Where can I find nice aquarium suitable stone in Toronto?

[Cafe Jeff]

Hi,
I want to buy some red slate for my aquariums as well as anything else that would look interesting. Home Depot and their ilk doesn't seem to carry anything suitable. Beaver Valley Stone's rocks were both beautiful and cheap but big and the slate was way too think, though I bought some anyway. The local aquarium stores have stone of course but it might as well be gold for how it is priced. And the local nurseries don't seem to carry stone these days claiming it takes too much space.... Any suggestions? Jeff

 

[TankGirl]

Did you mean "way too thick"? You might be able to split the slate you have, by either dropping it on concrete or asphalt or using a chisel if you are comfortable doing that.

 

[Cafe Jeff]

Hi Tanker,
I am often quite thick when it comes to matters of life and typing and this is just another example. Unlike the monolith in 2001, I don't beleive this slate to be expressing any cognitive activity whatsoever. It is both thick in intelligence and thick in width. The thinnest piece is easily an inch wide.
Now I did use a chisel, hammer, mallet and gravity to make the pieces smaller. As it was after 10 O'clock and one baby was already down with another just to go, my wife was less than pleased by the ruckus. I was only however able to get the pieces to break across the grain and not with it. The slate seems to be very fine grained and I don't think with a chisel I would be able to cleave it. Well, I haven't so far anyway. Jeff

 

[TankGirl]

Aw, heck. :?

 

[urville]

my friend
go to your local library and find a book on garden and/or landscaping. a diy sort of book. this will show you how to split most any rock into any shape you want. !!

 

[Cafe Jeff]

Wise words my friend, and I will have the cuts to prove it!

 

[deekor]

Hi
We got our stone from Betz Cut Stone Limited on Kennedy Road. They give you a bag and you go out into the rock yard and pick what you want. They have nice lava rock, feather rock and slate of various sizes. I think the price is around 60 cents a pound.

 

[Cafe Jeff]

That sounds like an excellent place to go..... And not too far from Big Al's either. Jeff

 

[Cafe Jeff]

I should also say the broken flower pots are getting me down. Fish like 'em though. Jeff