# Slate basking area/platform



## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

I have been out and bought 8 or 9 slate tiles (about 30cm x 30cm) to use to create platform areas/basking areas in my vivs for my bearded dragons.

Slate is about 1 cm thick, and i also got several broken tiles thrown in (i asked in wickes if i could be cheeky and get them cheap or something as they obviously wouldnt sell, the guy in store said i could have them for free as long as i donated some money to the charity they were collecting for!)

What i am wondering, is whats the best way to fix these things together.
I want to create some pillar supports and then use the full tiles to create a ledge in the basking area. so the broken tiles are going to be broken up some more and then a pillar made out of them, the square full tiles are going to have one edge broken away to give a natural edge to it but still with the majority of the tile as a whole (imagine like a corner had been bitten off)

I'm then going to attach another piece to give a ramp up onto one side and situate the corner into the corner of the vivarium. 

What i am wondering is what can i use to hold it together? Would silicon sealant be appropriate/strong enough? 

I've included a fantastic drawing by a top architect of what the finished product will look like *cough* just so you know what i mean.


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

I'd definitely recommend aquarium-grade silicon sealant.:2thumb:


----------



## sharpstrain (May 24, 2008)

silicone is great but it is also flexible so think about some method of support the joins - maybe a strips of metal bent to the angle of the joint and then silicones to the bottom of the join


----------



## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

Where would I find aquarium grade silicon sealant? I've tried one using super strength pva glue/sealant to hold the flat pieces together. It seems to be working with the smaller flat bits. Got three more to do so will look for the silicon. 

Giving the pva a good 24 hours to dry properly then will see how good it is. If need be I can buy more slate to try again it's quite cheap.


----------



## Basin79 (Apr 1, 2014)

Azastral said:


> Where would I find aquarium grade silicon sealant? I've tried one using super strength pva glue/sealant to hold the flat pieces together. It seems to be working with the smaller flat bits. Got three more to do so will look for the silicon.
> 
> Giving the pva a good 24 hours to dry properly then will see how good it is. If need be I can buy more slate to try again it's quite cheap.


Online, just type aquarium sealant into Amazon or eBay etc or at your local fish shop (LFS).


----------



## stecal (Aug 11, 2011)

You can get aquarium sealant on ebay for about £3.80 a tube incl delivery it even comes in grey so might blend in with the slate better


----------



## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

I went on amazon and found 

"Bond-It HA6 Transparent Marine Adhesive Premium Silicone Sealant - Suitable for marine salt or fresh water aquariums, fish tanks, vivariums, gaskets, joints and seals etc. on conservatories, glass, ceramics, aluminium, metals, plastics & extreme temperatures."

But it says its not suitable for use on natural stone.... Is this because of the weight and they are assuming you are joining slabs together?


----------

