SuncrestReef Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 I was surprised when UPS delivered my trident this afternoon! I wasn't expecting it until Monday. Setup was really simple, with step by step videos to walk you through it. Yes, they include a Trident Unicorn sticker in the box: There was a tiny bit of leakage from reagent C during shipping, but otherwise everything looks good. Here's a photo of the inside mechanisms. I haven't seen anyone post this before: The tubing is very thin: A 1Link cable is included. If you don't have any available 1Link ports, you can optionally use AquaBus and a power adapter. All set and ready to start testing! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willapa Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 Don't use all the reagent up tonight! It's pretty compact, I thought it would be larger. So how does it clean itself after each test, does it flush with some tank water to the waste vessel? Does it have a test vial like a Hanna?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 That's awesome dude! Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 11, 2019 Author Share Posted May 11, 2019 (edited) 16 hours ago, Willapa said: Don't use all the reagent up tonight! It's pretty compact, I thought it would be larger. So how does it clean itself after each test, does it flush with some tank water to the waste vessel? Does it have a test vial like a Hanna? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk There's no clear information on exactly how it cleans itself. Supposedly it draws exactly enough water during each test so it's sampling actual tank water instead of stale water left in the tubing. It doesn't have any removable test vial like a Hanna. Apparently the test chamber is at the top front of the unit, inside the "horn" shape. I saw someone post this photo of it on R2R: Edited May 11, 2019 by SuncrestReef 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 11, 2019 Author Share Posted May 11, 2019 Now that the Trident has been installed for nearly 24 hours, I have some data to post. The initial readings are lower than my manual test kits show, but I've read this is normal and will be corrected after calibration. Neptune recommends waiting 48 to 72 hours after installation before calibration, so I'll probably wait until Monday to calibrate it. They also recommend waiting 7 - 10 days before configuring it to integrate with the DOS for automated dosing adjustment, so I'll probably take that step next weekend. Here is the Trident tile on my dashboard: My manual test kits currently read: Alk = 8.4 CA = 410 MG = 1350 Each time you click the tile, it cycles through additional information. The first click shows measurement graphs: The next click shows reagent levels: The 3rd click shows the waste container level: You can configure the Trident for automatic testing or manual testing: The scheduling options are pretty limited. You can select between 4, 6, 8, 12, or 24 tests per day. It automatically assigns the time of day for each test: The Trident configuration page is pretty straight forward: If you click on the measurement graphs shown above, it gives you more detail: Here's a short video of the Trident while testing. You can hear the R2D2-like robot sounds that are freaking out my dog. Hopefully he gets used to it. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibondy Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Awesome write up, can't wait to get my hands on one when they become available, again. 😢 Not sure I will be brave enough to control my dosing via Neptune as my experience with DOS was horrible and I am using CoralBox dossers now. But, I never say never. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willapa Posted May 12, 2019 Share Posted May 12, 2019 Any idea why they didn't support Apex Classic with these? Is it just a sales stunt or does the classic not have some functionality that's needed? I mean, come on, my Apex is only 4 years old!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 12, 2019 Author Share Posted May 12, 2019 (edited) 35 minutes ago, Willapa said: Any idea why they didn't support Apex Classic with these? Is it just a sales stunt or does the classic not have some functionality that's needed? I mean, come on, my Apex is only 4 years old! I haven't seen any official reasons posted, but I'm guessing it's due to processor or memory limitations of the Classic. Keep in mind, even though yours is only 4 years old, the Classic was originally released in 2009. 10 years is very old technology. Edited May 12, 2019 by SuncrestReef 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Any idea why they didn't support Apex Classic with these? Is it just a sales stunt or does the classic not have some functionality that's needed? I mean, come on, my Apex is only 4 years old!Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkLmao.. just because you bought it 4 years ago doesn't mean it is only 4 years old. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willapa Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Lmao.. just because you bought it 4 years ago doesn't mean it is only 4 years old. Sent from my SM-G960U using TapatalkLaugh all you want but it'll always be 4 years old to me since that's when I forked out 500 for it and I'll be using this old technology until the wheels fall off!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 13, 2019 Author Share Posted May 13, 2019 (edited) I just kicked off the Trident calibration process. The on-screen instructions are simple to follow, and the calibration takes about an hour. My next scheduled water test is at noon, so I'll be curious to see if the numbers are closer to my manual test kits. Here's the process: Edited May 13, 2019 by SuncrestReef 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaywood Posted May 13, 2019 Share Posted May 13, 2019 I'm curious how continued results will compare to other test kits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 15, 2019 Author Share Posted May 15, 2019 On 5/13/2019 at 2:59 PM, shaywood said: I'm curious how continued results will compare to other test kits. After calibration my Trident readings are still lower than my manual test kits. Trident says my Alk is 7.8, but Hanna says it's 8.3, so a 0.5 dKH difference. I tested the leftover Trident calibration solution (labeled 8.4 dKH on the bottle) and the Hanna measured it as 8.9, so now I'm thinking my Hanna has been off by 0.5 this whole time. I might take a sample to CNC to get another reading. