Here's my new tile flooring job. I bought my natural slate tiles at Home Depot; they come in various sizes (6x6, 3x6, 4x4) in square-foot packs for just under $5. I also bought play-sand to put a thin layer under the tiles to keep them from rocking, since they are naturally uneven. Play sand at HD was $5 for a 50-lb bag (of which I used about 1/100,000th).
Lessons learned:
1) For my 10 gallon tank, I used 3 6x6 tiles, 1 3x6 cut down to 2x6, and 5 4x4 with one cut down slightly (see below for more on cutting).
2) Pre-washed sand is not pre-dried! When I lifted the tiles to re-arrange them, the bottoms were wet. My UTH says wet surfaces can cause the tank to crack, so I scooped up the sand and dried it in the oven on a baking sheet. If you come to my house and the homemade cookies are crunchy, you'll know why.
3) You can split slate tile with a hammer and a mason's chisel ($7), but it isn't easy. I had to split a 3x6 down to about 2x6 to fit my tank; I got a straight edge but the tile split into 3 pieces, which is fine as they all fit together. Taking about a quarter-inch off a 4x4 was well nigh impossible for a beginner like me; I kept lopping off a corner, which I filled with chunks from other stones I cut.
4) I have a UTH, and floor temps with sand/tile are around 10-15 degrees cooler than with paper towel. I bought a heat lamp in the hopes that by heating the ambient air in the tank I could help the UTH along.
Pics attached first one shows flooring in process (with wet sand), second shows floor with temporary hides in place. I'm very pleased with the results! Next post will talk about my more ambitious project...
Lessons learned:
1) For my 10 gallon tank, I used 3 6x6 tiles, 1 3x6 cut down to 2x6, and 5 4x4 with one cut down slightly (see below for more on cutting).
2) Pre-washed sand is not pre-dried! When I lifted the tiles to re-arrange them, the bottoms were wet. My UTH says wet surfaces can cause the tank to crack, so I scooped up the sand and dried it in the oven on a baking sheet. If you come to my house and the homemade cookies are crunchy, you'll know why.
3) You can split slate tile with a hammer and a mason's chisel ($7), but it isn't easy. I had to split a 3x6 down to about 2x6 to fit my tank; I got a straight edge but the tile split into 3 pieces, which is fine as they all fit together. Taking about a quarter-inch off a 4x4 was well nigh impossible for a beginner like me; I kept lopping off a corner, which I filled with chunks from other stones I cut.
4) I have a UTH, and floor temps with sand/tile are around 10-15 degrees cooler than with paper towel. I bought a heat lamp in the hopes that by heating the ambient air in the tank I could help the UTH along.
Pics attached first one shows flooring in process (with wet sand), second shows floor with temporary hides in place. I'm very pleased with the results! Next post will talk about my more ambitious project...
