Loaches Online Forum

ANyone know if its ok for fish (clowns in particular)?

THinking of making a few caves out of it.

Yes, lots of people use slate, but it's not ideal - that's how I'd put it. It can be used really well to build up stacked hiding spots, but it tends to have the kind of sharp, abrasive edges you should try to avoid in a loach tank.

To provide hiding spots, a much better choice is wood, IMO. Look for pieces that might be laid on the substrate in such a way that caves are formed. Even just creating a flat surface against the sand with a piece of wood will give the loaches a place to burrow beneath for shelter.

It depends what you want to do and how you use it, but slate can be rough and pointy which is not ideal, as I say. You'll hear otherwise, I'm sure.

i have used slate with loaches for years and it can work. if you take care in selecting your pieces the rough edges can be minimized. i will sometimes place a large piece directly on the bottom glass and build off that, it minimizes a lot of the burrowing that can cause injury. i also use wood, shells, and clay pots to provide a variety of choices for the loaches.
good luck

Another option is to get tumbled slate. The tumbling removes all the sharp edges. I get 4 inch square tumbled tiles localled for 89cents and they work great.
Also sharp edges can be dulled by tapping with a hammer or a palm sander with a coarse grit sandpaper disc.
You can even glue using epoxy the slate together in sections so it can't fall over if bumped.
Epoxy will need a long curing and offgassing time period though.
I let some sit after drying in bucket of water for 3 weeks to be sure with water changed everyday.
Erik