Habitat - Indoor :: can bricks be used in the tank?

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:03 pm   can bricks be used in the tank?

Hey guys! I found some bricks outside my house and told my tank guy I thought they'd be great foundations for building my basking area. Before I had some natural rocks and because they were each shaped differently, it'd always be hard to stack them right, and get themto be secure and solid for the turts to crawl up on (I did my best though, and it worked for awhile). I asked him if the bricks would be harmful in any way - obviously I'd clean them in a clorox-water solution first, then more hot water, and more hot water, but do you have any thoughts as to the benefits/harms of using bricks? A few of the bricks are regular bricks, and a couple have that hard coating that's used for probably outdoor landscape bricks. The reason I thought bricks is because they seem like great (and even) platforms to build an "even" basking area from. Get my point? Please help, and thanks as always! Val
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Post Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:08 pm   

i dont think i would use bricks. since bricks are so rough and sharp there is a good chance they could hurt your turtle. for an easier way to sterilize things before you put them in the tank you could try boiling them for awhile.
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Post Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:11 pm   

I agree. Bricks will rub your turt's shell and create raw spots. Also, generally stacking items for the basking area isn't recommended. If they are uneven, like rocks as you mention, they can collapse and trap your turtle. They also take up a lot of swimming space.

You're better off sticking with some type of floating basking area or an above tank basking area :)
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Post Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:58 pm   

I use rocks or bricks in my tanks and my turtles are fine. (no markings on them)
Just make sure that u clean them very well and i sand them down with sandpaper also.

Make sure that they're in place and cannot be knocked around, could trap ur turtle like bulldog said or scratch ur tank. I usually try to tilt things and push them over with my hand or couple of fingers, with a little more force then what I think my max force from my turtles is.

Its true though that it for sure takes up more room then using something else that floats, but if you've got the space then no problem.
So there's things to watch out for, stay near them for a long while after u put the stuff in to make sure nothings gonna happen.
Clearly its got its faults, but if u want to id say that you can.
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:10 am   

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. The problem with floating docks is that I have two male RESs and I don't think any of the floaters would hold them. Any other suggestions? I'm surprised there's not more out there. Val
Proud mother of one adorable RES turtle named Tino (I just lost my other beloved RES, Tommy - I miss you so much!), and 4 just as spoiled rescue dogs
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:23 am   

i think one of the best basking areas for you would be an above tank basking area. it allows you to fill the tank to the top and also will be able to fit both of your turtles at the same time
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:42 pm   

A piece of corkbark makes a nice, natural looking basking area. My RES has one that looks like a small log---he's not that small and it holds him fine. You can see what it looks like at www.blackjungle.com

Bricks are abrasive and depending on what they're made of can leach chemicals.
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 8:58 pm   

I don't tihnk you should use bricks,because they're so rough and heavy.
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:19 am   

well i used to use a brick to hold up my basking area, actually it was part of the basking area!

there were 2 house bricks sat side by side and a smoothe kind of half round shaped rock on top.

it never done my turtle any damage at all, i dont see how using a brick is going to do major damage to the shell.

my turtle fell 4 ft after climbing over the edge of his basking area and htat did him no harm. so a brick wont do much in my opinion. a turtles shell (assuming theyre not new hatchlings) have a very hard shell. rubbing it on a brick would maybe scuff the shell but not damage it enough to make a turtle suffer.

after all in the wild they cme across all sorts of rocks and bricks.
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:17 pm   

i tried them :oops: and it was a bad idea for 2 reasons. 1 and most important it irritated the bottom shell (plasta-something) to where it peeled. he's gotten better after a few months of panic and a pretty penny spent. 2nd. and the least of the issues was no matter what the bricks leached gunk into the water, it was before i knew anything about testing but the water was nasty. i'm learning daily from you guys over here and i wish i had read about the bricks sooner. a big fat shrimp and i was forgiven. turtles are a lot more work and money than i had thought, however when we decide to keep a "pet" we take on the responsibility of providing for them. this site has helped me provide a suitable and comfortable spot for my buddy. thanks to everyone here.
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:25 pm   

the bricks i used seemed to be ok and diddnt leech gunk into the tank. i think i escaped the plastron being scraped as i put a smooth rock on top that covered the entire area of the bricks. the only thing that could have been called anywhere near an problem was after 2 - 3 month the bricks started to accumulate algae. but i only used them while i was waiting to get the 120g tank.
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:48 pm   

I wouldn't use a brick. Like has been said, they can leach chemicals and are very abrasive. My turtle basked outside for awhile on a flagstone that seemed smooth to me but over time the hard very slightly rough surface damaged the bottom of his shell. Now he basks outside on cork bark and it's great.

Inside my turtle lives in an aquarium. He uses one of the large acrylic turtle ramps. He's too heavy and it would slip under his weight except that I've propped it up with a magnet. Here's how it works:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... t%2A#60668
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 4:52 pm   

oh dont get me wrong, im not saying over long periods of time there will be no damage at all. im just saying if its a temporary measure there wont be any harm in it.

and where do you get those ramps????
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Post Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:40 pm   

i got a ramp like that from drs foster and smith website.
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Post Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:42 am   

You guys are great, thank you! I found the magnetic algae cleaners on Drs Foster and Smith, and assume they'll hold up the large turtle dock so that's another great idea. I also found some nice Rep-Tiles on that site - you pile them up and they're safer than rocks. This site is the best, and so appreciative of your input. Happy Holidays! Val
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