# Show your tiled tanks !!!!



## Ali1 (Apr 7, 2005)

I went from gravel to sand to tiles and couldn't be any happier. All others who tiled their tanks, show pics please.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

*** never seen this...looks pretty cool and a breeze to clean.

on the other hand i couldnt imagaine my mbuna being more sad without their sand to sift.

looks cool though and very clean which is the goal in my tanks...clean :thumb:


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## gtphale (Oct 12, 2008)

Hmm defiantly not for me. I like the more natural look. But it is very differant.


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## nater79 (Nov 30, 2009)

This is a very unique look I have not seen before. I don't think its for my Jack Dempseys but maybe for a hospital or fry tank. I keep checking this thread to see if anyone else out there uses tiles too.


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## FedEXguy (Feb 24, 2005)

If fish had shopping malls...


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

Call me lazy, but a fry/hospital tank with a bare bottom is just as easy to clean.

But as my dad used to say about different tastes: that's why they make blue suits *and *brown suits.

To each his own!

kevin


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## gnomemagi (Jun 13, 2009)

Looks like a kitchen.

I'm half expecting the fish to make me a ham sandwhich. :lol:


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

Thats interesting. Not good for my african tank since the rocks would slide around but for others that would be good idea other then a bare bottom, especially with the variety of tiles available at home depot.


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

Or if you go to an arts & craft store, you can do this:


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

:zz:


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## Ali1 (Apr 7, 2005)

Not very popular on here, but popular among other forums.


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## TangTango (Dec 11, 2009)

Yeh, I don't think any of my cichlids would appreciate
me trade'n their sand for a tile floor.


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## wheatbackdigger (May 11, 2008)

I need to ask......why?....why don't you go one more step and do the background and sides in tiles. You'll have a mini bathroom looking tank.


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## Ali1 (Apr 7, 2005)

wheatbackdigger said:


> I need to ask......why?....why don't you go one more step and do the background and sides in tiles. You'll have a mini bathroom looking tank.


Because sand is a pain in the a$$ and doesn't really bring out the colors of my JDS, Tilapia, GTs, and RD. It only makes them really dark.I've used black sand(colorquarts) for some time now and didn't like the hassle in water changes. If you have decor inside your fish tank with black sand, it becomes more of a pain because its a good chance that sand is scattered all over your deco so you would need to be careful when picking them up to clean underneath, so it don't float into the intakes of your filters or lay on top of other debris. In addition, every so often you would need to stir the sand to prevent dead spots in the bed. Also, I can't count the number of scratches i have near the bottom and side panes of the glass from the grains. Everytime i do a water change, theres always atleast some sand that got sucked by the vacuum and lays in my sink. Sand and sink don't mix. At first sight, vacuuming sand was simply moving the vacuum over the sand about a quarter inch away from the actual sand. It becomes troublesome when debris starts to fall underneath the sand, then you would need to continue stirring the sand to lift the debris from underneath, but there's no guarantee that all the debris will be above the sand again. Canister intakes become easier clogged than tiled tanks, especially if the intakes are near the bottom of the tank. I guess you can lift the intakes higher, but then you would need powerheads to pick the debris off the sand, but then again sand gets stirred up into the water column as well. Heck, gravel cleaning was easier because all you had to do was burrow through the gravel with your vacuum and the only concern you had was if you had too much gravel in your vacuum column. So all in all, I was not happy with sand as substrate only because it becomes a hassle with larger tanks(i.e. 240g). I'm happy with tiles as the substrate because my water changes couldn't be any simpler. It's no different than cleaning a bare bottom, and if you already have powerheads, then you can position them in blowing the debris towards the intakes.


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## aussy612 (Jan 31, 2009)

I use pool filter sand, and with a long python head, *** actually been able to successfully vacuum it. Its actually very easy. I hold the vacuum in one spot and let the sand rise up the tube. when it reaches around half way, i take it out and water flows through the sand and gets all the gunk out. Its cool because the sand sort of flows into the tube from other areas. the reason i started to do this was because i found when my sand got disturbed, it would have a lot of particulate junk fly everywhere. When vacuuming, once i get all the particulate out of the tube, i kink the hose and all the sand falls to the bottom. This will NOT work with a smaller grain sized sand. The pfs is around .5 - .75 mm in diameter, so still really sandy. give it a try if you can but be ready to kink the hose to stop the sand getting into the hose.


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## fishEH (Sep 15, 2008)

I too vacuum my PFS. I use the 36" Python tube. When held vertically it will pick up the sand into the tube. When it gets to the point where it will enter the hose part I simply angle the tube diagonally. The sand will then fall back down the tube while the debris gets sucked up. I use this technique with Tahitian Moon Sand as well.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

still kind of a cool look if you dont have sand sifters


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## wheatbackdigger (May 11, 2008)

Ali1 said:


> wheatbackdigger said:
> 
> 
> > I need to ask......why?....why don't you go one more step and do the background and sides in tiles. You'll have a mini bathroom looking tank.
> ...


I gave up on sand along time ago for the same reasons. I went back to a smaller (1mm-2mm) size natural gravel. I know sand is popular around this forum, to me it was to much of a hassle. I can understand the ease of cleaning a tank like this, but I like a more natural looking tank myself.


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## jimma (Nov 16, 2009)

Unique look I have to admit. . . these comments about the shopping mall and the bathroom just get me rolling!
I have some natural limestoney orange stone tiles that would possibly appease some of your critics. . . (not sure yet if they will be an outdoor water fall or tank decor)

or you could just toss in a barbie sized plastic claw foot tub, toilet and sink set and go for it !


