# Quartzitic Sandstone safe? (Pennsylvania Flagstone)



## embowe (Mar 14, 2013)

I am looking to setup my "newly" available 75 gallon as a mbuna/hap tank and have a few questions that I am hoping can be answered...

I have looked locally for some slate to use in my aqua-scape and have no NO luck finding any at local home improvement/hardscaping locations...but I have found Pennsylvania Flagstone (quartzitic sandstone) and from the little reading I did it looks like it would be OK to use after the initial cleaning/scrubbing that would be done to it. The pH of my tapwater is on the high side (about 8.5 or so) so I don't think I would really need to worry about it raising it much more then it already is.

The other question is...I am looking to do the tank roughly 3/4 width of slate (sandstone) caves and ledges and the other 1/4 would be artificial plants... would anyone have a GUESS on how many pounds of stone I am roughly going to need? I am thinking 3 tiers of caves roughly 36" in length...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sandstone is safe chemically but I don't like the roughness of the surface. When the fish bash into it the scraping is a little worse than a smooth granite riverstone type rock.

That said...slate is smooth so I am confused about which this is. Maybe slate is a very fine sandstone...so fine that the surface is smooth?

Also I think of slate as flat and thin, where I prefer 3D rocks that are sized from "fist" to "head" or larger.

With my 3D rocks, each pile weighs about 40 pounds so I'd say around 120 pounds.


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## embowe (Mar 14, 2013)

3D rocks...your talking like river stone?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes, but anything that is more round-cube-rectangle than like a flat sheet or slab.


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## embowe (Mar 14, 2013)

The place I went to only really sells it as a sheet (coffee table size) so I would be cutting it myself to shapes that I want...some smoothing of the edges as well...I will see what the "better half" has to say..LOL


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## embowe (Mar 14, 2013)

I am going to head back to the place tomorrow and pick up a smaller piece of the rock and put it in a bucket with water and keep tabs on the pH and hardness/TDS to see if it alters the water in anyway...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Either sandstone or slate is inert and will not alter your water. A lot of work to cut/smooth though when you can get material at another place that is already in tank-size pieces. I'm impressed that you have the equipment to cut/smooth rock.


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## embowe (Mar 14, 2013)

You would be amazed at the tools I have that I have no idea why I have in the first place..LOL

I am also going to see if I can save myself some trouble and ask if they have any "drop-offs" that are already "tank-cave" sized...but worse case, a coal chisel and a diamond wheel will do what I need


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## embowe (Mar 14, 2013)

This is what I picked up yesterday (about 75lbs) for less then $15.... going to head back next week and see if they have more smaller pieces like this after people breakup and buy the big slabs...


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