Bare bottom or not?

[X-37B]

I like the look of CLEAN sand over BB......but I have failed to keep any tank sand clean. Therefore, I go with ease of maintenance and go BB lol. Healthier for SPS tanks (IMO) due to increased flow and potentially lower nutrients. All detritis collects in one corner where it can be easily removed.

Get a sand sifting goby for a clean sand bed. I have a diamond goby in my 35 and a dragon goby in my 50.
All detrius does not collect in a corner on a BB.

 

[Subsea]

Can you explain Nutrient export ? Also a definition of the word. It seems to be bandied about constantly s to importance of having it then your statement a little confused

“Nutrient export” is exactly what the words say; sometimes paraphrased as Balance happens when nutrients in equal nutrients out.
I never liked this simplification of the complexity of nutrient pathways that happen in marine ecosystems. I prefer what I studied in Oceaneering 101: Dynamic Equilibrium.

What nutrients enter a reef aquarium? The obvious answer is the food we put in the water. However, organics are not the only nutrients which enter the water. Let’s consider gas exchange where inorganic nitrogen gas molecule in air is absorbed by the water. When this molecule comes into contact with certain Cyanobacteria, the bacteria convert this gas molecule into liquid ammonia which is a major nutrient required for all organic organisms.
Now consider a carbon dioxide gas molecule in the atmosphere that is absorbed in water, creating a weak carbonic acid that becomes alkalinity which when energized with photosynthesis combines the inorganic world with the organic world to produce glucose, which is a carbon source & a nutrient. Carbon Sequestration is the process of transferring inorganic carbon dioxide into organic glucose.

My focus is nutrient recycling where the ideal export is to prune & sell coral.

 

[X-37B]

Can you explain Nutrient export ? Also a definition of the word. It seems to be bandied about constantly s to importance of having it then your statement a little confused

Nutrient export is the ongoing removal of no3 and po4 from your system.
This comes from fish waste, doc's, uneaten food, and organisims that die in your system.
Best advice is to pick a range you want for no3 and po4 and focus on keeping them in range. You also need a plan on what to do when they are out of range.
Po4 is kept below .2 with gfo.
When it gets to .2 I drop in a cup of p-minus in a nylon bag. This will drop po4 to around .05. Then it will slowly climb to .2 and I repeat.
Always start with 1/2 the recommended amount so you dont zero out po4.
No3 is controlled with Vodka. I dose 6ml a day by hand. This keeps no3 around 5. My range is 5-20. I like to be below 5 but have seen no difference in my systems at 20.
I practice heavy in/out in all my systems.
I use over sized skimmers in all my systems, except the 2 nanos run no skimmer.
There are many ways to export po4 and no3. This is just how I do it. I