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Slate as a substrate

T

TheGeoGuy

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Hey everyone. I've recently began considering getting a leopard gecko, and today I began heading out to local pet stores to price a set-up (and set-up only... I've already decided to purchase a gecko from a breeder when the time comes).

While wandering around the aquatics part of the pet store, I came upon some decent sized pieces of slate that were intended for display in fish tanks. I thought this might make an interesting, "natural"-looking substrate for the terrarium. I have access to the proper rock-cutting tools (I work part-time as a research assistant for my geosciences department) and would easily be able to properly fit the pieces for a proposed 15-gallon tank.

I'd like to get some other opinions on this, though. My main concern is that the rock might make an UTH rather ineffective (although rock has a low specific heat, and is easy to heat up, but maybe not for an UTH?), forcing me to change my original plans for heating the habitat.

Tristan
 
Tristan, welcome to the group. Glad you found us. Slate will make a great naturalistic substrate. It will heat up nicely and hold the heat well. I would suggest a digital thermometer with a probe be placed directly on the slate to check for the correct temps. Also a rheostat or thermostat to controll the temps. You also may want to check your local home depot or Lowe's or whatever you have. They have slate tiles that are about 3/8 of an inch thick that work great. You can cut them to fit the tank. A 12 x 12 inch piece is a bout $4. I imagine that the pet store stuff is more than that. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
Wow. Thanks for the quick reply and the welcome. Yes, I'll definitely check out Home Depot (we still haven't gotten a Lowe's here in WI). I can't remember how much the pet shop slate was, but it would definitely be less of a hassle to cut square tiles!
 
Slate works great. Here's the crazy set-up I did in a ten gallon with the tiles from home depot. It transfers the heat very well, but will cool down rather quickly. So long as the UTH is on all the time with a thermostat, you'll have no problems.
pad01.jpg
 
Welcome to fauna and I use ceramic tile in my 1 40 gallon display set up and it works great, easy to clean and on that size tank it didn't even have to be cut at all. 3 pieces of the 12X12. I have boxes of the tile left from our kitchen floor redo and throw them in the dishwasher and put down 3 new ones for a good sanitizing.

Just make sure to only put the UTH under 1 piece, if it laps over even an inch to the 2nd tile that tile will heat up too. As long as you keep the UTH under just 1 tile you will have a good temp gradient from the hot side to the cool side.
 
welcome to the group, you will have so much fun with geckos but be careful they are addicting. also you are pretty lucky you live very close to a good breeder brian has so very nice geckos, i bought one from him last year and she is doing great.
 
Thanks for all the warm welcomes. And yes, I've taken notice of Milwaukee Reptiles; I've been admiring the female he currently has on his site...
 
dragonflyreptiles said:
Just make sure to only put the UTH under 1 piece, if it laps over even an inch to the 2nd tile that tile will heat up too. As long as you keep the UTH under just 1 tile you will have a good temp gradient from the hot side to the cool side.
Click to expand...
Wow I did not know that. I love learning these little details, Thanks Wendy. I an getting ready to do a lot of slate work for my store displays.

Has anyone used the regular Flagstone? The kind for landscaping? I have seen it in several thicknesses and I can harvest it with a permit from the forest service. (Of course it would have to be thouroughly disinfected before use.)
 
With my experiance, the heat does not travel far from the source. The whole stone might heat up...but anything not directly over the heat source will only be a few degrees above room tempurature.
 
Hello,
Another rookie here. I just switched over from fish to herps. I had almost 60 fish tanks going, but I am know using about 18 for Leo's. The rest are gone. I am using floor tiles for my leos, not slate ones, I would guess they are ceramic but they are textured. Any one see any problems with these? Do leos like to climb a lot like the one set up pictured here? That looks so neat that way.
 
Oh yea...they love to climb. Keep in mind that they aren't arboreal, so if whatever they are climbing on is smaller then the width of their body, they tend to be clumsy. You don't want anything too high that they can fall and hurt themselves on. My guys climb all over the place in their cages.
 
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