substrate question

[b_man8486]

i wanted too know how hard it is to put tile in my leos tank and what to use to hold the tile to the bottom and what kind of grout to use between the tiles..and how do tile compare to the non-adhesive shelf liner im using.

Thank you

Brandon

 

[acpart]

I recommend just cutting the tile to size and laying it in there. There's no need to grout it and if you do, you'll never get it out to clean. For a 20 long, two 12"x12" tiles plus a third cut in half will do the trick and will fit tightly.

Aliza

 

[bman123]

I tiled my 20long with 6x6 inch pieces of tile. I like using more pieces then less pieces because my Leo only used the bathroom on one tile so it was super easy to just take that tile out and scrub er clean in no time.
Grouting the tile I think is stupid, you can't take it out anymore and if you need to move the tank with the tile in it the tanks is gonna be super heavy.

You can use multiple tile sizes but I prefer the 6x6 as it's so simple to just remove the pieces as you need to. The tile holds the heat reallly good also.

I use 4-6 single sheets of newspaper under the tile to cushion the tile and to control the temps of my uth as i don't have a thermostat.
You can't lose with tile man it's a win win situation..
What size is the tank you want to tile?

The thing that made me really go totile was the price, pay $5 one time and never buy substrate again. My tile cost 48 cents a piece..

 

[b_man8486]

i have a 20 long that i would like to tile..i have a uth for it just was cuious on how to do it..i also have a 40 gallon breeder tank but that one is just to big for the space i have..thanks for the help

 

[b_man8486]

hey bman123 what do u have between your tiles in the pic of your raptor

 

[Sbrace52]

I tiled my 10 gallon and it works great.. only down side is 10gals have wacko dimensions so i had to do a lot of cutting but with a 20 long it should not be a problem, i have some news paper under the tile as well to control temps. Tile so far has worked great for me. like Bman123 said you cant go wrong... i got a brown earthy looking tile from lowes that looks awesome for 27cents each for a 6x6 piece. i got all my tile for 2.70$ and i never have to buy more substrate

 

[b_man8486]

could i put the shelf liner i have under there to regulate temps or would newspaper be better.this is gonna be some much easier to clean to

 

[CallDr]

The problem with glass tanks is the rounded corners due to the silicone to make them water proof. I got the tile that had rounded corners from Lowes. I already had Rep Carpet so I used that between the glass and tile.

I assume you can use the shelf liner. Some kind of liner seems to help level the tile. Tile is a great heat conductor. In fact some think too good because the temps don't go down but up a lot of times. Like bman said..... you can layer under the tile to lower the temps if needed.

I bought a Ultratherm heat pad from the Bean Farm and it seems to be more stable ( not as much a Hot spot as the Zoo Med) . I think a 11x11 is what you would need for a 20 long. They don't stick on like the ZM so you can either lay it under the tank or just tape it to the bottom and reuse them with no problems.

One so called trick is you can make an exact pattern of the bottom of your tank with cardboard or anything you have handy. Then take that to Lowes or HD and lay the tile on top of your pattern ( if you have to cut any or get a good fit) .

 

[bman123]

I used 6x6 tile and ended up with a gap on one side and a gap all across the back of the tank, it doesn't bother mo tho.
I didn't do a cut out like calldr said that would guarantee you a perfect fit but it's gonna be a little harder to take out if it fits snug. Tile is by far the best flooring in my book.

You could use the shelf liner, I just use newspaper lol as I had it here already. I use about 6single sheets of newspaper under my tile. That keeps my hot temps between 92-97 24/7 cool temps 70-75

 

[b_man8486]

thanks everyone that is gonna help me out i apperciate all the help