Background, substrate and my chilli

classic-chassis

Fire Eel
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Mar 2, 2008
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I asked a question about tiles in the bottom and never got a reply in another section.
What tiles and how do you fit them?
 

Chaitika

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Tiles that have not been chemically polished should do the trick. You can also get slate tiles. There is a specific tool used to cut tiles. I'm quite certain HD rents them. I'll be looking into it this weekend. :) I'll let you know what I find out.
 

Pharaoh

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I wouldn't go black on black. It makes the tank really dark, IMO.
 

aeri

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classic-chassis;3360515; said:
I asked a question about tiles in the bottom and never got a reply in another section.
What tiles and how do you fit them?
I've tried 8x8 white tiles before. It was a pain as crap kept getting stuck under or in the cracks of the tiles. It was also a pain because my GG kept plucking the tiles out everyday for some reason. Each time the tiles were lifted they caused a small spike in my water levels. And the tiles started to grow spots of algae where there was strong water flow. I ended up removing them...Something to keep in mind.
 

Chaitika

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aeri;3362309; said:
I've tried 8x8 white tiles before. It was a pain as crap kept getting stuck under or in the cracks of the tiles. It was also a pain because my GG kept plucking the tiles out everyday for some reason. Each time the tiles were lifted they caused a small spike in my water levels. And the tiles started to grow spots of algae where there was strong water flow. I ended up removing them...Something to keep in mind.
I'm actually not going to go forward with tiles if I can't fix the problem with crap getting underneath. I'm not worried about my aro lifting the tiles, but the crap underneath thing has me worried. I'm considering doing tiles with black silicone in between sorta like grout.
 

905RED

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I was told if you tile a tank, dont make it a perfect fit. The tiles should be smaller than tank just incase you want to remove them or for cleaning purposes. Before laying in tiles, put a thin layer of sand evenly at bottom ..then place the tiles on top. Fill in the loose gaps between the tiles and glass of tank with some more sand. Try and match colour of tile and sand. As for what type of tiles to use..I'm still trying to search for the answers. Let me know if you guys get more infos. Thanks
 

Chaitika

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But there lies the problem. If they fit loosely, then crap will get underneath the tiles. If I use sand between the tiles, the sand will eventually come out and the gaps will fill up with crap and will eventually get under the tiles. I still think the best solution is silicone between the tiles. I understand the reasons behind not wanting the tiles to fit tightly, but the silicone will allow the tank to flex if it needs to for whatever reason. As for which tiles, you can buy raw slate tiles that have only been cut. They have not been treated with any chemicals since they are not being polished like marble and other fancy tiles.
 
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