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## George Walker (Nov 10, 2008)

I love the idea of the tile. I have Africans and it would definitely set off their colors. Question? No glue involved, just setting the tiles in tight for the measurement of the tank bottom? Awesome look, and clean!!!!! Can this be set up in an existing tank, or needs to be in,a!! complete tear down prior to placing.Thanks!!


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

Not a fan, would preffer bare glass.... Your tank. Your choices, and what makes _you_ happy.


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## vfc (Feb 13, 2007)

I don't like the tile look. Many of my fish like to dig in sand. It's bad enough we take fish out of a large body of water and put them in a confined space; then to eliminate their natural environment with tile is just too cruel.

I just switched my one-and-only bare bottom tank to Tahitian Sand. The fish immediately started digging (Frontosa). They are also visibly less stressed.


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## Dan s (Dec 8, 2009)

Hello,

Black sand will make your fish look dark as they will have a tendancy to try and blend in with the surroundings.

I assume you glue these tiles in other wise there must be tons of dirt trapped underneath them?

I personally am not a fan of bb tanks but cant see any point in this at all, sand is very easy to keep to clean, dirt sits on top of it unlike gravel, syphoning off could not be easier providing you use the right equipment to do the job. Dead spots are easily avoided, dont use it to deep, max about an 1". As others have mentioned, PFS has a heavier grain than most sand so doesnt fly up all over the place.

Also far more importantly, sand substrates are a huge part of a cichlids life (a large percentage of cichlids anyway) and personally I would rather provide them with what they need and take a couple of extra minutes to clean thier home. Just personal opinion.

Dan


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

I too would prefer to stick with sand. Isn't there anyone else with a tiled tank to post?


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## ~Fish Guy~ (Feb 7, 2010)

wow, this is really something different and unique that I've never seen before. Each to his own!


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## newforestrob (Feb 1, 2010)




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## NeptuneNY (Feb 3, 2010)

i've been considering a similar approach that is easy to clean
instead of these very glossy tiles i was thinking of using slate
what do you guys think???


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

NeptuneNY said:


> i've been considering a similar approach that is easy to clean
> instead of these very glossy tiles i was thinking of using slate
> what do you guys think???


I like sand or gravel. I don't really get how hard surfaces (including bare bottom tanks) are easier to clean. You still have to vacuum. The debris flies all over the place instead of sticking. And you have algae building to scrape off.


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## gee_lo (Feb 9, 2010)

I guess you can just Swiffer your tank now! 
And I hear Pine Sol is making dechlorinator now. 
Maybe a little Muzak would make the fish a little more comfortable.

HA...just messing with ya! To each their own! :lol:


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

Many of the old stainless steel framed tanks from years gone by had slate bottoms and I really liked them. The slate was dark gray in color and if you wanted a bare bottom tank it really looked nice. I have a friend who still uses a 55-gallon tank with a slate bottom.


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## NeptuneNY (Feb 3, 2010)

DJRansome said:


> NeptuneNY said:
> 
> 
> > i've been considering a similar approach that is easy to clean
> ...


I like sand or gravel. I don't really get how hard surfaces (including bare bottom tanks) are easier to clean. You still have to vacuum. The debris flies all over the place instead of sticking. And you have algae building to scrape off.[/quote

what i meant by easier to "clean" was easier to keep looking clean DJ
instead of waste accumulating in the substrate it is easier for it to get swept by current into the filter and out of site


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## Riceburner (Sep 3, 2008)

unless you have sealed the seams, the waste gets under the tiles as well. Just looks too stark to me. I prefer gravel or coarse sand...I like that it's not uniformly flat and more "natural".


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

this still going on?


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## lil_flame33 (Mar 20, 2010)

I think its cool looking.... but my fish like to play in the gravel.....

They pick it up... swim to the top of the tank.. and drop it.... its kinda funny to watch...


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## Dook (May 13, 2009)

I know this is an old thread and was revived, but I read over it and didn't see anyone discuss whether or not they thought this was a bad idea based on a lack of bacteria that houses itself in substrate, whether it be gravel or sand. I guess you can overcome that by a frequent vac job, but I really don't know how much it would really affect things honestly.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Dook said:


> I didn't see anyone discuss whether or not they thought this was a bad idea based on a lack of bacteria that houses itself in substrate.


The bacteria will find other surfaces to live on. However, in a tank like this it would be more important to use a sufficient amount of biofiltration media in the filter than in a tank that uses a sand substrate. Also, in my tanks I throw out all filter media when I do filter maintenance. I know that there will be plenty enough bacteria left in the tank itself. I doubt that would be the case here.

That all aside, my main concern would be how to get plants to grow in the tiles :lol:


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## liquid134 (Feb 22, 2010)

ie read this whole thing so far... and id be iffy with debris and stuff growing under the tiles... plus i dont like the way it looks. i recently switched from gravel to sand and honestly, yes its alittle more time consuming then gravel, but everything stays on top. and if you do things properly with sand, you would turn your filter off anyway. to each there own i suppose... but the black sand is why they were darker looking, and im pretty sure all cichlids like gravel or sand to play with....


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## Bkeen (Mar 13, 2009)

Eh, it's different. I kinda like it. Wouldn't do it in my tanks, but I appreciate the look.


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## paullyrj21 (Jan 5, 2006)

way to think outside the box, but that is probably the worst tank I've ever seen. It just looks too sterile and my mbuna cant dig into tile.


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