In this Tank Talk episode, I’m walking you through how I actually maintain my fish tanks—and yeah, we’re talking water changes: yes or no. I’m a “set it and forget it” kind of guy. My goal is a self-sustaining, healthy ecosystem where the fish thrive and multiply, and for me that usually means planted tanks, minimal fuss, and weekly top-offs instead of draining half the tank like a lot of folks recommend. I show my janky-but-effective water filling setup (PEX, vinyl tubing, a little irrigation valve) and how I top off multiple tanks fast. I dechlorinate as I fill, keep an eye on filter flow, and only rinse a filter if it’s slowing down. With my very hard, high-TDS water, constant water changes feel pointless for these planted setups—plants do the heavy lifting with nitrates and overall stability. I also keep sponge filters “seeded” in my tanks so I can kickstart new tanks without the big ugly cycling drama. Along the way I talk algae (I don’t freak out), duckweed (I love it), shrimp preferences, and my plans to reset my 40-gallon and actually try a more focused aquascape when I can budget for plants.