Our family is in a similar situation. We've got tanks, sump and tons of equipment sitting in the floor and on a huge table but no water moving yet. The plumbing plan is designed to simplify the effort required for water changes; even so, we would prefer a more stable approach because much of what we've learned so far is that the consistency is more advantageous than the constant change in parameters. And yes, the idea of less labor in water changes isn't a bad idea either so please, please continue the research in this area.Provided reefers are interested I think we might start producing these other approaches to zero water changes fairly soon. Similar to Triton, I don't want to just say don't do water changes and hope for the best. I am looking at holistic approaches which make real attempts at proper filtration and chemistry in a no maintenance water change environment. I feel like we are on the cusp of an evolutionary process where the community is about to take what we have all learned in the last decade and take it to a new level.
We're planning on a 90 gal display tank, 26 gal sump, 30 gal display refugium with a variety of macro algae along with a DIY chaeto reactor. The hope is that the natural results will be more beneficial and nature will minimize the need for additives and changes. Any advice/wisdom the BRS team can provide will be a great blessing to our reef growth.