# Is this tile safe?



## remm (Apr 6, 2009)

Tumbled slate from the depot. I got it in the tile section. It did not have any glue or anything else on it.


















Thank you


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I'm not sure if it's safe for your aquarium and I don't want to give you the bum scoop. Are you planning on using it for your background?


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## k9crusaders (Jun 4, 2009)

If that's rust on the slate, I've heard it's not safe. From the pics, it looks like rust. Looks like it would be cool for a background outside the tank though.


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## remm (Apr 6, 2009)

That's why I tried to get a closeup picture. I have scrubbed it pretty heavily with a wire brush. When I scrub the pieces with red in them, the red comes off but the colors dont change. Some pieces there is no color at all that scrubs off. Then there are some that a very dull yellow scrubs off.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Personally I wouldn't take the chance of putting that in my tank.


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## dawgfish (Feb 6, 2009)

I am in the flooring business and have used natural slate as a background for almost ten years. As long as the material has not been sealed with a penetrator or topical sealer then you are fine. If you are worried about the rust, there are several other types of slate that does not have rust in it.

I can custom cut slate to fit any aquarium and have many color options. I try to select slate that has the most elevation on the face to give you a 3D look. Most aquariums can be done in one or two pieces to give you a seamless look. Send me a PM or email if you are interested. I have pics of my tanks if you would like to see them.


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## drungil14 (Jan 11, 2009)

What I do when I dont know if something is safe for one of my tanks is to get 1 or 2 of small fry that I have a bunch of and put them in a little 5 gal tank with whatever I want to see is toxic.
I only killed 1 Melanochromis auratus fry


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

I've been using slate tiles on my tank bottoms for years with no problems. It looks great when the cichlids dig down to it.


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