![]() Loose rocks of this weight that haven’t been properly secured can cause harm to inhabitants or damage the enclosure.Īnother caution to look out for when using Slate Rock in a vivarium with inhabitants is the sharp edges. This is something to be mindful of when stacking rocks into a tall formation. Slate does have a few things to keep an eye out for though.įor one, it’s a rather dense rock to work with. This is a great characteristic for reptiles being kept in enclosures if you place this rock near basking areas. The flat surfaces of this stone make it one of the best rocks to use for spawning and feeding.Īnother good takeaway is Slate’s ability to retain heat. The foliation this rock exhibits allow total creative freedom to construct the hardscape in a natural way. There’s a lot to be respected about the historical stone.īeing a material that has little to no impact on the environment makes Slate great for freshwater as well as saltwater tanks. Slate scores high on our list of suitable vivarium rocks. Once firmly placed, this rock is a great building material to construct caves as well as waterfalls. Since Slate works effectively well as a centerpiece, it can either be used as a standalone hardscape piece, or in conjunction with other woods or stones. Having such an unusually narrow structure, allows the stone to be stacked in a number of interesting ways. Slate Rock is a pretty versatile material to use as a hardscape. If you are not sure if rather or not the Slate you have is authentic, pour a small amount of vinegar on the rock, and if it bubbles…ĭon’t use it! True Slate is inert and will show no signs of alkalinity. If for any reason you experience a shift in PH after placing this stone in an aquarium, it either has been exposed to influential minerals or needs to be cleaned… This makes Slate ideal for any type of vivarium. Environmental Influenceĭue to its sedimentary composed material, Slate virtually has no impact on the environment it is placed within. Once discovered, either through tunneling into the ground or brought forth from a natural earthquake, only then is Slate revealed in its natural habitat. Over a period of time, the weight of the earth’s outer crust packs the minerals down causing it to take on its hard-foliated look. The original material is at one point, a fine clay, sometimes mixed with volcanic dust or sand… This means it can only be mined and dug up. Slate Stone is a rock typically found under the earth’s crust all over the world. This is something to keep in mind if you are considering its use in tanks with inhabitants.Ī rock this heavy could prove difficult to move, ship, or house in a stable way. When compared to other types of vivarium rocks, Slate is on the heavier side of the spectrum. The last property to note about Slate Stone is its weight. Typical colors will range from brown, green, grey, and blue, to even purple.Įven though Slate Rock of all colors is usually safe for vivarium use, it is good practice to do an alkaline test on the rock if it’s going in an enclosure that needs to stay in a particular PH range. The colors of Slate will vary based on the compressed minerals contained in the parent stone it is harvested from. The edges of slate can be rather sharp and since this is generally considered a harder rock to work with, use caution with open edges in enclosures with inhabitants. The recognizable foliage is also referred to as slaty cleavage.ĭue to the circumstances that form this type of metamorphic stone, it doesn’t have much of a porous texture like many over-hardscaping rocks. ![]() Slate Rock is widely recognized for its plate-like properties.īeing a low-grade, fine-grained rock, Slate is a smooth textured stone that exhibits foliation throughout its surface. If you have Angel Fish and they start to pair up, try placing a piece of Slate vertically within the tank to influence breeding. ![]() This proved to not only be a great source of material to use in bioactive enclosures…īut also allowed early hobbyists to safely heat the tank during colder seasons.Īnother great use of Slate Rock observed by enthusiasts is its valuable use for breeding.Īngel Fish will use this rock to place their eggs on. In the primitive days of aquascaping, Slate was used as a base to support aquariums built during the Roman Empire era. Slate Stone has a relatively long history of use in vivariums. The foliated thinning slate exhibits are caused by the rock evenly splitting along the veins.ĭue to the low-temperature pressure, this clay-based mineral is put through, it is one of the finest-grained metamorphic stones found today. ![]() This rock is most notably known for its slender look when harvested. Slate Rock is a metamorphic rock composed of various types of compressed sedimentary stones. ![]()
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