core7 dKh user poll

[jzw]

users of core7, at what dKh target do your corals seem happiest at?

recalling that 'study' from the 1800s, where they had 100 people guess the weight of a cow, and not a single answer was right... but the average was correct? ;Cat

cast your poll vote above!

 

[Jason mack]

I thought Triton recomends a dkh of 8 ..... not 7 ... but my corals seem happiest at 7.3 -7.7 ish in my observation

 

[reefaland310]

8.3 for me

 

[jzw]

im pretty sure they recommend 8 dKh for some other product line

and 7 dKh for core7

hence the poll -- click on it!

 

[jzw]

 

[reefaland310]

If you look ten lines up it also says 8dkh. Good thread. Like the poll

 

[Monkeynaut]

If you look ten lines up it also says 8dkh. Good thread. Like the poll

Ten lines up refers to the base elements. Which I believe is different then the Core 7 base elements

 

[jzw]

since i put up this core7 poll about a month ago, our sps colors n growth have improved the closer we edge towards 7 dKh. we've dropped from 7.7 to 7.2/7.3 during this time.

the only other change during this time, was we added some established live rock from someone else's system, into our steve tyree zonal sump we just pumbed in. but no sponges/critters yet, just 50lbs of rock in there. so who knows... just sharing another complex and rather useless data point lol.

when we 1st started the system about 10 months ago, dumb us, we were at 8.5, being brainwashed from so many youtube instructional videos, and results weren't great, just sorta bad. it wasn't til we let dKh drop to 7.7 that sps started growing. needless to say we lost quite a few sps frags during the 8.5 to low 7s journey.

mike paletta has an youtube interview where he said his experimental triton tank grew sps badly for a year, and dumped triton, switching back to his tried n true. i think maybe sanjay tried it too, with similarly unfavourable results. anyone know what dKh they were at?

 

[jzw]

@Monkeynaut and @reefaland310, see below. these product names are kinda confusing :mad:

 

[CMO]

On the new core 7 carton itself it says 8 dkh. I've been targeting 7.8 dkh with good results for all corals, including sps.

 

[jzw]

@Tim2@Triton, can you please clarify? thanks.

oh wait, tim already did in the past :

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/triton-core-7-target-8dkh-or-7dkh.311366/

"A stable dose of between 7-9dKH is the target.
The number 8 is chosen as it is middle ground and the point where most Alk test kits can be accurate enough with +-1dkh. You can stop there if you want to.

However once you have achieved a stable dose you may find that your Ca and Mg are higher than you want them to be, conversely you may find that they are lower than you want them to be. At this point then you can deduce that your KH test kit may be over or under reading. You can then adjust your dosing to stabilise at a lower/higher KH to balance the other parameters at more suitable numbers for you.

Core7 runs better when set to a KH of 7, but more important than that is the stability.

For 90% of customers 8dKH is where they will stay for the first few months until they are confident in their home test kit and have had other parameters confirmed with the ICP."

 

[minus9]

I'm currently @ 8.18dKH and my sps look like crap and I've lost quite a few frags lately. I'm in the process of lowering it to 7dKH and see if that makes a difference? I've found that my parameters are really stable (nitrate and phosphate move a little, but nothing major) with Triton, but everything looks like crap overall, except a few sps that haven't changed and look really good. My latest ICP came back pretty good, with only a few deviations in iodine and potassium. I had a rough start with my tank, heavy metals issue, but that was resolved long ago. I really want to like Triton and want to stick with it, but there seems to be a lot of grey area with the method and no real recommendation for specific lighting, nutrient levels, etc....
I kinda miss my 22g full of sps, weekly water changes and 2 part dosing. It was a robust, thriving reef that had corals growing out of the water. Now I have a marine desert....ugh!

