I think Atari hit itright on the head.
IMO Bacteria is bacteria and will grow on ceramic tubes, bioballs or sand. A lot of filtration suggestions depend on the forum and the geographical location. When i lived in England, it was all Berlin skimmer and Ehiem filters (and i kept a good
FO tank). America seems to be all
dsb + live rock and Aqua - C skimmers (I have the
dsb+
lr, remora coming soon!) and my attempt at a reef is coming along nicley.
However, the second set up looks great, the rock and sand combined with some nice fish and a couple corals really looks as if i reached into the ocean and picked up a piece of it! Other filters work as well, but for looks and stunning natural beauty, I would really recommend the
dsb/
lr skimmer set up!
But that is just my opinion