What does it matter? Experience counts for allot in this hobby.
If you are looking for scientific proof I would not be on the forums. Most scientific proof gets debunked after a while anyway. Plus I post scientific proof and what do I get (you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.) also as far as I know there is no one on reef2reef that owns a lab or is a scientist. So telling everyone they are wrong because they have no scientific data is kind of not cool.
You are right most hobby grade test kits are not accurate or read low enough on the phosphate scale. That's why I always say use a hach lab grade test kit, but even then test kits only test for orthophosphate so you will never get accurate measurements.
First, I love how you edit your posts and get nastier with each edit. Speaks volumes about you to me.
Again, not understanding how my experience and time in the hobby has anything to do with the topic at hand, which is why other people do water changes. I am not trying to tell anyone how to run their tank so what does my experience have to do with anything in this thread? You asked for pics of my tanks (which has nothing to do with the thread), I provided them for you. You ask for my history (again, nothing to do with this thread), but I provided it... it seems all you are concerned about is bashing me and not helping at all with the topic at hand. Shame on you.
I never said anyone was wrong in this thread, I said I won't believe "old wives tales" if there is nothing to back that up. I don't expect anyone to have a lab at home, but if someone says something and states it as a fact, I am going to question why they think it is fact. Not only do I think that is cool to do, it is what I expect anyone to do in this hobby when they are given information that doesn't quite sound right to them. If they can provide a link with reputable information backing up exactly what they are saying, perfect, end of debate, if not, then I quite frankly am not going to put much into the statement. I am certainly not saying anyone is wrong for doing water changes, to me that is just erroring on the extreme side of caution, and there is nothing wrong with that in this hobby. I on the other hand am trying to make my tanks as efficient as possible and one of the ways I want to do that is to reduce the amount of water changes and just do them when they are actually required, not just because it is a certain day of the week/month. I am not trying to make the first "never do a water change" reef tank, just trying to make the most cost efficient reef tank without sacrificing the health of the inhabitants. If anything thinks I am harming my livestock by all means, speak up and tell me the exact issue that you think is causing harm.
Then you say if I want scientific proof, forums are not the place for that, but then you say most of the breakthroughs in the hobby come from hobbyist. You are giving conflicting information. If most of the breakthroughs come from hobbyist, wouldn't the first place to find answers, or at the very least point me in the right direction, come from hobbyist? All it takes is 1 person to say "I do water changes because of this...." and give a reason and a link showing why they think the way they do. If the link explains to me a very good argument on why water changes are needed and I can't find any faults to it, and I don't have other means to solve the issues, then I will gladly do water changes.
Maybe I missed it, can you point to where you posted proof in this thread on the reasons why water changes are required? I am looking for any links posted by you in this thread, I don't see one. Even if you don't have scientific proof, but have a good theory on what exactly causes issues in a reef tank that is resolved by water changes (that my filtration/maintenance doesn't currently solve) that will be very helpful. I can do my own research, I just need a little piece of information on what to research and I will find it on my own.
If we can create a filtration setup that solves 99% of the reasons we do water changes, and that 1% doesn't actually become an issue until after 1.. 5.. 10 years, what is the point of doing them weekly/monthly? If I found a smoking gun that said "X ions become so unbalanced after X time it causes a tank crash" I could look into finding alternative ways to maintain a proper balance for that issue, and if there isn't one, I am fine with having to do a 100% water change once a year if that is what it takes to keep everything stable long term. 1 annual 75G water change is a whole lot cheaper than my previous method of 35G weekly, and if the results are the same, I will pick the much cheaper method. Not saying 1 year is a magic number... it could be 1 month or 10 years... that is the million dollar question, but first part to finding an answer to the question is to find out the cause that makes water go "bad" in the first place, which is still what I am looking for in this thread.
