# Matala mat?



## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Where is the cheapest place to get Matala mat? Also, what's the best color to use for false bottoms? I was thinking black or green. The green seems a little nicer because it's slightly more dense but I don't know about it's firmness.

This stuff seems kind of expensive and I could make egg crate bottoms but it seems too easy to work with hehe.

Thanks!,

-Nish


----------



## prunfarm (Nov 8, 2013)

Don't know if you know about this:

Poret® Foam Shop | SWISSTROPICALS


----------



## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I used to sell filter foam at TheFrogRack - Home but the (domestic) manufacturer upped their wholesale prices and now its impractical. Swisstropicals still has it for good prices, and I've seen it pop up on ebay for really cheap, it's being sold as mattenfilter sheets.
Here is an example... Really inexpensive!
Reticulated Open Cell Foam Sponge Filter Media Aquarium Fish HMF Sump 11" Fine | eBay

I like the black 30ppi the best as it is less likely to get clogged with substrate. The larger pore size blue or green can work as well, just use a substrate divider like you do with typical drainage layers.


----------



## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

Will those foams hold the weight of 3 inches of clay/turface substrate and not condense when wet?

-Nish


----------



## frograck (May 1, 2005)

not sure, that could be pushing it.

all my tanks have 2 inches of ABG mix, but that doesnt really weigh anything. 

however, you can see on my website a picture of a 5lb dumbell that barely indents the foam at the two pressure points.

I have a few un-used sheets handy, if you give me a specific weight per square inch (or other measure of area) I can approximate it and take a picture. I think the filter foam can do good, but yes, the matala is more sturdy.


----------



## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

I got some from Frograck quite a while ago...and have about two inches of substrate on top of it...love it...


----------



## NM Crawler (Jan 23, 2012)

Hey Nish, best bang for the buck on the low density black matala is threw Dr foster & smith as they offer free shipping and the best price. The foam is nice but I like the low density black matala way better. You can stand on this stuff and it's tough as nails! If you ever need to reuse it you can bleach it and good as new. I lay down the matala place a piece of window screen (fiberglass) on top, a thin layer of Tuface on top of that. You can run abg or clay on that combo if your into the clay thing. All my vivs are set up like this and drain great! If you decide to run the Low density matala the best way to cut it is with an 6 inch bi-metal cut off wheel on a hand grinder. Leaves a nice clean edge that won't unravel down the road. Let me know if you have any other questions. Biological Filter Media: Matala Filter Media


----------



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

The 1" dr Foster and smith stuff is a hell of a deal.


----------



## NM Crawler (Jan 23, 2012)

frogparty said:


> The 1" dr Foster and smith stuff is a hell of a deal.


Haha, yes it is. I bought 8 sheets of it to take advantage of the shipping. Love this stuff so much that I got rid of all my growstones/hydroton and replaced them with matala!


----------



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

I use it for backgrounds and to edge my false bottoms. Very versatile


----------



## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

So this stuff never compresses? I think I plan on 3 inches of turface and clay substrate.

-Nish


----------



## Ray (May 12, 2009)

Anyone considered using Epiweb or EcoWeb?


----------



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

epi web would certainly be stiffer than the filter pad Im using, more likely to not compress.

Cost is so much more per sq ft though. For me using it in this manner, the cost delta make sit prohibitive for me


----------



## MKammerer (Apr 21, 2008)

To answer the original poster, here's where I looked for mine:

Authorized Matala Dealers

I covered mine in window screen and used gravel in the half inch around the base to cover the view from the glass. I ordered grey, it's a very dense plastic that doesn't give much. Super easy to cut through with a razor blade or utility knife. So far I'm a big fan of it, much easier than loose media like feather lite. 

I was originally told to order through Matala Media because they were the cheapest. However, their SSL was not up to par and I was afraid that the order form wasn't secure. I ended up ordering through Pond Clear Products - Hydra Aqua Fish Pond Algae Treatments, Matala Aeration and Filtering Products


----------



## NM Crawler (Jan 23, 2012)

frogparty said:


> epi web would certainly be stiffer than the filter pad Im using, more likely to not compress.
> 
> Cost is so much more per sq ft though. For me using it in this manner, the cost delta make sit prohibitive for me


What color matala are you using using Jason? The black low density is pretty stiff



nish07 said:


> So this stuff never compresses? I think I plan on 3 inches of turface and clay substrate.
> 
> -Nish
> 
> Nish, you would have to put a lot of weight on the black low density for it to compress. I would say 3 inches of turface is over kill (IMO) and will add a good amount of weight to your viv. 1/2-1 inch turface is way more than enough as your trying to create a barrier between the screen and substrate. If your not going to black out the front of your vivs make sure to leave a 1/2 inch gap in front of your matala so you can add turface so you don't see the matala.


----------



## toksyn (Mar 5, 2011)

Regarding compression - I don't think you have much to worry about. You need a point load with the weight of the substrate to cause the foam to deform, distributed mass will be handled just fine. To put it into perspective, I use 1/4 soft polyurethane foam sheets under all of my tanks. They are extremely easy to deform. However, there is almost no discernable compression when used under the tanks despite those tanks imparting upwards of 60 lbs, and more than 100 on my aquariums.


----------



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Not matala, sorry. Im using the Dr Foster and Smith black 1" filter pad. It also shouldnt compress too much, but may compress a bit





NM Crawler said:


> What color matala are you using using Jason? The black low density is pretty stiff
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## redfrogger (Nov 6, 2010)

This is where I get my matala from. I know lots of other local froggers who get theirs from the same place. Great service and good prices. 

I get the black

https://www.aaapondsupply.com/_store/Display_Products.asp?prodID=7M05%2D7M08


----------



## nish07 (Mar 16, 2008)

I ordered the black matala (three half sheets which are like 39"x24" each to get free shipping). If they're as good as people say they should be much easier than eggcrate. 

I plan on like 1/2-1" turface and then calcium clay on top. How much Ca clay I'm not sure but I may slope it a bit so I wanted to make sure it could handle some areas with like 3+ inches of substrate. Sounds like it can if you can stand on it without it compressing. It should be much easier than the eggcrate/pvc false bottom I just made too lol (took me quite a while). 

Also, it's reusable which is nice (though I'd want to clean/bleach it really well and then still probably would only use it with the same line of frogs).

Thanks for all your help,

-Nish


----------