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 18 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said: After calibration my Trident readings are still lower than my manual test kits. Trident says my Alk is 7.8, but Hanna says it's 8.3, so a 0.5 dKH difference. I tested the leftover Trident calibration solution (labeled 8.4 dKH on the bottle) and the Hanna measured it as 8.9, so now I'm thinking my Hanna has been off by 0.5 this whole time. I might take a sample to CNC to get another reading. At least its consistent in how far its off. Definitely points to the Hanna being off for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 15, 2019 Author Share Posted May 15, 2019 10 minutes ago, householdofpayne said: At least its consistent in how far its off. Definitely points to the Hanna being off for sure. I guess the main question I have now is whether to keep my dosing as is with the lower than expected numbers, or if I should increase it to the level I thought it was actually at? For the past 6 months I thought my alk was between 8.1 - 8.5, but in reality it was about 7.6 - 8.0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 4 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said: I guess the main question I have now is whether to keep my dosing as is with the lower than expected numbers, or if I should increase it to the level I thought it was actually at? For the past 6 months I thought my alk was between 8.1 - 8.5, but in reality it was about 7.6 - 8.0. What alk does you newly made saltwater produce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 15, 2019 Author Share Posted May 15, 2019 4 minutes ago, householdofpayne said: What alk does you newly made saltwater produce? I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt, and according to my Hanna tests, it's 9.7 dKH, but if my Trident is correct then that's probably 0.5 too high. Since I'm set up with daily automatic water changes, my dosing is also supplemented with the higher alk of the new salt water on a daily basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Just now, SuncrestReef said: I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt, and according to my Hanna tests, it's 9.7 dKH, but if my Trident is correct then that's probably 0.5 too high. Since I'm set up with daily automatic water changes, my dosing is also supplemented with the higher alk of the new salt water on a daily basis. Yea I remembered you did the auto water changes (that’s so cool!) just wanted to take that into act when giving you my answer. If salt produced lower then your target would recommend keeping lower alk as you would be fighting an up hill battle. I say bring it up to where you thought it was gradually. My thought process is if you every have an emergency where you have to do close to a 100% water change it’s a less drastic change from norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 15, 2019 Author Share Posted May 15, 2019 1 minute ago, householdofpayne said: Yea I remembered you did the auto water changes (that’s so cool!) just wanted to take that into act when giving you my answer. If salt produced lower then your target would recommend keeping lower alk as you would be fighting an up hill battle. I say bring it up to where you thought it was gradually. My thought process is if you every have an emergency where you have to do close to a 100% water change it’s a less drastic change from norm. Yes, that's my current thinking. I have been targeting about 8.5 dKH for quite a while, but just surprised to realize that my actual level has been lower than I thought this whole time. I plan to slowly increase my dosing for the rest of this week, and then this weekend I plan to turn over control of my DOS to the Trident so it can micro-adjust it for the daytime and nighttime fluctuations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 18, 2019 Author Share Posted May 18, 2019 My Trident has now been in use for just over 7 days. I've been manually increasing my dosing a bit, but no major swings. Here's my alkalinity over the past several days, with testing every 6 hours. Notice the up and down swings throughout the day, even though I only ever adjusted the dosing amount once per day in the mornings: I'm getting impatient and decided to configure the Trident controlled dosing. It's an amazingly simple process done through a Fusion task: From the list of tasks, select Trident Controlled Dosing Check the box confirming you understand the requirements Select the parameter you want to dose based on Trident readings Select the DOS pump for the appropriate additive Optionally rename your DOS pump Enter the parameter level you wish to maintain, and the normal volume you've been dosing Select whether to dose a consistent amount daily, or to dose more during daylight hours and less at night Review the summary and send the configuration to Apex Read the reminder, then finish the task wizard Once the configuration has been sent, your DOS now has a new schedule defined along with variable adjustment limits based on the Trident readings: After a few days, I'll post a graph showing if this has smoothed out my parameters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 18, 2019 Author Share Posted May 18, 2019 Here’s the Trident waste. I’m replacing this small 1000ml bottle with a gallon jug. Trident keeps track of how full the container is and alerts when it’s full. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 18, 2019 Author Share Posted May 18, 2019 Now that Trident is controlling my dosing, I'm also changing the testing frequency from 4/2 daily tests to 6/3 tests. I just want a little more granularity to see the daily fluctuations. You can go as high as 24/12 tests per day, but that would be ridiculous. 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 I've only had the Trident controlling my dosing for a couple days now, but it does appear to have reduced the day/night swings a little bit. This graph shows the days leading up to switching over (while I was also increasing the alkalinity), and two days of data since. I have it set to target 8.20 dKH, but keep in mind the Trident has a +/- 0.05 dKH margin of error, so the reported numbers could be anywhere within that range. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyCrabs Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Trident seems like a great leap in reefing. I would love to get into it but I am concerned about short/long term probe life. If it's like hydroponics they only last at most a year with true proper maintenance. I'd hate to lose a tank due to a probe failure. That said, I want this. Although way out of my budget I would love to see what my tank could do when stabilized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted May 21, 2019 Author Share Posted May 21, 2019 1 minute ago, CrabbyCrabs said: Trident seems like a great leap in reefing. I would love to get into it but I am concerned about short/long term probe life. If it's like hydroponics they only last at most a year with true proper maintenance. I'd hate to lose a tank due to a probe failure. That said, I want this. Although way out of my budget I would love to see what my tank could do when stabilized. It doesn't have traditional "probes". It's a robotic system that draws tank water and reagents into a reaction chamber, mixes them, and then optically compares the color change. It will need routine maintenance once every 18-24 months. It also has fail-safes where it will only adjust your dosing +/- 35% of your normal amount, so if it reads the parameters outside that range it will stop the automation, just dose the normal amount, and alert you of the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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