Just wanted to do a quick update on this thread. I eventually went for a bag of Caribsea Floramax because it was on clearance at Petsmart for $10 for a 12lbs bag of midnight black. I gave it a good rinse, added the biomagnet solution, and it was pretty easy and no issues with cloudiness for long. It was crystal clear the next day!
Well here's some before and after pics.. I'm getting pretty good growth. I'm dosing with Excel, Flourish, and API Leaf Zone. I'm also running DIY CO2 and have flourish root tabs embedded in the substrate.
Before... (warning: boring tank alert!):
After... (about 4 weeks of growth):
*Note the DHG was grown emersed.. so planting them submerged melted off some blades and now it's starting to come back nice and green...
Thoughts & reflections... this stuff isn't too bad for the price. It's pretty much Eco Complete without the liquid bacteria juice.. It's also like Flourite (from what I read). It's certainly no Amazonia Aquasoil, but it's also not as expensive. IMO, it's definitely an upgrade to gravel.