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Stone tile in a glass tank...

Posted By:

Krestie Kate

I've been wanting to install stone tile in my two 55 gallon set-ups for my crested geckos. I wanted to know what would be the best way to go about it. My boyfriend said to use cement backer board but he wasn't sure if it would adhere to glass. He also said I would need grout and grout sealer. I don't wanna leave any space for mold to grow or for poo and urates to get stuck in. Is this really how I should go about it? I need opinions!


Points:	150
Topics:	Caging , Caging Plans , Water
Tags:	Caging, Gecko
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Accepted Answer

6/17/2009 4:01:54 PM

JohnJohn

Kate,

I have stone tile in a standard 70 gallon tank for my collared lizards, but I have a layer of sand over the tiles and a lot of rocks added on one end. I didn't use and kind of adhesive because I didn't know for sure if I would ever want to change it later. I just placed one layer of stone tiles, then poured play sand over it, then added the rocks. When cleaning time comes I just remove the rocks and scoop out all the sand and replace with fresh. I generall find that the tiles remain very clean and I've never had to wash them. The collared lizards love this set up. They run and dig in the sand, but the tiles just add another layer of substrate so it's not just sand on glass.

This has worked very well for me, but this is a dessert terrarium set up. Not sure how well it would work with Cresty conditions.

I think it would work fine, even without any adhesive or grout if you have the tiles cut to the right size because they fit in very snug once they are all in, like one solid layer. That way, they are also easier to take out and clean if you need to or if you want to change the set up. Just have the tiles cut to exactly the right sizes you need to layer the bottom of the tank.

Member Comment

6/18/2009 2:32:52 PM

Aimee

why stone tile? and, do you mean on the sides or the bottom?

Author Comment

6/18/2009 4:47:48 PM

Krestie Kate

Aimee.
Tile, because i'm sick of useing an entire roll of paper towels on cage cleaning day
Paper towels, because I used to use coco -bedding and it attracted mushrooms and gnats as did my live tanks.
Stone, because the wet enviorment will damage the peal and stick tile.
Stone on the bottem, why would you put it on the sides?

John,
I have a complex divider system that wouldn't alow me to take the tile in and out of the tank when I need to clean it. I'm planning on putting tile in all my tanks because right now EVERY one of my herps besides the frog are living on newspaper or paper towel because of some kind of bug problem. I'm not worryed about it being permanet especialy in the iguana cages because those cages will always be used for iguanas.

I've tryed so hard to do all the diffrent kinds of bedding because I love the more natural looks but it isn't working out. Every year we get wood mites (those little red spider bugs) In our house they attack anything wood if it isn't sealed properly. When we first build the iguana cages many years ago we didn't know about sealing the wood other than on the floor of the cage. Plus they infest bark bedding as well. I've slowed the problem down to almost nothing by removing all the bedding from each cage. They always infest for about 3 months before it gets really hot and then they give up and dissapear untill spring next year. They exterminator says theres nothing that can be done about them.
I just feel it would be easyer if everything was tiled. If someone has a better idea please fill me in.

Assisted Answer

6/19/2009 1:39:46 PM

amarilrose

Hi Kate: my guess on why someone would put stone tile on the sides of a tank would be for the look, maybe to reduce light from outside, or to provide a surface that could be climbed on... easier than glass. Honestly, I was wondering if you were talking about putting it on the sides or the bottom as well.

As for using tile instead of a wood-type substrate, I think you have a good idea in terms of controlling your bugs. Glazed ceramic tile might be even better than stone. If you would have a good "home repair" type book at home, it should probably cover the basice on laying tile. If you don't have a book like that, try going to your nearest Lowe's or other home-improvement store and see what they have available. I would look especially into tiles & grout/sealants that are meant to be used in a shower floor, as these should ideally be the most water proof & easy to clean.

Along these same lines, and as a lighter weight option, you should look into some sheets of linoleum. For the sizes you are talking about, you could probably find some nice cheap remnants at a flooring store. If linoleum is installed properly, it should be perfectly waterproof & not start to peel off on its own (unlike the "peel-and-stick" linoleum "tiles"). Flooring is getting better & "smarter" these days too; there are several thicknesses and finishes available on linoleum, with the thicker & less shiny types being much more resistant to the kind of traffic my dogs create. I would expect dog nails to be somewhat similar to iggy nails in terms of the damage & wear they can inflict on flooring. Anyhow, if you're interested, I would think there should be plenty of information on installing linoleum in the same sources I mentioned for tile. Once a sheet of linoleum is in place, I would think a bead of caulk (look for a "fish tank caulk") around the edge would be an added leak barrier.

Good luck!

Member Comment

9/23/2009 12:06:02 AM

aaron

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