# Pool Filter Sand Nephiline Syenite vs Silica?



## Karen00

Hello folks,

I'm hoping to get a little advice on pool filter sand. I have a couple questions.

First question: Nephiline Syenite vs Silica

I have seen numerous discussions on the internet about this being totally safe to use in an aquarium however I'm confused by what seems to be two different types. Nephiline Syenite vs Silica. I don't even know if Nephiline Syenite is silica but just a different type.

Some of the posts said to stay away from sand that is Nephiline Syenite but I'm not entirely sure why. Is it because it's too sharp? Is it because it's toxic to fish (or some fish). Is it because it has iron in it which isn't good for things like crayfish (at least I think I read that).

Some posts on here said it's safe however these are older posts and in reading the the threads people said it's safe but they just switched over to it in the past couple weeks or past couple months. I'm not entirely sure I want to base my decision on something someone has been using for just a couple weeks or months. Also... they don't mention the type of inhabitants they're keeping.

I want to convert my gravel substrate to sand because I have bottom dwellers that prefer a sandy/silty bottom. The important factor for me is that it's safe for all fish (meaning it doesn't leach toxins) but in my case it has to be safe for the bottom dwellers (doesn't cut their bellies or makes them sick or cut their insides if they ingest it while feeding). Obviously some sand might be safe for regular fish who never come in contact with the substrate but is not appropriate for bottom dwellers.

As an example I came across Quikrete's pool filter sand online and their spec sheet says it's high quality silica sand with a particle size of (0.85-0.425 mm). 

Second question: Particle size

What is a good size to look for? I have no frame of reference as to what is too big and what is too small? Is the size that Quikrete references good?

Thanks for any/all advice on this.

Cheers.

Karen


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## Fisheye

Hi Karen00,

Sorry you haven't gotten a reply.

I don't have answers to your questions except to say that I have PFS from Canadian Tire in my 20 long and have no issues.

Great plant growth (I use Flourish tabs, cut up and dose with Flourish every week) and the cories and nerites love it. I have about 2" depth. Tank is stuffed full of plants.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/pool-filter-sand-20-lbs-0814253p.html#srp

I guess the only con is the colour but for the money, I don't really care.

HTH

Jackie


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## Karen00

Thank you so much for this reply Jackie! I came across the Canadian Tire pfs and of course looked up the brand but other than their spec sheet saying it was 100% natural sand it gave no other info and I couldn't find anyone that has used it (let alone used it with bottom dwellers). It's great to finally find someone using this brand that has bottom dwellers and has had no issues. I too don't care about colour, I just want it to be safe.

Now I just have to wait until they get it in stock again. Supposedly it's seasonal which means they should start to restock it for pool opening season.

Thanks again!!


Karen


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## Fisheye

Hi!

I did get it off season (around this time of year). Found 2 bags that were ripped a bit so the manager reduced the price. If I remember correctly, I think an associate even grabbed an unripped bag from the back. All this to say, if you need it NOW, it might require a trip to the store to see what's on the shelves as opposed to checking stock online.

Before putting it in the tank I rinsed it in a bucket until the water was clear.

J


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## Karen00

That's a good point about checking in store to see if they have a bag or two left over from last season. It isn't a huge rush to get my tank switched over but I have been hoping to get this done for a couple months now and I know my bottom dwellers will be happier. I just had to be sure to get the right stuff. I read too many posts where people got some sort of sand type only to have their bottom dwellers get torn up because it was so sharp.

Thanks again for your reply!! Now I feel confident about getting this brand. 

Cheers.


Karen


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## TOtrees

*Pfs*

Hey Karen00,
I have a variety of substrates in a variety of tanks, and the PFS from Can Tire is my new fave. Not sure if they've had it for a while and I've just not seen/found it, but it seems new... ish. 
The nepheline syenite (white lightning brand) was previously my go to, but I've never been thrilled about the imperfect angles, and those black mica chips do concern me too. 
Neph syenite is like $12 for a 50lb bag, while the Can Tire AquaQuartz is $14 for 20lb. So more than twice the cost. But worth it in my opinion. And still reasonable, compared to aquarium store prices.
My other sand substrate has been black sand, which I got from The Country Store, K&E brand blasting sand. Yes, coal slag. Another forum I'm on has a lot of positive reviews of the US black blasting sand, which has the trade name Black Diamond I believe. A lot of accomplished aquarists there keep amazing tanks with great fish and plants very successfully with it. Buy my K&E experience hasn't been good, and this past weekend I removed it from a 40b that has 10 cories (with which I've been having barbel problems), and replaced it with the AquaQuartz, and I love it. I'm already seeing barbel improvement, so the fish appear to love it too. I think they're still adjusting to it be mid-day all the time (white sand now, whereas black before), but signs are excellent. 
The AquaQuartz was easy to clean too. Half a 20lb bag into a 5g bucket, and 5-10 mins or rinsing, and done. 
I've attached some close in pics of the AquaQuartz and K&E sand. The numbers on the lens are millimeters. 
I'm so happy with the AquaQuartz, I'll be removing the White Lightning from an otherwise happy and successful planted tank next time I'm looking for a project.
As to availability, I got 2 bags of AquaQuartz last week from the Canadian Tire in Stouffville (where I live). Their online site allows you to check inventory of stores near you. I did have to ask a clerk to go searching, but they found it fast enough, off in the back somewhere.


