I use mecahnical filtration in our three BB reefs. The key to low to no nitrates is clean the living heck out of the foams weekly, and weekly detritus siphoning during water changes. When siphoning detritus from the bottom, make sure you gently blow the stuff out from under the rock structure and siphon that out as well.
It also helps not to overfeed the tank and have non-invasive macroalgae to utilize nutrients.
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