Trident calcium

[Matt Winstead]

Trident Calcium. How can it go up in number if I'm not even dosing calcium? Seems with a 210gal stocked with corals albeit small frags that calcium cannot measure up without being dosed. Is Trident just throwing out false readings. The trident has been calibrated every reagent replacement.

 

[Jekyl]

Is alkalinity and magnesium being maintained also?

 

[BlennyTime]

The trident is accurate to +/-15 ppm in measuring calcium. All your measurements fall into that margin.

 

[Matt Winstead]

 

[blaxsun]

Not that this may necessarily be the root cause, but the values with the Trident calibration solution have been consistently off. After 3 bottles that differed by as much as +/-100ppm vs. the stated values I stopped using Neptune’s calibration solution and inserted my own test values instead. Now things hardly fluctuate at all.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Salinity changes will also change calcium and all other ions. A 10 ppm move in calcium represents only a change from sg = 1.0260 to 1.0266.

 

[dwair]

Salinity changes will also change calcium and all other ions. A 10 ppm move in calcium represents only a change from sg = 1.0260 to 1.0266.

Wow thats barely a change in Salinity. I can't even measure that with my refractometer. What would it be for from 1.025-1.026?? Like 30ppm? Thats kinda crazy.

 

[Matt Winstead]

Not that this may necessarily be the root cause, but the values with the Trident calibration solution have been consistently off. After 3 bottles that differed by as much as +/-100ppm vs. the stated values I stopped using Neptune’s calibration solution and inserted my own test values instead. Now things hardly fluctuate at all.

What known calcium solution did you calibrate the trident to? Tank water ?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Wow thats barely a change in Salinity. I can't even measure that with my refractometer. What would it be for from 1.025-1.026?? Like 30ppm? Thats kinda crazy.

You can calculate it like this: 25/26 * 420 ppm = 404 ppm, so a change of 16 ppm.

 

[dwair]

You can calculate it like this: 25/26 * 420 ppm = 404 ppm, so a change of 16 ppm.

So just evaporation daily can raise your Calc levels. I evap around 1 gallon a day and my salinty will change based off that. Never knew this. Thank you.

 

[blaxsun]

What known calcium solution did you calibrate the trident to? Tank water ?

Yep, from the tank. I ran two titration tests and one digital, and took the average. I did the same for magnesium and alkalinity. Now when I run bi-weekly tests the results are always within a set margin of error to what the Trident indicates.

 

[Waters]

My Trident Calcium numbers gradually increase every time i change reagents. Haven't figured out why....I have been using the Trident for over a year. They start out spot on......by the time they need to be changed, they are over 100 off, gradually increasing every day.

 

[blaxsun]

My Trident Calcium numbers gradually increase every time i change reagents. Haven't figured out why....I have been using the Trident for over a year. They start out spot on......by the time they need to be changed, they are over 100 off, gradually increasing every day.

I just tested my calcium last night and it was within +/-10ppm of what the Trident indicated (470 tested, 460 on the Trident). As the difference between 460-470 is only 0.02ml of reagent with the titration test, it could easily be off due to user error. This is 3 weeks since my last calcium titration test, so the Trident results seem to be holding up.

I did change reagents midway through this timeframe.

 

[Lowefx]

Hey, I'm not trying to hijack here, but if you find a resolution, please inform me.

In the past month, my calcium was over 100 off. Yesterday i recalibrated with new calibration fluid and calcium is now reading 75 higher than both my Hanna and Salifert tests. Lines are not pinched and im running the latest updates on my Apex.

Unfortunately a few nice corals are dyeing due to my REAL calcium levels being low (around 350).

Thanks for creating this thread, and i hope i can learn with you why Tritons number are off for us....

 

[blaxsun]

Ditch the Neptune calibration fluid. I tested 2 separate calibration bottles with a Hanna Digital tester and the calcium was +100ppm off on one and -120ppm off on the other (vs. stated values on the bottles).

 

[Sean Clark]

I have been trying to deal with Neptune on the Calcium issue for over a year. Still no resolution. For now, Alk is all that thing is good for.

 

[blaxsun]

I have been trying to deal with Neptune on the Calcium issue for over a year. Still no resolution. For now, Alk is all that thing is good for.

Run a few calcium, magnesium and alkalinity tests on a new (unopened) bottle of calibration solution. I would be very surprised if any digital or titration tests come close to the values stated on the calibration label (with the possible exception of alkalinity). Now consider that we’re told to use these (inaccurate values) for calibrating the Trident and a lot of bizarre calcium and magnesium swings start to make a lot of sense...

 

[Lowefx]

Ditch the Neptune calibration fluid. I tested 2 separate calibration bottles with a Hanna Digital tester and the calcium was +100ppm off on one and -120ppm off on the other (vs. stated values on the bottles).

So what your saying is, i should test my next un-opened bottle of calibration fluid with my Hanna and/or Salifert, to see if the numbers are close. If not, then ill just test my tank with Hanna and/or Salifert, and use those numbers to calibrate.

 

[blaxsun]

So what your saying is, i should test my next un-opened bottle of calibration fluid with my Hanna and/or Salifert, to see if the numbers are close. If not, then ill just test my tank with Hanna and/or Salifert, and use those numbers to calibrate.

Exactly. After 4 months of struggling to get my Trident to generate semi-accurate numbers, I just dispensed with the Trident calibration procedure and instead run my own tests every few weeks, take the averages and input those numbers into the Trident instead.

 

[Righteous]

Definitely in the same boat here. Alk is always spot on, calcium reading way high. What’s strange is that things were much more accurate earlier last year. About to test some of the calibration solutions and double check my Hanna is calibrated, but last time it was in agreement with my ICP.

I am wondering if there’s been an issue with their calibration solution due to pandemic sourcing issues? It seemed to start after that for me when the reagents became hard to find.