DIY slate caves.

[krytan]

I was looking for something to do when i got home from work today then i found two pieces of slate, i broke the pieces of slate up into lots of bits and started to stick them together.
Here's how far i have got today, i am going to wait till tomorrow for the silicone to dry before i finish them.

[jackiomy]

That looks pretty cool.

[Bk718]

diy always the way to go!! looking good

[krytan]

Thanks :)

Here's one more pic for today.

[Kevin S.]

Double decker, I like it.:thm:

[Reefscape]

Good inventive work mate.....looks great !!

[krytan]

Thanks.

I should probably explain how i went about making these caves.
First i broke two large pieces of slate up using a hammer and baluster hitting into the grain to give me lot of thinner pieces of slate. To make the pieces fit i used a pair of pliers to trim the edges.
I then stuck the pieces of slate together with silicone to make the caves, i made sure to seal any gaps and holes so dirt could not accumulate in places i wouldn't be able to clean.

Here's some more pics of what i have done today.

[jb-ny]

is that silicon that you get at home depot or do you have to go to a speciality shop?
the stuff I used for my bathroom warned against using it for aquariums.
they look awesome, thanks for the idea.

[BadFishPa]

Slate tiles from Lowes,Home Depot and etc can be broke or cut to what you want..Really cheap too..

[Kashta]

Those are going to look great in the tank. Nice caves.

[stezatois]

your lot are gonna love that, nice work so far

[krytan]

Thanks everyone


is that silicon that you get at home depot or do you have to go to a speciality shop?
the stuff I used for my bathroom warned against using it for aquariums.
they look awesome, thanks for the idea.
You shouldn't use any silicon with stuff added to it. I get proper aqurium silicon from a diy shop near me for £5, most lfs sell it but it is generaly more expensive.

[robbob2112]

Thanks everyone


You shouldn't use any silicon with stuff added to it. I get proper aqurium silicon from a diy shop near me for £5, most lfs sell it but it is generaly more expensive.


Here is the states "GE Silicon I" from home depot or lowes works very well... it does not have anything added to it... 100% pure silicone.

DON'T make the mistake of the "GE Silicon II", it has anti-mildew agents added and will either make your fish sick or kill them.

[BadFishPa]

I always look for it to say 100% silicon nothing else in it..

[alleykat0498]

I did this a few months ago with a large piece of slate from my driveway. The only thing I wish I had done different was being more careful moving it around during cleanings. the silicone had a hard time bonding the pieces of stone together. Other than that I loved the look of it. I also used GE I

[krytan]

I did this a few months ago with a large piece of slate from my driveway. The only thing I wish I had done different was being more careful moving it around during cleanings. the silicone had a hard time bonding the pieces of stone together. Other than that I loved the look of it. I also used GE I
Thanks i'll keep that in mind when i'm cleaning the tank, so far the silicone is strong enough for me to pick them up without them wobbling or falling apart.

[SidTheSquid]

Hi!

I'm just getting started in the hobby and reading lots of books and I hope you won't mind me asking a question based on your photos.

I really like the whole idea of decorating your fish tank and I've read that slate is an ideal rock to use as it is "stable". But I've also read that you should avoid rocks with "brownish" streaks in them (as there seem to be in your photos) because they could contain iron which we don't want in the water.

Are the books wrong or is slate an exception? Have to ask because I'm collecting every interesting rock I see, at the moment, that may be suitable for my tank when I set it up.

[krytan]

These pieces of slate were in one of my tanks for a long time without any problems. I haven't heard that you shouldn't use rocks with brown in them before but that doesn't mean it isn't right, i'll do some research on the subject.

[krytan]

Well i've put them in the tank, i'll probably move them around when i clean the tank on thursday.

[Fish-Addict]

nice!

[FishKing14]

Looks nice. I'm going to make a cave similar to that if I start another fish tank.