Triton method

[gandolf8]

Has anyone switch to the Triton Method yet ? If so how do you like it?

[ggdowski]

I'm just starting my new tank on it. No results yet.

[gandolf8]

I am going to switch and see what happens . But still keeping my old equipment ,. I have a smaller refugiun . They recommend a bigger one so getting new sump. I have 2 dos so all set there. Will see what happens. good luck to you keep me posted

[Gary Majchrzak]

In other words... I've not been doing water changes.
I'm thinking of taking my first water sample tomorrow to send in for analysis.
I want to see what has been depleted, what might be in excess (etc.) with my current method(s)- which are the same method(s) I've been using for many years now.

[Capt_Cully]

I’d love to see the results of your test Gary. I incorporated a Kessil H380 horticulture Light over a small section of my sump. It’s only about 3-4 gallons. My total water volume is about 140G. I certainly don’t have 10x flow through there either. I’m not stocked very heavily but I’m slowly increasing my number of fish and I’m feeding pretty heavily. The Cheato is doubling every 10-14 days. My nitrates are zero and my phosphates are .001 by Hanna. This is obviously super low and not where I’d like it. But, at the moment it completely out competed a little caleurpa outbreak, and is doing some serious damage to a bubble algae dust up. So that I’ll take.

Anyway, I’d love to see what actual trace elements are being depleted over time. Tests are $50 correct? Bucket of salt, $50. So I don’t know.....

[gandolf8]

yes just had mine done low on cal and alk a little to high. takes about 2 wks to get it.
Switching over just waiting for sump to come in have everything else switching salt to
Red sea blue pucket

[terry4505]

I am thinking about going this direction as well. After watching the Bulk Reef Supply videos on the topic. I have a 40 gallon refugium, but I am not getting 10x flow through it.

I am currently using a ton (like 2400 mls) of kalk and 60 mls of BRS Two part daily. I am concerned about the cost of the Triton Core 7 elements.

[gandolf8]

just remember alk has to be at 8 or around there. That is why I am switching salt lower alk and cal
I bought the 2l of triton was 400

[Gary Majchrzak]

I'm currently @ 11dKH so no Triton test today!

I'll unplug the Ca reactor and let system drop to 8dKH before proceeding

[Capt_Cully]

What’s their fixation on dkh of 8?

For a control value?

[Gary Majchrzak]

stability is the goal, so 8dKH just a target.
Matter of fact, Triton recommends users of base elements CORE 7 use 7dKH as their target.

The most important thing is to have a stable alkalinity dosing regime BEFORE sending in a sample of water

Now... in my case, I have a stable dosing schedule- I'm simply unplugging the reactor to allow dKH to drop to a desired level before plugging it back in. The reactor will resume stability at the lower dKH

editing in: I'm by no means an expert on Triton method so please don't kill me with questions. There are many variations on this method and I still don't see why filter socks are not recommended for following "the original" Triton method!

[gandolf8]

BRS has a good section on triton

[gandolf8]

need some advice have 50 clown and 15 anemones can I put some coral in or not ? thx

[Gary Majchrzak]

looking at your aquarium...

I'm sure that certain soft corals would do just fine in there!
Probably LPS, as well.

SPS would be a gamble.

[terry4505]

I am really interested in this system. Adding in the 400 gallon tank, continuing to manage nutrients and major and minor elements with water changes just isn't feasible. I bought a couple of boxes of Instant Ocean, instead of Reef Crystals, lower cost, lower Alk.

[ggdowski]

Gary -- I was just about to start dosing my new tank. But the starting point is already 8dkh. So I've decided to hold off. Right now I have a rather light bioload -- time to get more fish and corals!

I think you could use filter socks after the refugium. My guess is that they don't need them because they are telling you to shoot for a 10x flow rate. Stuff may go back to the DT -- but theoretically it wouldn't stay there long at that flow rate. If the Refugium is thickly filled its not going to keep circulating around the loop.

Are you setting up the refugium so the Chaeto is rotating -- or is it stationary.

Also -- costs of ICP testing are likely to come down. ATI offers similar ICP testing - but it is sold through Marinedepot. BRS sells the triton ICP testing. That business model won't survive if they want people to test multiple times a year. My plan is to start with a test and to repeat after I am running. Once it is going, I will likely use standard testing and only do the ICP tests when something seems wrong (or maybe once/yr).

