for sure theres a statistical difference between sandbeds vs marine pure blocks and it comes down to detritus storage. sandbeds were all the rage in the 90s because a few arrangers of them got nitrate reduction just by how they setup a bed, and the ways they managed the bioload up top.
write a book on it, sell it as universally-guaranteed way of nutrient control in reefing, and bam the Berlin method is born
ff 20 yrs and a million people setting those up,
80% have nitrate issues
its the detritus.
the marinepure blocks are too hard to have detritus wick in the core its often just a top layer rinsing to keep channels open, and they'll reduce nitrate without all the headache storage.
if the 80% want sandbeds that do not contribute nitrate to a system, they'll have to export. 20% w get lucky, even less of a percent imo./
Nano and pico reefs are the best way to model things ascribed to reef tanks
we can set up a nano with a fish or two and some corals, leave the sandbed untouched, and within 4 yrs itll be an algae cyano wreck in any tank around 5 gallons w an untouched bed.
contrast that to the bare bottom tank, or in other cases the deep sand bed pico that is rinsed. 11 yrs, very low nitrate, and repeatable too. not just 20%
110% of pico reefers who rinse their beds will have a tank that doesn't contribute to nitrate measures, that'll be a function of the acting bioload not the storage
