as a base for it then its possible to move around.

 

[Valiceemo]

Get slate tiles and bust them into pieces. You can use hot glue to stick them together. It wont do a great job holding it together if you try to pick it up, but if you use a larger slab of slate as a base for it then its possible to move around.

Thanks.
I've seen a few post a bout using aquarium silicone?

 

[Mebbid]

Meh, hot glue is easier imho but aquarium silicone works as well.

 

[PB_Smith]

the difference between hot glue and silicone is that hot glue will not seep into the micro-cracks and stuff the same as silicone will.

Hot glue is initially faster and you don't have to wait for it to cure, but once cooled, it is hard plastic, best suited for fabric or similar things with very large and open pores

Silicone will provide an much, much better bond with something like slate or rock because it will grab all those surface imperfections and hold on to them.
To increase the holding strength, scuff up the surfaces of the slate where you will be bonding them.

 

[Valiceemo]

Ok. So the recommendation is silicone?

 

[PB_Smith]

Ok. So the recommendation is silicone?

in my opinion/experience it holds better.

 

[Mebbid]

Neither will hold particularly well. They dont secure enough to hold much weight which is why I suggested the base plate.

 

[Rivers2k]

Depends on the type of fish as well. Slate isn't good for larger fish that startle easily they can get cut up pretty bad. You also don't want to do any balancing acts with the slate.