Bio-pellets only really help to reduce nitrate, not phosphate. If you have nitrate issues in a reef tank after 6 or 9 months, then you have way-big problems. Real rock and the sand bed can handle the nitrates with ease. Even if you do want to organic carbon later, dosing sugar, vodka or vinegar is quite easy.
You won't even need GFO for quite some time... you need to let the tank fully cycle (through NO3 reduction on it's own) before you jack with most of this.
Heavy, heavy skimming, routine water changes and a fuge can get you most of the way there and is enough for a lot of people. Avoiding dry or man-made rock and using phosphate-free rock from the pacific as well as real aragonite sand (in tank or remotely) can get you the rest of the way. If after a year, or so, your phosphates are rising, then some GFO might be good.
I don't have an issue with most BRS products, but what they tell you that you need, and don't need, is somewhat reckless and I feel is just an attempt to sell some stuff. I would never recommend biopellets, carbon or GFO on a tank that is not cycled (all the way, not just through nitirite) - you need the bacteria to establish and handle each on their own.
On my SPS tanks, I run 2 good skimmers (two are better than one that is oversized), calcium reactor, sometimes some GAC, 4 or 5 heaters, metal halides and a return pump. If I clean out a bunch of sand, or something, I might drop some GFO on there for a few days, but doubt that I have ever had it on for more than 2 weeks a year.