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## Karen00

TOtrees said:


> Hey Karen00,
> I have a variety of substrates in a variety of tanks, and the PFS from Can Tire is my new fave. Not sure if they've had it for a while and I've just not seen/found it, but it seems new... ish.
> The nepheline syenite (white lightning brand) was previously my go to, but I've never been thrilled about the imperfect angles, and those black mica chips do concern me too.
> Neph syenite is like $12 for a 50lb bag, while the Can Tire AquaQuartz is $14 for 20lb. So more than twice the cost. But worth it in my opinion. And still reasonable, compared to aquarium store prices.
> My other sand substrate has been black sand, which I got from The Country Store, K&E brand blasting sand. Yes, coal slag. Another forum I'm on has a lot of positive reviews of the US black blasting sand, which has the trade name Black Diamond I believe. A lot of accomplished aquarists there keep amazing tanks with great fish and plants very successfully with it. Buy my K&E experience hasn't been good, and this past weekend I removed it from a 40b that has 10 cories (with which I've been having barbel problems), and replaced it with the AquaQuartz, and I love it. I'm already seeing barbel improvement, so the fish appear to love it too. I think they're still adjusting to it be mid-day all the time (white sand now, whereas black before), but signs are excellent.
> The AquaQuartz was easy to clean too. Half a 20lb bag into a 5g bucket, and 5-10 mins or rinsing, and done.
> I've attached some close in pics of the AquaQuartz and K&E sand. The numbers on the lens are millimeters.
> I'm so happy with the AquaQuartz, I'll be removing the White Lightning from an otherwise happy and successful planted tank next time I'm looking for a project.
> As to availability, I got 2 bags of AquaQuartz last week from the Canadian Tire in Stouffville (where I live). Their online site allows you to check inventory of stores near you. I did have to ask a clerk to go searching, but they found it fast enough, off in the back somewhere.


Thanks so much for this TOtrees! I'm glad there is another forum member using the Can Tire brand who is happy with it. Obviously the more people using it without incident the better especially because it's so much cheaper to buy pfs than the fish store brands!

Thanks also for posting those pics they're great!!!! I'm so relieved to see the Can Tire AquaQuartz (assuming that's the left pic) is roundish because that makes me feel even more confident about using it with bottom dwellers.

I'd read forums where people mentioned the sandblasting sand was fine in tanks with mid/high level swimming fish but there were quite a few that mentioned it cut up their bottom dwellers so I ruled it out. I guess I shouldn't be surprised it's sharp given it's meant to blast away at brick, etc. Looking at the pic on the right (assuming that's the K&E brand) it looks like tiny shards of glass.

I'm excited to get my tanks switched from gravel. Actually I'm not switching over the entire gravel base. I plan to keep a couple inches of the gravel for the bottom layer and add 1" to 1-1/2" of sand over top of it.

I started checking out other Canadian Tires near me to try and find some and managed to find a store not too far away with a couple bags. I'm gong to call first before heading over there to be sure they still have the bags and if they do then I don't have to wait until late spring when they start to restock it for pool season. Fingers crossed. 

Oh and I have a planted tank so it's a bonus that plants seem to love the Can Tire stuff!! 

Cheers and thanks again!

Karen


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## TOtrees

*sand*

Karen00,
Yes you got the order of the pics right. 
One thing to check with Can Tire is whether the sand is indoors or out. If it's stored outdoors, or unheated, they might not be able to retrieve the bags until they thaw. My store had them indoors, so I was lucky.
A problem you'll run into with sand over gravel is that the larger gravel bits will want to rise to the top, especially with any disturbance. I keep a couple of tanks that are sand with gravel sprinkled along the top and I really like the way it looks. I've attached 3 pics from the tank I just changed over to the AquaQuartz to show. If nothing else, I find the pebbles (large aquarium gravel) create tiny eddies where food gathers. My cories seem to like that (as opposed to a clean-swept bottom). 
As long as you're using root tabs for plants that need them, you'll be fine with just sand, if you want to go that road.
[edit: sorry pics are not correctly oriented, don't know how to fix that here]


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## Karen00

Thanks for the pics TOtrees!! That is the exact look I want to get. My gravel is also the large pebble type (it looks like pea gravel) so I want some of it exposed once the top layer of sand begins to settle although I'm sure I will have to top up the sand a fair bit in the first few months. My bottom dwellers are freshwater gobies so their natural environment is a combination rocky/silty bottom (streams, etc.).

As for the sand being stored outdoors... I didn't think of that. LOL! Maybe it will take a bit longer for this project to get completed after all. Haha! Fingers crossed the bags are indoors! I will keep you posted.

