Cut the tile? Flex glue grout? New tank soon

[NightRaysMoon]

We are possibly going to move Kazoku to the new recommended standard tank size. Since that will be probably months away, maybe as his birthday/Christmas gift there are other questions.
We have slate tiles we have had cut, they fit Dio’s tank but feeding and catching Kazoku in it was a pain. We got one with doors that was a little small for the sized cuts we had (causing overlapping tiles). The problem is that we want to cut them. If we leave them overlapping there are holes his prey will run to, leaving him at risk.
Since we have yet to get a larger tank what would be the point to apply grout and cut the tiles? Is it possible to use a rubber material like Flex Glue as a temporary grout? Should I cut the tiles?
Edit: a tile cutter is not an option. Also please look into Flex Seal or Flex Glue. Why do I want a rubber grout? It would save a lot of headaches to slice it off after use so I can move them to the new tank later.

 

[kingofnobbys]

My advise
hire a water cooled tile ceramic circular saw for the day , and cut the tiles so they fit with only a few mm gap between each .

( I hired one of these for a weekend when I was DIYS tiling my bathroom and laundry walls , then when I was DIYS tiling my kitchen walls …. makes very precise smooth cuts very fast , and only cost me ~ $100 with deliv and collection by them for the whole weekend both times ).

Lay paper toweling sheets as a base ( same as mom uses in the kitchen ),lay the tiles loose on this base.

NO GROUT
NO GLUE

Ezypezy to remove soiled tiles to take them outside and give them a blast with garden hose to clean.

BTW : slate tiles ( nature type ) are a bad choice as they are porous and shed raiser sharp slivers of slate that can be ingested with the dragon's food and live bugs. Better off with slate appearance ceramic tiles as these are not porous ( glossy side ) and more durable .

 

[NightRaysMoon]

Sadly hiring someone to do it again is not an option as Home Depot requires a physical credit card that isn’t pre-paid or visa debit. Not many in the trade in our city wants to cut small amounts of tile for a job. We were lucky that they did the first cuts for free but still. So we are using metal draw files and an angle grinder. The slate wasn’t my idea either, it was my mom’s but it doesn’t chip 100 times an hour.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Sadly hiring someone to do it again is not an option as Home Depot requires a physical credit card that isn’t pre-paid or visa debit. Not many in the trade in our city wants to cut small amounts of tile for a job. We were lucky that they did the first cuts for free but still. So we are using metal draw files and an angle grinder. The slate wasn’t my idea either, it was my mom’s but it doesn’t chip 100 times an hour.

Heck no --- getting a tiler or handyman in to do the hour or so of work involved will be impossible ( they wont even show up for such a small job ) , this is why I hired the cutter machine and did it all myself.

In my case I simply went online to the local Kennard's Equipment Hire , checked what they had and made the booking to get them deliv it and then collect at the appointed time .
A tip === hire so it arrives Friday pm near end of day , I only got charged for 1 day when they collected it on Monday am.
I'm sure there will equipment hire firms near you.

 

[KarrieRee]

Your going to need a tile cutter or your going to get jagged edges that will be sharp --- if you cant get it cut by a tile cutter I recommend using a different substrate like textured NON adhesive shelf liner cut to the size of the tank --- the tile can be laid in the tank loose but make sure its cut to the size of the tank and measured from inside the tank -- I use a thick shop paper towel from Walmart that is under the tiles to catch the watery urate -- works great --- NO glue or grout easy clean up and if you haft to ever sanitize the tank they come right out ---