If you want some easy sand to work with and don't mind paying more, try the Tahitian Moon Sand from CaribSea. I just put it along with Eco Complete in my 75 gallon. The Eco Complete is ready to use, just dump it in with no washing. The Tahitian Moon has to be rinsed but I rinsed 40 lb in about 20 minutes. Even when we distrubed the sand while filling the tank, the sand just settled back to the bottom without any cloudyness. The green plants against the black sand looks great too. Price though is a problem if your sticking to a budget. This stuff runs about $20 for 20 lb. I did find one place that had it for $14.99 online but you still have shipping.