Slate or Shale?

Which is better for a tank, slate or shale? I wanted slate to put in my 75, but shale may be easier to find.

Has anyone used shale? I was told it would break down in the tank. So I am wondering how fast this breakdown occurs. In week? A month? A year? 10 years?

Also, what about granite or ceramic floor tiles that you can buy at Lowes? I don't know that I could break the granite with a hammer and make it look more natural, but the ceramic maybe would break easier.

I am really starting to get discouraged of ever finding any slate. I can't even find a place around me to purchase it, much less find naturally.

Most all the shell around here has oil in it

Shale is a sedimentary rock and it might slowly dissolve or disintegrate when submerged in water.Most shales do not have oil in them although some do.

Slate is shale that has been baked at very high temperatures and pressures for millions of years by the heat of the earth. Slate should not dissolve or disintegrate when submerged in water. oil will not survive the heat and pressure the rock was exposed to .

For a aquarium slate is your best choise

I just found slate tile and quartzite tile at Lowes online. So I guess I can get some this and use it if I fail to find some on my own.

Out of caution, I would not use any commercial tile product. You don't know what might leech from it.

As already mentioned, slate is safe. Too bad you are not close to me, you could have what I am not using. I had it in a tank for a while but in the end didn't like it and went with river rock which to me is more natural. But slate is safe, or should be. Shale as also mentioned I would not use.

Byron.

Thanks, Canada is a bit away from Arkansas for sure. LOL I want some river rocks as well and might end up going with that instead.

julielynn47 said:

Thanks, Canada is a bit away from Arkansas for sure. LOL I want some river rocks as well and might end up going with that instead.

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I found the slate rather "artificial," and I was using it flat on the substrate (sand level) to create areas where no substrate plants (chain swords, etc) would be able to grow. It didn't really work very well. Useful for some spawning cichlids.

River rock is ideal as you can get it in different sizes and create lovely natural aquascapes such as Central American or Indian/Asian stream and river habitats. And it is good for rift lake cichlids too, as the rounded rocks leave lots of crannies and "cave" areas (need to be siliconed together to avoid mishaps). I'm attaching a photo of my 90g river habitat; it isn't easy to see much of the river rock, but this older photo before some of the plants grew in more shows some of it. The rear corners left and right has a pile of river rock; the loaches have a wonderful time, as they have formed passages through this, and love playing tag.

That looks really nice Byron! What is the plant that looks like roots hanging down? I mean, it probably is roots, but, what kind of roots?

julielynn47 said:

That looks really nice Byron! What is the plant that looks like roots hanging down? I mean, it probably is roots, but, what kind of roots?

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Floating plants are Ceratopteris cornuta (Water Sprite, the true floating species).

Thanks! I like the look of that. I am going to have to look in to getting some of that

I got some recently after reading Byron's comments on it. It was the only C. cornuta on Ebay (in the UK), the rest was C. thalicroides which is much more fern-like.
It seems to be doing well in my tank so far.