I installed BioPellets within a few months of starting up my current tank (6 years ago), and haven't felt the need to try anything else.
I know of people who have tried virtually all the various methods. In fact, I'm sure we will continue to hear from some of them in this thread. My personal opinion is, all the various methods can work, but the same methods can also NOT work. It depends on so many variables that are in play in our systems. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some), we have no choice but to experiment with the various methods and discover for ourselves which ones work and which ones don't. Just because one method works for one hobbyist doesn't mean it'll work for you, and inversely, just because one method failed and didn't work for one hobbyist doesn't mean it will fail for your system.
Playing around with nutrient export is one of the fun aspects of this hobby, but also, nutrient export is the bane of this hobby
