Tired Of Cleaning The Gravel?

[Whisper]

If you are tired of cleaning the gravel but would like the tank floor to have a nice rocky appearance, you can use Marble or porcelin Tile. Do NOT use Clay tiles as they will eventually break down in the water. These surfaces will be a sinch to clean and look great. See Pic below. The only down side is you can't plant real plants in the tiles but I don't use real plants anyway because they are messy and require higher maintenance. Maintenance with the tiles is real fast, real clean, and most tile stores have a great selection for a natural aquarium bottom.

Cut the tiles to fit the bottom of the tank as perfectly as you can. You can even ask a tile store to cut them for you. Then with the tank cleaned and dry, use LOTS of Aquarium sealer to seal them on the bottom sealing and cracks between the tiles and everywhere around the tile edges. let the sealant dry for 3 to 5 days before adding the water.

YOU MUST MAKE THIS SEAL GOOD, or water will seep under the tiles and pollute and create bad germs. I lost a Betta when I first experimented with this by not realizing I had a bad seal and poluted water under the tiles.

The picture shows Porcellin tiles in a filled tank but I took out the silk plants for the picture to show the surface.

 

[Whisper]

Here's a picture using Granite tiles.

 

[marieukxx]

Good idea but not my cup of tea.

 

[lilfishie]

Theres some spray you can get too that looks like Sand or Gravel, i'll just stick with me sand

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

It actually looks good

 

[sausagewinkle]

It looks a little strange on the pictures, cant decide whether i like it or not....

 

[blinky000]

Oooh I like the granite. Would make for a good background too, particularly for a Malawi setup to fill in the gaps between rocks. A nice dark granite... *ideas*

 

[Whisper]

Be carefull with this solution. The mainantance with a tiled floor tank is unbelievably easy. But take your time installing it in a DRY tank and make sure you seal the tiles real good so you can't get any water seaping under them or behind them. When you think you have them sealed real good, wait 48 hours and add some more sealant.

I still hate myself for killing a Betta the first time I did this because I didn't seal the tiles good enough. To my suprise and shock I found water had seaped under the tiles and that water gets trapped their and doesn't change with water changes and so it gets polluted, and breeds germs and that kills fish.

One practice I have is if a Betta dies from any desease I always empty the tank clean it thoroughly, store it for 6 months, and then clean it again with extremely hot water before I reuse the tank. It's amazing how these germs can still live in a dry tank.

It was only when I broke down the tank after my Betta had died that I was able to see the very polluted water trapped under the tiles. I had to throw that tank away.

I'm very careful about their water because the only deseases I can treat sucessfully are fungus and ich and a mild case of fin rot. I have been unable to cure any other deseases so I try hard to prevent them from getting sick in the first place.