Cheers.


Karen


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## ksimdjembe

does any place make or have aquaquartz that is with colour?


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## Karen00

ksimdjembe said:


> does any place make or have aquaquartz that is with colour?


Hi ksimdjembe,

The company that makes Aquaquartz is Fairmount. To the best of my knowledge Aquaquartz is the name they've given to their pool filter sand (as in "AquaQuartz Pool Filter Sand made by Fairmount") and it looks like it only comes in one colour. Given it's hidden away in a pool filter I'm sure offering it in different colours is probably something they don't pay attention to.

The page for Aquaquartz is here: https://fairmountsantrol.com/products/industrial-recreation/water/aquaquartz-pool-filter-sand/

The company produces many different types of sand for various uses (pools, sandblasthing, traction, etc.) so there are a variety of colours although they look mainly to be brown/tan as well as black.

You can see all the sand types under here: https://fairmountsantrol.com/products/. Click on each of the sub-sections.

It's probably best to contact them if you know what you need and they can maybe recommend something. For example I don't care about the colour but the sand type has to be safe for all fish (meaning nothing toxic added to the sand) and I need the grains to be round so my soft belly bottom dwellers don't get sliced up which some sand types will because of the sharp edges.

Hopefully there are members on here that might use some of Fairmount's other sand types and they can offer some advice as to safety, pros, cons, etc.

Cheers.

Karen


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## ksimdjembe

I’d love to have some like you’ve stated- soft and rounded- that was black


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## BillD

Silica is basically quartz, that has been ground to size. Filter specification is for #20 grit, sharp, inert sand. So, PFS could be any type of rock that matches this criteria. Silica sand in #20 grit is about 1/2 the price of the NS PFS. It is normally a whitish colour, but that can vary some.


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## ksimdjembe

Sure, Bill, but it seems that all quartz is not ‘processed’ (?) the same as seen in the photos. I’d love some non-sharp edge dark or black quartz


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## BillD

If you want smooth sand, there are many tons along the shore of Lake Ontario, in every grain size imaginable.It tends to be quite dark as it contains a lot of black slate. It is all water tumbled to nice round grains. The wave action naturally sorts it into various grain sizes.


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## ksimdjembe

Bill do you ever worry about pathogens or any of the sand or such reacting with the water to change the water chemistry?


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## Karen00

Hello folks,

I thought I would do a follow-up to my post. I finally got around to picking up a bag of the AquaQuartz a few months ago but I only put it into my tank about a month ago. The thought of the work to put it in had me procrastinate on the project.

I pulled out all the old gravel and washed it because the bottom layers were covered in gunk. I then did a full siphoning of the bottom to get rid of the massive amount of gunk that had settled in the past couple years. I'm a bit shocked at how much was down there given I do a good siphoning of my tank every week. This was a massive job and I only have a 15g.

I then put back about a 1" layer of gravel and then about 1-1/2" of the sand.

I LOVE this sand for the following reasons:
1. It hardly needed any rinsing. I dumped what I needed into a bucket and added water and swished the sand around. From other posts I've read where people did an initial rinse only to find they had to rinse and rinse and rinse. Not with this sand. I probably could have used it straight out of the bag.
2. Each grain is nice and round. I have no concerns whatsoever of my soft-bellied bottom dwellers getting cut or sliced up on this sand. It's been there about a month now and everyone is fine.
3. This sand does not kick up a cloud if it gets disturbed from either the fish or me siphoning. It comes up a bit but instantly settles. No cloud debris in the water column.
4. My bottom dwellers love it. They can finally dig to their hearts content.
5. I think my plants are happier.

The only thing I struggled with when I first switched over to this was how bright it is. My other substrate wasn't super dark but it was dark in comparison.

I wish I had discovered this sand when I first setup my tank.

The technical specs of this sand (from the manufacturers website) says:
- Inert, odorless 100% natural sand that does not have chemicals.
- Standard #20 grade.

I don't know who sells it other than Canadian Tire. Here's the link: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/pool-filter-sand-20-lb-0814253p.html

I have added some before/after pics.

I hope this helps for anyone worrying about what kind of sand to switch to especially if they have soft-bellied bottom dwellers.


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## BillD

With Lake Ontario sand, gravel, and stones, I treat it all with a heavy dose of bleach, to burn off any organic material. This organic material could be pathogens, bacteria, and algae. Regardless, I have never had any issues.
One thing to consider when using any sand is that there may be a fair amount of iron filings in it. If this gets into the motor of a filter, it can cause premature wear of the impeller shaft, and even the impeller cavity. These particles are very small so may be difficult to see when stuck to the dark magnet. As an example, I recently dragged a magnet through some play sand, and collected a noticeable amount of the filings. You can check any substrate with a small magnet or even a magnetic screwdriver. Black blasting sand is magnetic because the one we get around here is nickel slag. Something to consider if you use any motor powered filters.


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## solarz

I'm using Nepheline Syenite from a pool supply store in my 79-gallon planted tank, and it works great. The tank's been running for two years.


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