Without taking into the consideration of the plans to keep fish that ABSOLUTELY NEED the substrate as part of their lifestyle, then barebottom is the best way to go. The likes of goldfish, discus, angelfish and several others that dwell the surface and middle strata without bothering the substrate much do not need them however for aesthetic reasons, some people do keep them in substrate-filled tanks. I've doing barebottom for goldfish and BN plecos to keep maintenance easy for me as both are heavy poop contributors. Works well for me. I wasn't used to barebottom setups before and had to take my time to adjust to the barren looks. Perhaps, barren is not really the word to describe my setups. I still keep plants in clay pots for water quality and aesthetic purposes.