How good is the Neptune Trident System.

[aroda]

Thanks for all this input, super helpful.

I've had great success with my "Hanna egg" for alkalinity, been super reliable, but for some reason the Hanna egg for Calcium has been utter garbage....that was much of the impetus for me wishing to automate, because i'm actively trying to manage the levels and testing but poor data has made it difficult. Perhaps I'll try Salifert on Ca like you said.

With Neptune, understand its not standalone. I was planning to go Apex 3, powerbar, Trident ACM, and the doser, all together, i think roughly $1,800 swipe (the the added peripheral electronic tracking of pH and salinity (if Apex pro). Honestly its been so frustrating and my tank health has been suffering over an extended period now. For sanity and comfort around keeping a healthy tank, I've reached an emotional point with it of either prioritize the right equipment to dial this in, or exit the hobby (which i dont want to do), which is why I've arrived to this upgrade decision tree.

I guess the real question since I'm coming in with NO Neptune equipment, is if you are starting from scratch if you maintain Neptune is the best full integrated system in your opinion, or if you'd go toward other companies. From everything I read Neptune is both longstanding and trusted in the industry a long time now. Thanks again for all your thoughts!

 

[aroda]

By the way....so your location is Ca. I'm in Los Angeles, are you SoCal?

Andrew

 

[aroda]

I do not like to spend other people's money :) Short answer is if you do not already have the Neptune controller I would pass for now. Once you find a test kit you are happy with they can be run pretty quickly. Once the system is running to your satisfaction you will see a test cadence that meets your time allocation. Weekly, bi-weekly, etc. A good friend of mine tests weekly, every Sunday for example.

Neptune's Trident ACM is not stand alone so you will have a pretty high initial upfront cost buying all the bits. Trident ACM reagent cost is 109 USD / 6 month kits using the default schedule is about $0.17 per test. Pretty low. Can be lower using non OEM reagents (I use Neptune's) or altering the schedule by using an odd hack to turn it off, back on, etc. I also do not do that or recommend it. The point I am trying to make is that the investment to get the automated testing needs to be factored in - it may not be worth it but only you can answer.

There may be other standalone options but I do not use them so not much help. I am a long time user of Neptune controllers going back to 2001 so a bit biased. While I like the Trident ACM and NP, I do, I think testing for Alk, Nitrate, and Phosphate to be super quick, and consistent, using the Hanna egg's. Ca and Mg I have not manual testing in a long time but used Salifert. RHF may have some recommendations in his build thread or in the chemistry forum. Ca is the interesting one but again, no exp here.

Not sure if I helped or not but ignoring the tank size I would test manually unless I already had a controller. You can always enter later.

Hope your day is well.

Thanks for all this input, super helpful.

I've had great success with my "Hanna egg" for alkalinity, been super reliable, but for some reason the Hanna egg for Calcium has been utter garbage....that was much of the impetus for me wishing to automate, because i'm actively trying to manage the levels and testing but poor data has made it difficult. Perhaps I'll try Salifert on Ca like you said.

With Neptune, understand its not standalone. I was planning to go Apex 3, powerbar, Trident ACM, and the doser, all together, i think roughly $1,800 swipe (the the added peripheral electronic tracking of pH and salinity (if Apex pro). Honestly its been so frustrating and my tank health has been suffering over an extended period now. For sanity and comfort around keeping a healthy tank, I've reached an emotional point with it of either prioritize the right equipment to dial this in, or exit the hobby (which i dont want to do), which is why I've arrived to this upgrade decision tree.

I guess the real question since I'm coming in with NO Neptune equipment, is if you are starting from scratch if you maintain Neptune is the best full integrated system in your opinion, or if you'd go toward other companies. From everything I read Neptune is both longstanding and trusted in the industry a long time now. Thanks again for all your thoughts!

BTW - where are you in California? I'm in Los Angeles.