# Slate Decorations



## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

A tube of aquarium silicone and a pile of slate got attacked tonight. Looking to save some money and still fill up my big 55 gallon I created my own aquarium decorations.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Looks good! I especially like the one in the very middle.


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

very nice indeed,makes me want to get some.


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## GeegaFish (May 4, 2008)

I like your DIY decorations. I love making my own stuff too. Great job! I can't wait to see pic's of everything set up in your tank.

(I also like the black horn in the background on the desk.)


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

iamntbatman said:


> Looks good! I especially like the one in the very middle.


Thanks. I thought it looked a bit boring with just two piles raising up off the base so I added that long piece to add change. If you mean the lean to, that one is because all my slate can in big sheets, no real rubble, so I figured it would look good to have something vertically oriented.



willow said:


> very nice indeed,makes me want to get some.


I lucked out an got a HUGE pile of slate in the deal with my tank so I'm getting these decorations for just the cost of a tube of silicone. I have no idea really what slate by itself would cost.



GeegaFish said:


> I like your DIY decorations. I love making my own stuff too. Great job! I can't wait to see pic's of everything set up in your tank.
> 
> (I also like the black horn in the background on the desk.)


Well I keep my post in Starting a Freshwater Tank: http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=18249 updated, but my blog is most up to date on my tank's progress.

The horn was a present from my in laws after their trip to Israel. I didn't bother to find a clean background to take photos against and just used my desk.


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## GeegaFish (May 4, 2008)

Hey thanks for the links. It looks like things are coming along nicely for you. I had to chuckle reading that you're "an engineer and always need a plan." I respect that. I'm almost the opposite....I get a rough plan in my head and make the rest up as I go along. It drives my husband crazy! Hee, hee. :lol: 8)


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## RipPanther1 (May 23, 2008)

*Yay*

Thanks for the idea. I have some slate my dad gave me for my pond, which I had to take apart >.<


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## aquakid (Jun 22, 2008)

pics 234 and 5 look too posed!!


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

Umm, what?


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## LJean (May 31, 2008)

I was wondering how these were holding up. I don't use a substrate in my frog tank (and won't in the turtle tank) and am having some trouble decorating so the tanks arent boring. I considered using slate, river rocks and fake plants to help out with this.


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## doctorb (Jul 28, 2008)

Does any slate work? Like a hunk from the local quarry?

I used river rocks, boiled them a while and cleaned them with a wire brush and then used epoxy from drsfostersmith but the gray turned pink after a couple months and half of it let go. Some of the rocks are still together, but it's not as impressive as when I first made it. I thought the epoxy would hold better than silicone because I didn't have any luck with that.

I probably tried to defy physics too blatantly, your bridges look very nice and should hold up.

Are yours holding together?


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

Nice decorations Tyyrlym 

The slate you've used seems very different to the kind I have in my tanks, although I don't know how many different kinds there are. Here's the stuff I've used:


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

LJean said:


> I was wondering how these were holding up. I don't use a substrate in my frog tank (and won't in the turtle tank) and am having some trouble decorating so the tanks arent boring. I considered using slate, river rocks and fake plants to help out with this.


They're holding up just fine. The only one that's had issues is the lean to and that's because I applied a lot of force putting it into the sand and taking it out last time I redecorated and the area where silicone was applied was very small. The silicone has come apart on it but I don't worry about it because it stays put. It should be noted that these decorations just sit in the tank and have nothing messing with them.



> Does any slate work? Like a hunk from the local quarry?
> 
> I used river rocks, boiled them a while and cleaned them with a wire brush and then used epoxy from drsfostersmith but the gray turned pink after a couple months and half of it let go. Some of the rocks are still together, but it's not as impressive as when I first made it. I thought the epoxy would hold better than silicone because I didn't have any luck with that.
> 
> ...


I can't speak to the strength of epoxy vs. silicone. My decorations are holding up just fine. Most of them held together just fine when they were only stacked up, so the silicone isn't having to fight to hold them in place.



> Nice decorations Tyyrlym Smile
> 
> The slate you've used seems very different to the kind I have in my tanks, although I don't know how many different kinds there are. Here's the stuff I've used:


Thanks. Could be a different type, not sure honestly. I'm an engineer, not a geologist. The large sheets make me think slate, the coloration of my rock is similar to granite. Whatever it is it's igneous and I'm not worried about it. I like the way it looks.


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