# Is this pool filter sand safe?



## AquariAM

I got pool filter sand. It's the larger grit whiteish stuff with flecks of pink and black. It says on the bag NEPHELINE SYENITE I got it from Cedarbrae pools.

I looked up nepheline syenite and apparently its an actual rock. The composition is as follows

* SiO2 — 54.99%
* TiO2 — 0.60%
* Al2O3 — 20.96%
* Fe2O3 — 2.25%
* FeO — 2.05%
* MnO — 0.15%
* MgO — 0.77%
* CaO — 2.31%
* Na2O — 8.23%
* K2O — 5.58%
* H2O — 1.47%
* P2O5 — 0.13%


Most of that's fine but the high level of native aluminum and sodium mildly concern me... 

Is this gonna jack pH up? Anyone else using it?


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## shadow_cruiser

It's sure as well safe, tons of people use it.

In this thread below, you can see I use it with my setup.
http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13571


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## AquariAM

How long has that setup been running? Do you find this stuff affects your pH? 
Have your CRS/RCS bred in there? Other fish breeding?


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## AquariAM

shadow_cruiser said:


> It's sure as well safe, tons of people use it.
> 
> In this thread below, you can see I use it with my setup.
> http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13571


I think I know why your plants are so happy now  that stuff has a lot of potassium and iron in it


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## shadow_cruiser

AquariAM said:


> How long has that setup been running? Do you find this stuff affects your pH?
> Have your CRS/RCS bred in there? Other fish breeding?


It's been running for 2 1/2 month's now. I didn't notice any up or down's of the PH but I added this stuff in a new tank and had it cycling for awhile. Not sure what the effects will be if you change your substrate to this, sorry.

I only added the RCS two weeks ago and they are all alive and well. I noticed on a few RCS, the swimmerettes have dark eggs attached to them so they are in fact breeding. My mollies have breeding since day one.


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## AquariAM

shadow_cruiser said:


> It's been running for 2 1/2 month's now. I didn't notice any up or down's of the PH but I added this stuff in a new tank and had it cycling for awhile. Not sure what the effects will be if you change your substrate to this, sorry.
> 
> I only added the RCS two weeks ago and they are all alive and well. I noticed on a few RCS, the swimmerettes have dark eggs attached to them so they are in fact breeding. My mollies have breeding since day one.


What's your pH out of tap compared to tank though?


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## TBemba

I have seen and heard a lot of people use Pool filter sand with no issues. They have also bred everything: plecos, shrimp, Cichlids of all types. I have never heard of an issue. I have even seen some sweet planted tanks. Most fish prefer sandy bottoms.


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## Darkside

PFS is pretty much inert.


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## AquariAM

Darkside said:


> PFS is pretty much inert.


But is it all nepheline syanite? I thought most pool sand was some form of siO2.
This is silica/aluminum/iron


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## duckyser

If you are using this bag of sand you are fine. Used it my self two weeks ago.

http://s752.photobucket.com/albums/xx167/duckyser/sand/


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## AquariAM

That is the sand


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## TBemba

Rinse it good it's great weather for it take a half full bucket or sand outside and run a hose in it over flowing the bucket until the water becomes kind of clear be mix the sand around while running the water into the bucket. You can never rinse sand well enough. Bad idea to have fish in the tank. Turn off all Filters pour the sand in slowly try not to stir up the sand to much. Then take all the media out of your filter and put in floss and sponge and turn that baby on after a couple hours. Next day rinse media and do a 50% water change filter gain for a day repeat once again should pretty clear. but regular media back in the filter some seeded media this is why i like to keep sponge filters running in all of my tanks. I put a seasoned sponge filter in the tank and the nest day I can start adding fish. Slowly....

Heck I do it all in 2 days who am I kidding. Save like 60 % of your tank water, in a rubber maid from Canadian Tire $22 have fish in a container with original filter and a heater for 2 days .Add sand to tank let sit and have a sponge filter running on the new sand substrate tank and a heater. Next day rinse the sponge filter and do 50% water change. Then that night rinse sponge again add the old water back 
with fish and filter.

PITA


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## AquariAM

I hose rinsed it and put it into my 15G with fish in it. No problems. Clear after about 18 hours. No spikes. 

I think your method is a lot more complex .

I don't believe the dust damages biofiltration though it may impair it temporarily. The fish are another story. I did not anticipate the small amount of clouding I got but it didn't seem too bad and the fish did not react to it.


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## TBemba

AquariAM said:


> I hose rinsed it and put it into my 15G with fish in it. No problems. Clear after about 18 hours. No spikes.
> 
> I think your method is a lot more complex .
> 
> I don't believe the dust damages biofiltration though it may impair it temporarily. The fish are another story. I did not anticipate the small amount of clouding I got but it didn't seem too bad and the fish did not react to it.


I have done the same as you but I wanted to be politically correct on a forum that tells people it takes a month to cycle a fresh water tank.


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## mauve

I'll go for this one!



duckyser said:


> If you are using this bag of sand you are fine. Used it my self two weeks ago.
> 
> http://s752.photobucket.com/albums/xx167/duckyser/sand/


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## mauve

Is it a good or bad thing when a magnet attracts a lot of particles from this Nepheline sand? 
Imagine those bits getting stuck to the magnet in your filter....


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## coldmantis

does anyone know if home depot, canadian tire, rona, lowes, etc.. sell pool filter sand, does it come in black colour and how much if they do. thanks


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## duckyser

i called those stores and they dont carry pool filter sand. From what i know pool filter sand only comes in white.


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## Aquatic Designs

Pool filter sand comes in white of off white only. 

If your sand is attracted to a magnet. That means it's not sand (rock particle). It means you have metal slag. Most likely sand blasting sand. Which is not really sand. I wouldn't trust it with fish.


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## shadow_cruiser

Aquatic Designs said:


> Pool filter sand comes in white of off white only.
> 
> If your sand is attracted to a magnet. That means it's not sand (rock particle). It means you have metal slag. Most likely sand blasting sand. Which is not really sand. I wouldn't trust it with fish.


A lot of mixed opinions about slag
http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showpost.php?p=91207&postcount=30


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## AquariAM

Aquatic Designs said:


> Pool filter sand comes in white of off white only.
> 
> If your sand is attracted to a magnet. That means it's not sand (rock particle). It means you have metal slag. Most likely sand blasting sand. Which is not really sand. I wouldn't trust it with fish.


Its not metal slag it's just iron particles in the nepheline. It's a quartz rock with a bunch of other stuff in it.


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## mauve

Those black particles are quite "floaty". So my only concern is they'll get stuck on the magnet of the filter and eventually render it defunct...


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## AquariAM

mauve said:


> Those black particles are quite "floaty". So my only concern is they'll get stuck on the magnet of the filter and eventually render it defunct...


Hasnt happened yet. You know you can just clean them out by dragging a powerful magnet through the sand several times and cleaning it off


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