# Alternative to Bare-Bottom Tanks <<<



## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

I have been wanting to try this for a couple years now, and finally got around to trying it out!

I am using 12"x12" slate tiles that cost $0.98 each from Home Depot. I got lucky since 4 tiles fit perfectly into this 60g tank without any cutting.

All the benefits of a bare-bottom tank, BUT without the ugly look of the glass bottom!
* Easy to clean up the leftovers from messy eaters.
* Can use just about any tile from hardware store.
* Tiles can be cut to size for a custom fit.
* Endless choice of design patterns and colors for a custom look!

>> > Feel free to incorporate this great idea into your own tanks, JUST remember where you got the idea... LOL! < <<


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## odyssey (May 30, 2006)

i did the exact same thing on my old 55! i ended up taking them out though cus they wernt siliconed in and food kept getting in the tiny gaps.


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## the_skdster (Aug 15, 2006)

Yay!
Sure beats glueing sand to the bottom!


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## hitler (Jun 4, 2006)

I was thinking about doing that too but havent done it yet... it looks good tho.. I might have to do it... althought the food getting tepped and trying to clean may be a hassle..


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## odyssey (May 30, 2006)

im sure if you siliconed them in you'd be fine. i just spray painted the bottom of that tank(on the outside). looks better IMO.


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## Sacrifice (Sep 24, 2006)

Wow that looks freakin AWESOME. Nice and clean!!! Looks way better than an empty glass bottom. Good idea I may just have to try that one.


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## maddyfish (Sep 16, 2006)

Looks ok to me, but whay not just paint the underside of the tank gray?


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

Thanks for all the feedback











maddyfish said:


> Looks ok to me, but whay not just paint the underside of the tank gray?


I like this a little better because the tile has texture that makes the bottom slighlty more interesting than just glass, IMO. Also, the tiles protect the glass bottom from being scratched by rocks and other decors.

Here is a picture that shows the tile surface in better detail.


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

nice idea gamgenius...


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## cueball (May 24, 2005)

looks nice befor i went out and got $100 worth of black gravel i should used this idea whats four tiles cost?

looks nice befor i went out and got $100 worth of black gravel i should used this idea whats four tiles cost?


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## Coldfire (Aug 20, 2003)

Good tip! That is a very interesting.


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## barbianj (Aug 3, 2003)

> >> > Feel free to incorporate this great idea into your own tanks, JUST remember where you got the idea... LOL! < <<


Haha. That's funny considering all tanks used to be slate bottom!!

Your tank looks good!


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

^^^ true hehe

I'm just making it fashionable again









one more shot


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## maddyfish (Sep 16, 2006)

gamgenius said:


> Looks ok to me, but whay not just paint the underside of the tank gray?


I like this a little better because the tile has texture that makes the bottom slighlty more interesting than just glass, IMO. Also, the tiles protect the glass bottom from being scratched by rocks and other decors.

Here is a picture that shows the tile surface in better detail.
[/quote]
Sounds good, I dodn't think about protecting the bottom from scratches.


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## piranawick (Dec 1, 2004)

that looks amazing great idea.........gotz to try it


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## ILLdose13 (Nov 25, 2004)

in my opinion i dont like how it looks







..sorry..it just doesnt look natural anymore..but great background though..


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

nice Idea if you dont like glass bottom look


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## sprfunk (Dec 22, 2005)

I think it looks good. Very original.


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## Σņįġmã (Mar 25, 2006)

cracking idea friend


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

ILLdose13 said:


> in my opinion i dont like how it looks
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you, thank you for all the feedback!!!

ILLdose: I am a big fan of natural looking setups and fully agree that this doesn't look natural. However, I decided to sacrifice a bit of the 'natural environment illusion' since this rhom enjoys being a messy eater. This makes clean-up soooo much easier!


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## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

What a cleaver Idea! I may have to do that in my next tank. I have been trying to figure out what to put in my terrapins tank so that it was easier to clean. I think I know what Im doing now!!
Thanks for the idea!


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## RAZOR_TOOTH (Jun 22, 2006)

Dude that slate bottom looks great..
I want to do that to one of my tanks now. lol

R.T.


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## jestergraphics (May 29, 2007)

looks great!! what did you do to wiegh the plants down? Or were they allready wieghted?


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## CorGravey (Feb 13, 2007)

Looks pretty cool man! I wouldnt have it in my piranha tank but maybe in another tank of mine...


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## jestergraphics (May 29, 2007)

I like it a lot so I did it in my enlong tank, well actually a mix of marble and white gravel. I got to get some plants in there yet and get rid of that bubble disk.


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

I think it looks good.
If you've been around the hobby for long, you might remember that old aquariums, the ones with metal frames often had slate bottoms..


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## pistol (Oct 26, 2005)

looks pretty good. A friend of mine had a bare bottom tank with 6 baby reds in it and they would just stay in the corner, after he put gravel in the tank the fish swam around a lot more. I guess they just need to get used to it?


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## wpviper (Jun 25, 2007)

yes looks vary nice i like gravle, but much better then bare tanks if your tanks not going to look nice you might as well keep them in a bucket i like the tile adds a nice look


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## Chapz (Jul 9, 2007)

Looks nice to me. No need for sand or rocks.


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