extra aerobic bac, competing for o2, beyond what rocks and sand provide is unideal
Their sole function is ammonia removal. Without them, the cycled tank removes ammonia fine. What are they adding to the system
agreed sand filters are massive bacterial systems.
they add cleaning requirement and competition for oxygen and something that dies when the power goes out briefly.
The intended use for moving sand filters, strictly aerobic workings, is to handle giant fish bioloads where free ammonia will result without their presence. If you hook up one and keep it clean, or four, or zero, the outcome to your reef tank params are the same. Those are oxygen consuming devices, like adding more fish but w no moving benefit. Their design is solely for ammonia, but we had that fine already
No bare bottom system is lacking surface area, they’re all zero ammonia after cycle. The rocks and corals in a bare bottom tank are plenty of surface area
Not harmful to hook up a bed filter, but it’s a tax not a help
dissolved oxygen will drop with each source of extra surface area added, unless those sources are plant systems/oxygen producers and you’re measuring during lights on.
Aerobic bacteria are a massive tax in any aquarium.
