dunl Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 We're in the process of finalizing the deal on our duplex, and we are going to take out all the carpet and put in either tile or laminate flooring. Unfortunately, the 54g saltwater tank is where the laminate is going to be. How do others deal with this, except to be extremely careful not to spill water> Any ingenious ideas for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2manytanks Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) We have laminate in most of the rooms where our tanks are with no issues whatsoever. I'm not exactly mess free when doing water changes, filters etc. - I try to be careful but make a bit of a mess anyways. I just wipe up when I'm done and that's the end of it. The dealer where we bought our flooring had a little sample piece of the flooring which had been submersed in water for 7 days, and compared to new flooring there was virtually no visible difference. We have a bigger problem with our parrots than our fish tanks - the fish water gets cleaned up right away, but the parrots may decide to bath in their drinking water at any time and make huge puddles on the floor that can sit there for hours before we notice them. There have been a few times that we have not noticed them until the floor had soaked it up and swelled very noticeably, but even then, once the flooring dried out it assumed it's shape and appearance and you'd never know anything happened. A bigger issue since it's a sw tank may be the salt corroding the surface, but since even our bird poop hasn't damaged our flooring I suspect that as long as you clean up the salt water before it's sat too long you should be fine. It may also help if you use something to clean the floor which will leave a bit of an oily protective coating. We've had problems sometimes buying cleaners made for laminate floors and ended up buying cleaners made for wood floors. They state on the bottle that they should not be used for laminate because they may leave an oily surface. We've found them to work very well in most cases without them really leaving the floor all that slippery, I think the manufacturers are just trying to cover their butts from lawsuits. Bill Edited August 5, 2006 by 2manytanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vapor Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 I also have my tanks on laminate. So far I can't see any damage to the floor at all from any spilling I have done. And I have spilled lots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted August 5, 2006 Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 I've never had problems with my tanks. I always toss down a towel when doing a water change and then wipe up when i'm done. Even when a lot of water syphoned back out of the WC bucket the flooring was fine. It also probably depends on the quality of the flooring. The flooring at my friends house is buckling from getting wet and they dont' have tanks, it was just spilled water. So some absorb the water easily, some don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted August 6, 2006 Report Share Posted August 6, 2006 The only issue you should have is if your tank blows, which hopefully never happens. For the most part laminate is as tough as nails, and small spills etc are a snap to wipe up. We haven't used any type of cleaner on ours, except slightly warm water, then wiped dry. While a laminate finish will not hold up overly well to sharp objects (as in deep scratches), most modern finishes are incredibly resiliant, even to burns. I let a cig with a hot cherry burn itself out on a sample of our laminate, and it didn't leave the slightest mark. My advice, get a few samples before you purchase the mother load, and run them through a few stress tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Prawn Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 I friggin loooooove laminate flooring. I haven't had issues with spills myself, though I used to be quite the messy water changer. I keep a stack of towels stored underneath my tank, and have a biiiiig squeegee thing in case of a huge spill. All my tanks are in my basement now, and the second basement has a drain in the floor. If I ever get a massive spill, I'll throw towels all around the edges of the wall, and use the squeegee to push all the water into my second basement, than into the drain. The second basement is unfinished so it's not a big deal if water is everywhere. I read on another forum that some guy keeps a few bags of flower handy in case of a tank breakage, and tossing the flower on it will soak up the water and prevent it from seeping into cracks. I don't know about that, seems like it'd fail to me, but just an idea. -Hideo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunl Posted August 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 (edited) I think I'll pass on the chance to make a huge batch of dough next time I have a leak.... Edited August 10, 2006 by dunl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthyosporidium Posted August 10, 2006 Report Share Posted August 10, 2006 That is what concrete sealant was invented for. Consider it a dough making substitute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Prawn Posted August 15, 2006 Report Share Posted August 15, 2006 I think I'll pass on the chance to make a huge batch of dough next time I have a leak.... But just think, you could start up a little bakery. Fish flavoured buns! -Hideo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooper Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 If your shopping for laminate, there are products out now that have a moisture gaurd in them. You can identify this laminate by it's green colour ( with the exception of the laminated surface ) . If you look at the mill of the laminate, you can see straight away what.... if any moisture protection is added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majestic_Aquariums Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Its just a thought, but there is another option avail. now, its a "floating" floor similar to laminate, but the surface is actually real wood, and can be re-finished, as many as 3 times. Quite moisture resistant, as the substrate is a plywood as opposed to partical board. Peices come in 8' sections, so its maybe a little more difficult to install in some ways, and will cost a little more. The surface wont be QUITE as durable as laminate, (don't put cigs on it like RD!! -roll- ) its 3/4" thick, so that may be an issue. Even laminate should be fine, as long as you don't have a major flood while you are gone, and water gets underneth..then you are in trouble, and will have to tear the laminate out..possibly the hardwood too, should you go that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Rob, you did such a great job on our flooring that we quit using ashtrays, and now we just put our cigs out on the floor with our cowboy boots, and sweep up at the end of the day. Life is soooo much easier now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 (edited) We're in the process of finalizing the deal on our duplex, and we are going to take out all the carpet and put in either tile or laminate flooring. Unfortunately, the 54g saltwater tank is where the laminate is going to be.How do others deal with this, except to be extremely careful not to spill water> Any ingenious ideas for this? Don't rule out harwood itself. I have Kempas HW in my living room where the 72g is. I do spill alot with WCs. I put out towels as well, then just wipe up . The price on HW has come down a lot, at the Windsor Plywood discount store it was like 1.99 a square foot, and lots of sellection. It's all prefinnished too. We used a electric mitre saw, rented a neumatic nailer/stappler and compressor, and used a jigsaw. With 3 of us, it took less than a day to put in livingroom, dinningroom and 4 steps. Looks so nice too. Had it for a year now with tons of spillage and looks like new. Edited September 15, 2006 by Qattarra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 (edited) sorry having posting probs Edited September 15, 2006 by Qattarra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 (edited) AARRRGGGG!!! Sorry it wasn't osting ...wasn't posting...then posted everything lol Edited September 15, 2006 by Qattarra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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