Went to my LFS to see what they have, which was pest riddled. I was describing my tank and the confusion on the owners face gave me a good laugh.
My tank is 1 years old. I tried sand. I tried rock. I tried fish. I tried GHA.
Ended up with a bare bottom, fish-less, coral on large 3" disks. My astraea snails are happy. My coral are happy. I'm happy. It's clean (no known pests), super easy to maintain. Easier to learn as I'm a beginner. I can dip and pickup to inspect if I want. I can easily relocate. I can always add rock and sand in the future.
To anyone getting started, you don't need to go with the norm!
Snails keep it clean
My LFS
My tank is 1 years old. I tried sand. I tried rock. I tried fish. I tried GHA.
Ended up with a bare bottom, fish-less, coral on large 3" disks. My astraea snails are happy. My coral are happy. I'm happy. It's clean (no known pests), super easy to maintain. Easier to learn as I'm a beginner. I can dip and pickup to inspect if I want. I can easily relocate. I can always add rock and sand in the future.
To anyone getting started, you don't need to go with the norm!
Snails keep it clean
My LFS