[Gary Majchrzak]

Every time you add a coral it changes depletion rate of calcium and alkalinity.
The same can be said about corals that are growing larger and larger and those that are removed- thus calcium and alkalinity demand is constantly in flux.

This is what makes Triton so appealing to me. I have a large system and I rarely (if ever) add new corals. Yeah, corals growing larger create a growing demand but it's something I've learned to deal with now. My system is now as stable as might be possible.

There are groups where Triton users discuss methods. There are an infinite number of variations on the Triton methodology. For one, I would never run socks AFTER macroalgae in the sump. I run drains into mechanical filtration (socks) FIRST and then into the macroalgae. (I've been doing it this way for over a decade now). I want pods and algal frags to blow back into the display- and socks AFTER macroalgae would prevent that all while allowing detritus from drains to settle in the sump necessitating periodic vacuuming of the sump. No good!

Triton recommends using a variety of macroalgae (as I already do) so I might not go back to introducing Chaeto.

I do agree the cost of getting test results done is likely to drop if competition appears to fulfill demand.

[ggdowski]

There is the catch 22. If you put it before the refugium, you could be depleting it of the nutrients that drive it.

My plan was to add the corals after the tank was stable. I think I'm at that point, but I'm in no rush. That said, it leads me to question when I should start dosing. My guess is that I would wait until I start seeing drops in alkalinity.

[Gary Majchrzak]

I have yet to hear a plausible explanation.

Check out the "newest trend" (LOL!) Chaeto reactors.
Nobody is recommending you pump detritus into these things.
Socks do not limit dissolved nutrients required by macroalgae- they catch chunks of detritus.

[Gary Majchrzak]

I'm at 10.2dKH.
Not a true measure of actual total consumption because I topoff for evap with kalkwasser. pH of system is now 8.6 -up from it's usual 7.9

No Triton test today!

[ggdowski]

Hi Gary... Always a new "trend".

The only thing I can say is -- where is it supposed to go if you don't have a filter sock. I also think with a 10x flow rate --- the implication is get it out of the DT and get it out fast. Clearly that is where it is going to end up. A plausible explanation might be that filter socks don't naturally occur in the ocean. We assume that currents pull detritus away from the reef. The assumption by triton is that the refugium is the best place for this to happen. When my tank gets dirty (god forbid ;-) ), one thing for sure happens. I get algae and cyano outbreaks. In a filter sock with a 10x rate, detritus will be eventually broken down into a dissolvable nutrient because of the washing machine effect going on in there (unless you want a living sock). One way or another -- it will make it to the refugium.

My only thought on the filter sock was to use it to make sure algae doesn't float downstream back into the DT. Interestingly, I haven't had that problem. That said, I am still working to get a 10x flow rate.

Originally Posted by Gary Majchrzak

I have yet to hear a plausible explanation.

Check out the "newest trend" (LOL!) Chaeto reactors.
Nobody is recommending you pump detritus into these things.
Socks do not limit dissolved nutrients required by macroalgae- they catch chunks of detritus.

[gandolf8]

looking for frags sps anyone selling

[ReefKeeper64]

What’s the latest on triton here?

[Gary Majchrzak]

Originally Posted by ReefKeeper64

What’s the latest on triton here?

The time has come to take register and send in my first water sample.
How do you like your ARID?

[ReefKeeper64]

Originally Posted by Gary Majchrzak

The time has come to take register and send in my first water sample.
How do you like your ARID?

Hey Gary, Before The ARID I wasn’t using GFO but did carbon dose. I also had and still have a refugium. PO4 was occasionally down to 0.08 or so but if I fed the fish and corals more than once a day, PO4 would quickly elevate up to 0.25 or so for a time. With the ARID added to the mix, I don’t worry about PO4 anymore and feed the fish 3 or 4 times a day. When I test using hannah ULR, I get PO4 results of 0.01 - 0.03 every time. I don’t think it had to work all that had to pull phosphates down and keep them down in my case but it’s working as advertised. I am dosing 1ml of KENT iron and manganese daily to keep the cheato growing fast.