Bricks as a rock replacement

[Mount_Prion]

So I bought some lava rock on amazon, and it showed up today and is essentially useless for building anything. They sent me less rock than I ordered, it showed up wet and coated in some kind of chemical that gives them a weird sheen, and the "large" lava rocks advertised are in fact pebbles.

I'm looking for something relatively porous and light to build some turtle basking spots.

Figured that I could use some bricks and then stick more natural looking rock to the outside of them. Looking on the home depot website, though, I'm not sure which to go with.

The concrete bricks contain fly-ash, which one person asked about, and I can't determine if that's OK in an aquarium or not. And also don't know if the bricks would degrade much if used underwater.

The ceramic ones seem like they're not intended for use in moist circumstances, but I don't know if their degradation would be an issue here as they're not being used for structural support of more weight than a turtle and a cup of dirt.

Would love any recommendations, as I'm hoping to build this soon and it's turning into a huge pain. Normal or ideally small sized bricks would be best, cinder blocks and the like are way too huge for this.

Thanks!!

 

[Grinch]

I have used bricks to construct turtle basking areas many times with no issue. You do need to be careful though. The primary concern is the turtle knocking the bricks over and compromising the glass. Secondarily (and this is a distant second), be careful about bricks that may have been sprayed with chemicals (pesticide/herbicide). This is common with bricks that have recently been used as paved surface for walkways. Give those bricks a couple months sitting out in the sun/rain for the chemicals to degrade and you'll be good to go.

 

[Mount_Prion]

Thanks!! I'm actually going to be gluing the bricks together with coral epoxy so I don't think there'll be much risk of them moving.

I think the real challenge now will be finding a place in NYC where I can buy like <20 bricks.

I wonder if hardware stores usually carry them, or if maybe I can find something in Chinatown.

 

[Grinch]

Find a construction site and bribe the foreman?

 

[Mount_Prion]

Hah yeah, that should work. Gonna check out lumber supply spots tomorrow.

 

[Robert Fling]

A friend of mine works in the foundation restoration business and he always has a s*** ton of cinder blocks and bricks around his place. Find a local foundation business and ask to buy some bricks or blocks

 

[Drstrangelove]

Bricks are pretty common so locating a store should not be hard. They come in varying shapes and colors for people who like them in their gardens or walkways.

They will likely work just fine, however you might consider slate as well. Landscapers carry these often in large quantities and at very good prices.

Slate looks natural, obviously, far more than bricks. And depending on what type of brick, slate is easier to clean, less likely to be abrasive (imo), and is less likely to carry any residual chemicals. You will also of course get unique selection choices since slate comes in random shapes and sizes. I had several pieces of red slate in my tanks for years (some quite hefty) and was pretty pleased with them.

Of course, bricks are easier to stack, and if you get ones with preformed holes, they might work better with plants.