 

[CMO]

I'm currently @ 8.18dKH and my sps look like crap and I've lost quite a few frags lately. I'm in the process of lowering it to 7dKH and see if that makes a difference? I've found that my parameters are really stable (nitrate and phosphate move a little, but nothing major) with Triton, but everything looks like crap overall, except a few sps that haven't changed and look really good. My latest ICP came back pretty good, with only a few deviations in iodine and potassium. I had a rough start with my tank, heavy metals issue, but that was resolved long ago. I really want to like Triton and want to stick with it, but there seems to be a lot of grey area with the method and no real recommendation for specific lighting, nutrient levels, etc....
I kinda miss my 22g full of sps, weekly water changes and 2 part dosing. It was a robust, thriving reef that had corals growing out of the water. Now I have a marine desert....ugh!

The Triton method does work, but I agree that the information is incomplete or unclear in areas. However, with some research I've had good success in filling in the gaps and now have a very successful Triton reef with nearly every type of coral (lots of SPS) and zero losses some 10 month in from the start of my new tank. The biggest thing missing from the Triton method in my opinion is nitrate dosing. In a decent sized system I do not believe you can feed enough to keep nitrates up (big dino risk). I've tried reducing fuge lighting, skimming, feeding a TON (including an eel) and still get zero nitrate. It wasn't until I started dosing nitrate that my SPS started to color up. I also dose PO4 now to maintain a good NO3/PO4 ratio.

Also, when running Triton on a new tank the dose needs monitored daily IMO. I had regular rapid alk swings until very recently due to adding new corals and corals starting to grow at faster rates as the tank matured. Testing alk and adjusting the Triton dose daily until the tank stabilizes (took mine about 10 months) is one key to success I believe. I ran my Triton tank at 8dkh with great results until very recently so I don't think that is the issue. All SPS looked great at 8 dkh (once I started nitrate dosing).

Also, I don't think you can blame Triton for not giving one size fits all lighting or nutrient recommendations, but I'd agree that some general guidelines would be helpful since a lot of newbies (myself included to the Triton method) will take NO3 to zero with the large fuge and before they know it will have a disastrous dino and cyano outbreak. Pax Bellum for example ships nitrate with every chaeto reactor and gives detailed instructions for it's importance and use.

What is your NO3 and PO4 at?

 

[minus9]

I'm not blaming them, just trying to fill in the blank areas. My nitrates are 10ppm, give or take a couple ppm and phosphates are .04 - .06.
I don't think I've ever struggled this much with a tank before, but again, I'm not blaming Triton, just trying to figure out why things aren't happy? But I should start a thread and not take up this thread with unrelated posts.

 

[Reefahholic]

You guys do know that WWC is running at 8.6 right?!! HeHe

 

[CMO]

You guys do know that WWC is running at 8.6 right?!! HeHe

Yeah but are they running Triton? Changing alk with Triton also means more or less of all elements so it's more than just alk. But that's not to say 8.6 wouldn't work with Triton.

 

[Reefahholic]

Yeah but are they running Triton? Changing alk with Triton also means more or less of all elements so it's more than just alk. But that's not to say 8.6 wouldn't work with Triton.

Of course they aren’t. I’m just messing around.

So can you run any alk level with Triton as long as you keep it stable? I know what’s recommended, but just wondering how it would affect the program.?

 

[CMO]

Well I'd imagine at some level, it sounds like above 9, it might start to push other elements out of balance and grow even more algae than it already does in the 7 to 8 range. I've been just trying to target a range that keeps the majors (ca, mg, etc) where I want them. 7.5 to 8 has worked well so far on a newish tank.

But curious if anyone knows specifically why Triton says the system runs best at 7.

 

[Tim2@Triton]

Well I'd imagine at some level, it sounds like above 9, it might start to push other elements out of balance and grow even more algae than it already does in the 7 to 8 range. I've been just trying to target a range that keeps the majors (ca, mg, etc) where I want them. 7.5 to 8 has worked well so far on a newish tank.

But curious if anyone knows specifically why Triton says the system runs best at 7.

Look 8 comments up

 

[CMO]

Look 8 comments up

I still don't quite get it though. Wouldn't the best alk level be tank specific based on what level best keeps the major elements in line - which is what that post says in my mind? If so I'm still confused on why 7 is considered the best absent the risk of low alk. Or is it just that most tanks achieve balanced levels at 7 dkh? Thanks