using slate

[bald57]

Hi all. I am going to be setting up a 75 gallon tank and would like to use either black slate, or red slate, or grey slate . I was wondering if there is anything I have to do with it before I get it into the tank and water added.

 

[Nimo]

You should use some plastic egg crate to cushon the bottom glass in your tank just incase a piece should fall out of placement. Put the crate in before anything else goes in. Then your first layer of slate then substrate of choice. Then you can continue with the slate build just keep weight on the glass in mind. Also remember to rinse what ever substrate used and the slate really good.
Trust me the plastic egg crate material will save you alot of head ache if one of those pieces of slate should topple over. It will help protect the glass from getting cracked or worse.
Fish will dig under the slate and can make it unstable thats why I recomend putting the first layer of slate before what ever substrate is used.

 

[bald57]

Thanks, was going to put that in first as protection . Is there anything I should rinse the rock with first.

 

[Nimo]

I personaly sense you dont have anything in the tank yet would just warm water. ( I dont like cold hands) no chemicals. When you fill your tank and add the dechlorinater( I recommend Prime) it will take care of it.

 

[bald57]

no at this time nothing is in the tank. When I mix the salt water, will slowly add it to the tank after the rock and sand is in

 

[bribo12]

I wouldn't put slate in a sw tank. The egg crate will serve as a much better base to your live rock so it stays off the bottom.

 

[melosu58]

I too am wondering why you want slate in a sw tank. Use ro water and you won't need chemicals.

 

[bald57]

fully intended to put the egg crating on the bottom. If I don't use slate as base rock, what other rock can I use. We live in a little town in southern alberta Canada where there is no real selection. We have no post office, so getting anything on line is out of the question. To get anything, we have to travel 3 hours one way so hoping to use either slate, tuffa rock, or river rock at the base and build caves etc. Just for the record, it is going to be a sw tank with fo.

 

[bald57]

I do use ro water and no chemical.

 

[melosu58]

Most rock used for sw tanks is pourus and has lots of holes in it for more surface space for your beneficial bacteria.

 

[Nimo]

I do use ro water and no chemical.

Good that will elimonate lots of problems down the road.

As far as live rock or what ever rock if you dont intend yo have corals it will be fine. Live rock helps work as a filter and is better but if you can find some porus type of rocks to use instead of slate it will become live over time. I would however recommend useing live sand sense you are so far away from everything.

 

[bribo12]

I'd use the tuffa rock. It seems like the most porous

 

[Nimo]

I'd use the tuffa rock. It seems like the most porous

From what I found tuffa rock is a good base rock and will turn into live rock. It has alot of the same components of live rock and is often used as base rock in salt water tanks.
That would be a great choice.

 

[mr_X]

There is also the possibility that your slate is comprised of heavy metals. Also something you don't want in a salt tank, if you like inverts.
Copied from wikipedia-
Slate is mainly composed of the minerals quartz and muscovite or illite, often along with biotite, chlorite, hematite, and pyrite and, less frequently apatite, graphite, kaolinite, magnetite, tourmaline, or zircon as well as feldspar.

Anyone know if these things are harmful to inverts?

 

[Nimo]

There is also the possibility that your slate is comprised of heavy metals. Also something you don't want in a salt tank, if you like inverts.
Copied from wikipedia-
Slate is mainly composed of the minerals quartz and muscovite or illite, often along with biotite, chlorite, hematite, and pyrite and, less frequently apatite, graphite, kaolinite, magnetite, tourmaline, or zircon as well as feldspar.

Anyone know if these things are harmful to inverts?

I would recommend looking up each component seperatly. Which I might do in a bit just dont have time right now.
See what is says if your inquire spacificaly about toxic levels for salt water aquarium.
I know it can safely be used in fresh water never really inquired about salt water use good catch