Enclosure Setup? Advice!

[CumminsDragon]

Okay I have a old 250Gal Tank Stand tank is long gone thanks to some movers breaking it (hate fish) Well my friend got me hooked on his beardie and well now I am going to be getting my own soon as I'm settled. Question is I have 2 possible build's I was thinking either.

Setup 1
Ceramic Tile
large tiles for the floor
and Custom design for the sides

Setup 2
Floor + 3 Sides
In a nice 1/2" Black granite ( Black sand)
or a mixture of reds and whites with red sand

Please don't talk about price all these things have been calculated to be at least 300 bucks either way I go. Just trying to get some feedback is Ceramic tile bad with grout(even though people use grout for covering foam) and I was thinking if people are using grout that granite is is just as well and a little more heat conductive. Stand it 8' long and 2' depth by 2 1/2' tall.

Please Looking only for better information not a pissing match of whats better.

 

[Luthien]

I've used ceramic tile for my beardie and it works great! Easy to clean, keeps some heat for the night hours and helps to keep the beardies claws trimmed down.

Remember if you choose to use sand you run the risk of impaction and having a sick/dead beardie on your hands. People will argue this and yes some beardies do well on sand for their whole lives and some don't.

 

[CumminsDragon]

That's why I was thinking to tile or granite wouldn't need sand I'm still thinking tile and using 3/4" mdf as the actual box. Thinking or a Greek theme for the bearded I know it's overkill but I don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon.

 

[Luthien]

Sounds good! There are so many different textures and colours of tiles out there so just hunt around and find the ones you like. I know where I live (Canada) their not to expensive either so that's a huge bonus!

 

[jsnsan]

I would totally go with the tile. Much cleaner!

 

[CumminsDragon]

After looking at some online places I think I'm going to go with the tile setup because I can find the colors and sizes I want cheaper than what I though. Looks like granites out the way Just did price check and it went up $5 bucks since last week. Time to wait tell summers over so prices drop because of summer remodeling projects.

 

[RockHound]

I use slate tiles. Comes in all sorts of colors so will work with many different themes. The slate in my Leo tank are a neat mix of grays, rusty reds and yellows. Basic water-based stone sealer ensures that they will be super easy to clean and maintain. One of mine has a large dendrite in it, which looks like a fossil but is actually just chemical, but cool nonetheless!

Oh and slate is CHEAP. $2ish a square foot at the Lowes where I live. They didn't even bother charging me because I was just getting a couple.

Either way, your tank will look awesome. You can't beat stone tiles.

 

[Mummapinkham]

When I got Harry he was in the kids playsand. I learned here that it wasn't too good for him so I promptly removed it; however I have a VERY angry beardie now. He wants his sand. So, we put a play area for him and used floor for most of his enclosure with just a little sand and he still has the I hate it attitude. Any suggestions on how to make him happy?