Stand Alone Substrate 10g

[jddeal]

So by Sunday I'm hoping to finalize my purchases for plants and substrate to have shipped to my apartment. This will give me some great fun for later next week or weekend to redo my completely fake tank. I'm all set on plants, but I'm still at a cross roads with a substrate.

My problem is that I would really prefer the grey/black color to minimize seeing poop buildup and also to give a more natural look. My problem is that I can't find cheap solutions to give 2ish inches of substrate depth. I would really rather not spend $20+ to get a 20lb bag of Eco Complete but I can't identify any other option with the lack of stores in my area. The closest thing to a fish store where I live is Walmart >.>

What I was wondering is if it's reasonable to use any of the following for a stand alone substrate:

Miracle Gro Organic Choice (gives me black, plenty of lbs for cheap)
Eco Complete (I'd only get one 20lb bag which I'm worried wont be enough)
Kitty Litter in the red bag (I've read that the unscented unfertilized bag is ok)
tan pool filter sand (not the color I want, but it is available in town)

Are any of these individual choices alright as a stand alone choice or would it be smart to mix and match something like pool filter sand bottom with miracle gro on top?

Thanks!

 

[Jacca]

I used kitty litter from walmart in one of my 55's and topped it medium sand from lowes one bag a litter done about an inch thick in a 55. The only problem with the litter is it is a pain to rinse took me about 2hrs to rinse a 5 gallon bucket full.