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Maintaining a regular water change schedule is an important part of aquarium keeping.  Water changes help to remove organic waste (especially with targeted siphoning of detritus), inhibiting formation of algae. They also help to keep quantities of total dissolved solids, minerals and nutrients at safe levels for livestock and plants.
Planted tanks using regular Estimative Index or similar fertilisation schedules should have their water changed weekly. Similarly, if you have a large amount of fish, high amounts of dissolved solids in your water source (especially copper) or livestock sensitive to water quality, weekly water changes are highly recommended.

New to planted aquariums? Don't worry, you are in the right place. Whether it's a high-tech or low-tech set up, we have all the info you need in this topic, covering cycling, parameters, fertilising and what to expect in the first few weeks. There can be a bit of trial and error when first learning, but persistence is it's own reward with a beautiful aquascaped tank for you to enjoy.

Some people will try to tell you their planted aquarium gets on just fine with no fertilisation. They’ll tell you that their livestock and the uneaten food provide all the nutrients their plants need.
While this can be true for certain setups, usually where plant mass is low and the selected species are very slow growing and not nutrient-demanding, relying on fish and food waste to provide nutrients will simply not be enough in most planted tanks.