Any cons to a slate substrate? I'm thinking large, 8x8 inch pieces to put at the front of my tank with the sand. Thanks
Thanks for for such a vast reply, much appreciated. I'm not concerned about algae as my uv kills anything in the water to feed it. So we're saying roof tile slate will work?If its quarried slate for roofs it will have a smooth back which wont allow for waste or debris to get under it. My biggest complaint when I had it was that being that the front side is so textured that when algae grew on the slate that it was a pain to get off. Chewed up the plastic pads or scrubbers when trying to remove.
If you use the ones pre cut from a flooring store then they will be scored on the back of each piece thus creating a void for waste to settle under. But if you use sand to fill in beteween the pieces then waste cant get under them.
Here is a link to when I did mine. Got mine from work and cut each piece with a wet saw and fitting them in.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?365085-New-Slate-Bottom