Best easy to get substrate(Not paper towels)

[endrien]

What is a good substrate that isn't paper towels but is easy to get? I don't have a way to cut tiles so that isn't an option and I don't believe the pet store near me sells turf.

 

[Franklinj480]

I didn't have a way to cut tiles either, but they're very easy to break and fragment. I took some left over ceramic tiles from house remodeling and just took a hammer to them. I broke them into roughly 2'' pieces. (make sure you break the sharp edges) *very important*
I set a thin layer of sand down and started "paving" the ground with the tile fragments. After that I dumped about a half cup of sand on the tile mosaic and brushed it back and forth until it filled all the cracks. Spray it down with a water bottle a few times and they'll be set pretty solid.

The end result is attractive and very good at conducting heat

 

[lovelovelove135]

How about cutting a brown paper lawn bag to fit your tank? Someone on this forum does that, I forgot who, and it's just like paper towel, only it's brown so it's nicer looking

 

[drblack2013]

If you have a department store nearby, they usually cut the tiles for free with purchase, or you can buy smaller ones. I bought 10 6"x6" for my 20 gallon long, they fit perfectly.

 

[SDCowboy]

I'm pretty sure Homedepot will cut the tiles for you if you ask them to.

 

[Chestersmom]

Non adhesive smooth top shelf liner works great too.

 

[endrien]

I'm pretty sure Homedepot will cut the tiles for you if you ask them to.

Might be an option considering my brother works at HomeDepot. I want to get a bigger tank for my leo as my current hotspot seems too small(I suppose it doesn't matter so long as there IS a hotspot but still)but people around here seem to think aquariums are made of gold and as 150$ for a 20 gallon on classifieds.

What is the best way to connect the tiles? Like stick them together.

 

[drblack2013]

Just lay them in there with paper towel underneath. They fit well enough that you don't need to connect them.

 

[Russ S]

people around here seem to think aquariums are made of gold and as 150$ for a 20 gallon on classifieds.

I don't know where you are from, but if there is a PetCo around you they have $1 a gallon sales all the time on tanks. You can get a 20 gal for $20 and maybe another $20 for a screen top.

 

[JTC5150]

I didn't have a way to cut tiles either, but they're very easy to break and fragment. I took some left over ceramic tiles from house remodeling and just took a hammer to them. I broke them into roughly 2'' pieces. (make sure you break the sharp edges) *very important*
I set a thin layer of sand down and started "paving" the ground with the tile fragments. After that I dumped about a half cup of sand on the tile mosaic and brushed it back and forth until it filled all the cracks. Spray it down with a water bottle a few times and they'll be set pretty solid.

The end result is attractive and very good at conducting heat

Sounds like a nice looking sub. Kind of like laying brick pavers at work lol!How about a pic of this?

 

[PaladinGirl]

How about cutting a brown paper lawn bag to fit your tank? Someone on this forum does that, I forgot who, and it's just like paper towel, only it's brown so it's nicer looking

That's me LOL! I love brown paper lawn bag. All's I do is put an extra strip where she poops and change it daily. I change the whole thing out every 2 weeks to a month. I came up with the idea because I hated the look of paper towel and newspaper but liked the idea of paper because I think it's one of the safest substrates to use. I cut it to fit and put a thin strip of tape along the edges so her bugs don't get under it.

 

[endrien]

I don't know where you are from, but if there is a PetCo around you they have $1 a gallon sales all the time on tanks. You can get a 20 gal for $20 and maybe another $20 for a screen top.

Here the petstore(Pet smart and Pets unlimited) sell 10 gallon tanks for 50+
I've yet to see a cheap 10 gallon or 1$ per gallon sale.

 

[SDCowboy]

Here the petstore(Pet smart and Pets unlimited) sell 10 gallon tanks for 50+
I've yet to see a cheap 10 gallon or 1$ per gallon sale.

I go to petco all the time and I have NEVER seen this $1/gal sale everyone talks about on here.

 

[Franklinj480]

older picture of the basic idea,

I've redone it since then when I upgraded to a 20gal, I took a bit more time to get the pieces to fit. I'll send you a picture once I get my camera back



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[ajveachster]

That's me LOL! I love brown paper lawn bag. All's I do is put an extra strip where she poops and change it daily. I change the whole thing out every 2 weeks to a month. I came up with the idea because I hated the look of paper towel and newspaper but liked the idea of paper because I think it's one of the safest substrates to use. I cut it to fit and put a thin strip of tape along the edges so her bugs don't get under it.

I tell people to try brown kraft paper (the stuff used to wrap packages to mail). You can usually find a roll at a local dollar store, and get about 20+ uses depending on tank size and roll size. I also agree that it looks better than paper towels.

 

[Tailless]

Natural-colored Paper Towels

I know you said no paper towels... However, they do sell darker (think cardboard color) paper towels, which look better than stark white. These can usually be found at a natural foods-type market. The brand that I use is "Seventh Generation", but I am sure that there are others.

These towels are a bit more expensive than regular paper towels but they do (a) look better, and (b) claim to be chlorine-free and hypoallergenic, which I figure cannot be a bad thing.