Slate Tile...

[Kidsfeet]

We just bought an enclosure for our eventual new family member.

We got the Exo Terra 36x18x18 one and the question is about laying down slate tile as a substrate.

The Lowe's by us will cut the tile to size, but they have 18x18" tiles that are light and also very nice and earthy looking. It seems like 2 tiles would be perfect size! Would it need a little trimming or would it fit just right?

Would that be good or is it better to have smaller ones, i.e: multiple 12x12" cut to size?

Thanks!

Ron

 

[Claudiusx]

Hi Ron,

Most likely it will need some slight trimming, but unless you measure super accurately, it might be best to just bring them home, see if they fit, and if not, be able to tell the guy how much needs to be shaved off.

-Brandon

 

[Kidsfeet]

Thanks for the reply!!

I will measure as best I can. I was thinking about having them trim about 1/2" off 2 sides to make it easier to put in and not scratch the enclosure. We'll see what the measurements come out to.

Ron

 

[EyelessCrow]

Hey Kidsfeet, what did you end up getting on this? I was thinking about doing the same. I just bought the same terrarium as well. I took a measurement and I came out to 17x35. I was thinking a 1/2 inch would not be enough. I was planning on going in and getting an inch taken off the side of one and the bottom of both.

 

[CGuzmanReptiles]

I have that exo terra with slate tiles and I had to cut about 1 1/2 inch for it to fit in and out perfectly hope this helps

 

[smackey]

I have that exo terra with slate tiles and I had to cut about 1 1/2 inch for it to fit in and out perfectly hope this helps

So you cut 1 1/2 inch on all sides for both tiles?

 

[Kidsfeet]

Here's what I ended up doing.

I bought two 18x18inch slate tiles. I then got 1.5 inches cut off of one end of one tile and 1.5 inches cut off of two sides on the other. The tiles fit in with about 0.5 inches to spare on the back end (the 36 inch side) and on one side (the 18 inch side).

I then used these little tile holder things (little foam X's, 0.5 inches long) and cut a bit of off and placed them between the glass and the tile edges on the two sides. This held them in place very nicely so they won't slide around.

The exo-terra terrariums come with that nice foam backing and I got one for the short side as well (18x18 inch) and trimmed it to fit. I trimmed the back one as well to fit and also cut a rectangle for the UVB bulb (I bought a 24 inch under cabinet ballister thing from Home Depot for $9) and now the UVB bulb fixture sits very nicely within the enclosure recessed in the foam backing. I tested it first to made sure the actual bulb doesn't touch the foam and nothing burns or smells funny when the bulb is on.

I also bought one of those ceramic ramps for a basking spot from Pet Smart for $12 and recessed that into the side backing as well. For another rock for Kipling to bask on I went to a local nursery and bought a really nice looking quartz type rock for $2.

I think it looks pretty good! Hopefully Kipling will like it when we get him! Will post pics eventually.

 

[EyelessCrow]

Just a forewarning, on that foam backing I did a little looking into it and it seems that our beardies will eventually start to tear into it. There is a 2 part video on youtube of a english woman going through the steps to reinforce it (it's called "pimp my exo terra background" by beckywheeler).

Since I am in the states I couldn't find what she was using I ended up using simplefix premixed adhesive and grout from home depot, some non-toxic water based sealer from Michaels( a place like hobby lobby) water paints for the colors and some hobby sand that sticks firmly to the sealer when dries. I basically followed her steps and let it dry for a few hours between coats.

It was a bit of an experience but it was fun doing something for my little guy. It came out extremely well, I skipped the wall paintings like she did but that woulda looked cool. It ends up looking nicer, sits in place easier because of the weight, and no longer poses a threat to your beardie by eating styrofoam...AND s/he can still climb on it.

Just make sure to use non-toxic water based sealant and let it sit outside and air out, preferably in some heat so any fumes can "bake"(lol don't bake it) out of it. This should also protect the foam backing should heat from any lamps does end up affecting it.

 

[Kidsfeet]

I was kind worried about the little guy eating the styrofoam.

I'm going to give it a whirl and see what happens. If he does start munching on it, I will take it out and figure out something else.

Thanks for the warning!

 

[krusty46]

Yeah, my Rankin shredded the background on mine and when I took it out, I noticed that it was partially scorched up top from my basking bulb. Didn't notice that until I took it out. I just went to petco and got a solid black aquarium background for about a $1.
Anyway, sorry to hijack, but what I did was put down reptile carpet and a thin/large slab of slate on top. It covers about 2/3 of the enclose.
On my Leopard Gecko enclose, I had the same problem, granted I was using 4'' slate tile, but I solved it by getting some 2x2'' tiles and making a pattern that fit. Something like 4-4-2-4-2-4-4 (20L enclosure)

 

[Sauzo]

Also remember, slate tile is not perfectly 18x18 or 12x12. It is natural stone so each piece will be slightly off. I just measured the inside of Harleys cage and then went to the floor store and had them cut to my specs. For the bottom of the cage, i just laid down 2 sheets of paper towels and the laid the tiles on top. I didn't grout them in since it makes it a lot easier to clean if you can lift out the pieces of tile and wash them individually. The paper towels on the bottom keep the tile from moving(even though they are pretty heavy since they are 1/2 thick tiles). Plus if you change vivs, you can easily move those tiles to the new viv and then pick up whatever xtra you need to finish the floor on the new viv.