A good friend of mine only does water changes twice a year:rolleye1: but I can honestly say that he has one of the most beautiful mixed reef tanks I've seen (i'll try to get some pics to post). I'm not exactly sure what his full maintenance regime is, but he relies on the algae and other biological things he has in his fuge to do most of the work like removing nitrates. He has minimal equipment, just a skimmer and a DIY media reactor that he puts a blend of carbon and zeolites in. He doses the tank with 2-part as well as trace elements, but he does not use any dosing pumps. He doesn't even have an ATO or aquarium controller (unless you count the Seneye he has). So it's entirely possible to not do water changes very often and have an amazing and healthy tank.
I remember reading an article somewhere about a theory. It was unproven at the time (maybe a year ago), but it talked about how having a very deep sand bed can eliminate the need for frequent water changes. It explained that in areas of very little or no water movement (usually in the deep sand bed in a fuge for example) allowed the perfect environment for a certain beneficial bacteria to bloom and grow that can break down nitrates in a way that will allow it to evaporate from the water through gas exchange. Im not entirely clear on the chemistry process of it, so i'm sure someone will correct me and finish the explanation. But it's worth a read if you can find the article. I will try to find the magazine it was in and scan the article to post it here for you. But basically, it is the best way to keep from doing water changes.
However, I look at it like this: The fish rely on me for everything. My fish are pets and I get pretty attached to them:fish1:. I just don't like the thought of them swimming around in the same stagnant water for 6+ months. I know I wouldn't like it very much if I was a fish! Even though the water all checks out with testing, I know they appreciate a good water change. It's evident by how happy they seem afterwards :clown:. All of my different Damsels will play together for hours :bounce2: during and after a good water change, it's a lot of fun to watch. So my advice would be to try and do water changes as often as you can (within reason obviously), but it's your tank after all. I personally perform water changes usually twice a month, sometimes more, sometimes less. I actually enjoy doing them! I love spending time in the hobby, even if it's just doing maintenance tasks :fun2:
Whatever you decide, I hope you get back the love :inlove: and excitement :celeb3:you used to feel for the hobby. As long as you have healthy and thriving livestock :fish1: and are enjoying your aquarium then you're doing everything exactly right. Good Luck friend!
