bare bottom tank

[Skimmer Juice]

been running both my aquariums bb for a while now (5+years)
sand always looks better IMO , its pretty much a witch one do you like better. BB is easier to clean does not look as nice , and also puts some limitations for certain livestock. However for me I dont keep any wrasses or sifting gobies so my only drawback is looks, mind you I don't dislike the looks of a bare bottom just prefer the look of sand . Also easier to re aqua-scape parts of the tank without creating possible issues stirring up sand. If you decide to go bb take your time removing the sand , don't do it all in one shot

[Masonjames]

Only good experiances here.

My advice would be to make sure you are staying on top of debris removal. Removing the sand bed will be a huge leap towards getting nutients under control and will set you up for truly purging the system of bound nutrients but you will need to do your part to truly fix the nutrient problems and resulting algae problems to get your system running efficiently. BB don't have the nutrient sink that a sand bed temporarly provides so removal is key.

I'd also keep an eye on your alk levels after removing the sand if you are on a dosing regimen. Consumption can drop significantly. And when nutrients truly start to drop you may have to reduce lighting some.

Don't add sand until the point in time you see your live rocks have stopped shedding debris. Or keep it BB : )