Slate bottomed tank?

brigid_marie

brigid_marie

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Feb 3, 2006
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Tiffin
My mom has an old slate bottom 20g tall... it weighs about a couple tons ;) how do you guys feel about a slate bottom? I'm staying here for the next two weeks (missing my guppies which I hope my fiance can keep alive!) and so I'm going to check it out and see if I can find a hood at a decent price for it (once i measure it). I just had never heard of a slate bottom tank before. She says that we used to have a little turtle in it when I was little, but I don't remember having anything cool like a turtle. Let me know what you guys think :)
 
If it holds water I don't see anything wrong with it. In fact some people like to do bare bottom tanks (don't ask me why) and I think a bare slate bottom would be better looking than glass. Anyways, check the seals, maybe go over them again with some new aquarium silicone and fill it up outside and let it sit for a day and see if there are any leaks. If no leaks then bring it in and use it.
 
Most of the old slate bottom tanks were also built with a stainless steel frame around the top and bottom and up all the side seams. Indeed, they weighed a lot because of the construction but actually used lighter glass as the stainless took up much of the strain that today's glass and sealants have to absorb. I wish I'd never got out of the hobby and let my old tanks go....I had some great 20-40 gallon tanks with slate bottoms and would love to have a couple of them now that I'm back to fish keeping. The downside was because of construction limitations and costs it was rare to see any tank close to the "monsters" you can buy today. A 40 gallon tank up until around 1980 when I left the hobby was a huge tank.
 
That's true but the cost was pretty high. Of course, I was making way, way less than today so even a 20 gallon tank was a major investment. My LFS was a one-man kind of family operation and he didn't have the bucks to invest in a "Petco" inventory so when I bought a 40 gallon from him that was the biggest tank he had.
 
So here I was concerned about inheriting an archaic 20g that weighed a ton, and you guys are saying that its a good thing. Sweet deal. :dance2:
 
Sounds like a great thing to me!!! Congrats on your find!! :clap: :clap:
 
randyk47 said:
Most of the old slate bottom tanks were also built with a stainless steel frame around the top and bottom and up all the side seams. Indeed, they weighed a lot because of the construction but actually used lighter glass as the stainless took up much of the strain that today's glass and sealants have to absorb. I wish I'd never got out of the hobby and let my old tanks go....I had some great 20-40 gallon tanks with slate bottoms and would love to have a couple of them now that I'm back to fish keeping. The downside was because of construction limitations and costs it was rare to see any tank close to the "monsters" you can buy today. A 40 gallon tank up until around 1980 when I left the hobby was a huge tank.
Click to expand...

My Dad had a 400 gallon tank back then :)
 
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