Natural Slate from Lowe's Aquarium Safe?

I want to get some natural slate from lowes to build some hides. But I can't find any info or other aquarists who have used this. Just wanted to know if there's anyone out there who has any experience with this slate. The link is below

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Anatolia-T...r-12-in-x-12-in-Natural-Floor-Tile/1001042626

 

The warning label stands out to me, that it contains silica. From personal experience, silcates may give you a never ending diatom nightmare.

There are many posts that say diatoms will go away on their own but sometimes you'd have to remove the source to get rid of them

Perhaps there's a better option. someone can recommend.

As far as safe for fish or what it would do to other water chemistry, other members will have to cover that.

 

The warning label stands out to me, that it contains silica. From personal experience, silcates may give you a never ending diatom nightmare.

There are many posts that say diatoms will go away on their own but sometimes you'd have to remove the source to get rid of them

Perhaps there's a better option. someone can recommend.

As far as safe for fish or what it would do to other water chemistry, other members will have to cover that.

Thanks for the response! I didn't see that warning. I'm probably going to err on the side of caution and search somewhere else. But I'm open to better options and alternatives!

 

You are looking at slate floor tiles. Slate like most any rock contains silica. Natural rock and sand contain and are silica by nature.
Slate is an excellent add to any tank. Its flat and can be arranged easily. Google "slate for aquarium". There are hundreds of sources for aquarium use. Every single one of them contains silica. Slate being a very hard rock in comparison to lets say limestone has a much stronger molecular structure and does not leech as much.
Slate is an excellent choice for your tank. I have looked at Lowes and Home Depot for slate, but they were way to large for the tank.
If I could find some smaller in these stores I would buy it and use it with confidence.

The warnings you see are for California residents. There is not a product on the market that does not get a California Proposition warning. Even food gets these warnings.
Silica is only possibly harmful if a person breaths in the dust. In a tank there will be no dust.

 

Try shopping at your local rockyard or landscape company. You'll likely find a huge selection of rocks, at a very affordable price.

 

I have slate, Yeah it has silica, yeah I have diatoms sometimes. it's the worst of my problems though, and it's very minor to me since I don't have plants, I just wipe the glass, flip over the slates. stir the river rocks and move on. they are pH neutral and have no effect on it. Also have petrified wood and some cheesy generic aquarium ornaments all just as likely to have diatoms occasionally as not having any of it at all.

Diatoms do their thing, it's not like hair algae or something like that though which is a real mess, just a reason to get in there and clean up, it wipes up easy. Yeah I know planted tanks are beautiful, But I'm a big fan of mine and plants don't work for me




*Edit to add:* I got my slate from a quarry stoneworking place and it was scrap from a couple countertops they were making and had no use for the pieces. Basically let me take Like 10 pounds of drop pieces that I broke down further in some cases or split lengthwise. it's good to have a grinder handy to sand down sharp edges if you split slate. They can be razor sharp in some cases. You can just rub it on a sidewalk to smooth down the sharpness though.

I've seen the slate tiles, and I think it would be good for like breeding slates for angels, but it's too machined, and too thin in my opinion as a stone in the tank, it looks too much like tile and thats where my mind goes every time. " look at the tile in there" .... lol

 

You are looking at slate floor tiles. Slate like most any rock contains silica. Natural rock and sand contain and are silica by nature.
Slate is an excellent add to any tank. Its flat and can be arranged easily. Google "slate for aquarium". There are hundreds of sources for aquarium use. Every single one of them contains silica. Slate being a very hard rock in comparison to lets say limestone has a much stronger molecular structure and does not leech as much.
Slate is an excellent choice for your tank. I have looked at Lowes and Home Depot for slate, but they were way to large for the tank.
If I could find some smaller in these stores I would buy it and use it with confidence.

The warnings you see are for California residents. There is not a product on the market that does not get a California Proposition warning. Even food gets these warnings.
Silica is only possibly harmful if a person breaths in the dust. In a tank there will be no dust.

Try shopping at your local rockyard or landscape company. You'll likely find a huge selection of rocks, at a very affordable price.

I ended up buy a pack of tiles and breaking them down. I tested them with acid from my master kit and no bubbling. But There’s huge what looks like rusting on them. Not sure if that’s safe or not.

 

Pics may help. I’ve found nice rocks at the beach and at streams. Also a great place is marketplace. Usually people are giving slate away from rock walls they’ve removed around there yards. Picked up 3 nice rices while walking my dogs recently.

 

I ended up buy a pack of tiles and breaking them down. I tested them with acid from my master kit and no bubbling. But There’s huge what looks like rusting on them. Not sure if that’s safe or not.

Its completely natural. Slate like other rocks will have iron and other deposits on them. It is natural. If it bothers you turn the rusty looking part away from the front of the tank.

 

Its completely natural. Slate like other rocks will have iron and other deposits on them. It is natural. If it bothers you turn the rusty looking part away from the front of the tank.

The Color doesn't bother me I'm just taking precautions on keeping my fish happy and healthy. Also It seems like on most of the pieces there's like 50-70% coverage of the rust. Just seems like a lot. But if its generally harmless to the fish I'll try and pick out the pieces with less

 

IMO, the slate flooring tiles sold at the big box stores aren't very natural looking and would be difficult to include in a natural looking aquarium hardscape.
If the discoloration on the tile causes worries, probably not a good idea to get it. There are plenty of inexpensive rock options out there. Take your time, do research and make smart purchases.

 

IMO, the slate flooring tiles sold at the big box stores aren't very natural looking and would be difficult to include in a natural looking aquarium hardscape.
If the discoloration on the tile causes worries, probably not a good idea to get it. There are plenty of inexpensive rock options out there. Take your time, do research and make smart purchases.

I agree. But I did see a tank once where they broke up the tiles into much smaller pieces and very irregular. Then they glued the flat pieces, stacking them in all different positions.
It was a cichlid tank and they were more interested in hiding holes than appearance. But the job they did with those flat tiles looked great. And there were hiding places all over the hardscape.