I went shupping around today and from what I saw black sand isnt much cheaper than eco complete, maybe $5 cheaper per 20lb bag, so if I need 4 to 5 more bags I'm only saving $20 or so.. Not worth it to me. How about black gravel? Seems like I read somewhere the black aquarium gravel will lose its color over time.
Me too.
It's expensive for substrate, but it looks good.
My low-light plants are doing great, but of course they could be in plain gravel if I had it, so my experience doesn't prove much
Well I already have a 100lbs of it so going back isnt an option at this point, besides someday I will upgrade my lights from T-12 to T-5 even though I dont put much stock in the WPG rule. This is my first planted tank but I did saltwater reef tanks for years with T-8s and PC's and all my corals hard and soft did great.
So, how deep does 100lbs look? Maybe 1.5 inches is enough for your "right now" plans, you can always add some if you go for "big root" plants like swords. Or have a deep end to the tank, could be nice!