Using ceramic tiles as tank floor

Hi all,
I am quite new here so I hope this forum is the right one for my post.
Planning to build a 180cm x 70cm x 60cm discuss tank. I would like to keep the floor without sand or gravel but am thinking to cover the glass floor with 3 (60cm x 60cm) ceramic tiles as I like the aesthetics of it.
I will seal the gap between the tiles and the walls so water/debris won't get trapped underneath.

Any reason why I shouldn't use the tiles?

Thanks for the input,

Levy

Hi Levy.

Your question in relation to placing ceramic tiles at the bottom of your tank for aesthetics is certainly acceptable. I thinks its a better way to go rather than using gravel or sand actually. So in my opinion i cant see why you shouldn't.

The only initial concern i had was for debris getting caught under there, but since you are going to seal all the edges around the tiles, i imagine that will keep water and any debris from getting caught underneath. Im thinking you will do this after the seals for the glass have set, and that you will take into consideration the ability to remove the tiles at a later stage if you wish to do so.

One more thing that comes to mind is different expansion rates of the glass and the tiles, so i would allow for large gaps and a flexible sealer to adhere the tiles with.

I look forward to seeing the finished product.

Good luck with you project.

Hi Joe,
Thank you for the excellent comments! I have thought about leaving enough space between the glass and the tiles in order to be able to remove the tiles if I need to. I didn't think about the different expansion rates of the glass and tiles which is a very good point!
Will post the final stage but this will take a few more weeks.
Best wishes,
Ofer

You are very welcome. I really dont know if there will be much expansion, or much difference between the ceramic tile and glass, but its sure something to think about.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by two utes

Hi Levy.

Your question in relation to placing ceramic tiles at the bottom of your tank for aesthetics is certainly acceptable. I thinks its a better way to go rather than using gravel or sand actually. So in my opinion i cant see why you shouldn't.

The only initial concern i had was for debris getting caught under there, but since you are going to seal all the edges around the tiles, i imagine that will keep water and any debris from getting caught underneath. Im thinking you will do this after the seals for the glass have set, and that you will take into consideration the ability to remove the tiles at a later stage if you wish to do so.

One more thing that comes to mind is different expansion rates of the glass and the tiles, so i would allow for large gaps and a flexible sealer to adhere the tiles with.

I look forward to seeing the finished product.

Good luck with you project.

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Nailed it!

There was a person recently who did this very thing and immediately had ammonia spikes. He said he sealed everything real good but still had issues with debris. About a week later he removed the tile, lol...

You might look at just spraying the underside bottom of the tank (not inside the water volume). You get a similar look without the downsides. I used a sandy color on mine.

I like the idea as you have outlined it. As long as the tiles will not change the water hard/soft or place chemicals into the water it will look nice and will at the same time achieve the bare tank methodology.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fljones3

You might look at just spraying the underside bottom of the tank (not inside the water volume). You get a similar look without the downsides. I used a sandy color on mine.

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that is what I've always done. I've used black and other lighter colors

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ofer Levy

Hi all,
I am quite new here so I hope this forum is the right one for my post.
Planning to build a 180cm x 70cm x 60cm discuss tank. I would like to keep the floor without sand or gravel but am thinking to cover the glass floor with 3 (60cm x 60cm) ceramic tiles as I like the aesthetics of it.
I will seal the gap between the tiles and the walls so water/debris won't get trapped underneath.

Any reason why I shouldn't use the tiles?

Thanks for the input,

Levy

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I've seen granite tiles done before, I don't see why ceramic wouldn't work.
Much better than painting the bottom, you don't get glare from light mirroring off the glass.

I'm not sure why you would want to seal the bottom though, would be a nightmare removing it if you needed or wanted too.
A siphon should be able to pull most everything up.