Trident calibration

[ROX'S REEF]

 

[blaxsun]

Yep, Trident calibration fluid is always off. Manual testing and calibration is the way to achieve the highest accuracy with the Trident.

 

[Gtinnel]

I agree with using my tank water to calibrate it. I’ve been much happier with the trident once I quit using their calibration solution.

 

[Reeferbadness]

Interesting, I just installed tridents for 2 tanks (180g and 200g) 3 days ago and the factory calibration, which is supposed to be on point to begin with, is way off from my hand tests (i also use Hanna for Alk and Salifert for Calc and Mag) I am going to try their calibration fluid today just to see but am really happy to see there is a way to get the trident to read what i strongly feel are the correct #'s. It would drive me nuts to have to go by the Trident false readings and know that what i'm seeing is not really correct. Thanks!

 

[Matt L]

Interesting, I just installed tridents for 2 tanks (180g and 200g) 3 days ago and the factory calibration, which is supposed to be on point to begin with, is way off from my hand tests (i also use Hanna for Alk and Salifert for Calc and Mag) I am going to try their calibration fluid today just to see but am really happy to see there is a way to get the trident to read what i strongly feel are the correct #'s. It would drive me nuts to have to go by the Trident false readings and know that what i'm seeing is not really correct. Thanks!

I see this a lot, and can help. I have two Tridents, and they both track well with other test kits.
The Trident has to be calibrated to each specific setup. The way the sample (black) tubing is routed matters ALOT when calibrating. Also, the tubing cannot be cut shorter. It is important to place the calibration bottle around the same height as the end of the black tubing when it is in normal operation.

https://www.neptunesystems.com/getstarted/trident/calibration/

 

[areefer01]

Interesting, I just installed tridents for 2 tanks (180g and 200g) 3 days ago and the factory calibration, which is supposed to be on point to begin with, is way off from my hand tests (i also use Hanna for Alk and Salifert for Calc and Mag) I am going to try their calibration fluid today just to see but am really happy to see there is a way to get the trident to read what i strongly feel are the correct #'s. It would drive me nuts to have to go by the Trident false readings and know that what i'm seeing is not really correct. Thanks!

The calibration shouldn't be done until after the kit has been installed at the aquarium or after reagent replacement for 48 - 72 hours. Yes, it was calibrated via factory but the calibration is also for your specific installation which will be different than Neptune's production line.

This is mentioned in the calibration get started page.

Edit: I see @Reefer Matt and I are typing at the same time - kudos Matt for adding link.

 

[Reeferbadness]

It's been 3 days since installation so i will test by hand and will calibrate following the instructions to the letter and post how things turn out. Hoping that the calibration will be accurate but at least i have a plan B if it's not.

 

[blaxsun]

It's been 3 days since installation so i will test by hand and will calibrate following the instructions to the letter and post how things turn out. Hoping that the calibration will be accurate but at least i have a plan B if it's not.

If you're using the Trident calibration fluid, expect your independent test results to vary - because the Trident calibration fluid also does (vary, greatly).

 

[Gtinnel]

Interesting, I just installed tridents for 2 tanks (180g and 200g) 3 days ago and the factory calibration, which is supposed to be on point to begin with, is way off from my hand tests (i also use Hanna for Alk and Salifert for Calc and Mag) I am going to try their calibration fluid today just to see but am really happy to see there is a way to get the trident to read what i strongly feel are the correct #'s. It would drive me nuts to have to go by the Trident false readings and know that what i'm seeing is not really correct. Thanks!

I have tested the trident calibration solution with several test kits and the readings I got didn’t match the stated amount on the bottle. I can’t say that the manual test were right, but when two tests from different manufacturers show the same value I tend to trust them more than the stated value on the bottle.
I calibrate with my tank water using tests that I trust and I won’t go back to using their calibration solution.
Luckily stability is way more important than what these values actually are.

 

[Matt L]

It's been 3 days since installation so i will test by hand and will calibrate following the instructions to the letter and post how things turn out. Hoping that the calibration will be accurate but at least i have a plan B if it's not.

The key is the black tubing. When they calibrate it at the factory, the tubing is not routed as it is in your setup. The back pressure of the tube is what affects the accuracy.
Every Trident I have seen come from the factory doesn't read correctly out of the box. But, they suggest letting it run for a week to purge the system and make sure it is operating correctly before calibration.

 

[areefer01]

It is always interesting to read hobbyist experiences using the same product / similar product. Just goes to show how our systems are different be it installation or environmental. On a whim I pulled out my last calibration bottle used a couple weeks back. I keep the left over to spot check should a test or two be out of bounds.

These are Neptune reagents. Installation sample line, and calibration position, is similar or as close as I can get it.

Bottle reads: Alk 7.75, Ca 413, Mg 1246 (image 1 below)
Trident manual test result: Alk 7.68, Ca 398, Mg 1252 (image 2 below)

Image 1:

Image 2:

 

[Gtinnel]

Manual test result: Alk 7.68, Ca 398, Mg 1252 (image 2 below)

When I say manual test I meant I tested it with my Red Sea pro test and my Hanna checker.

 

[areefer01]

When I say manual test I meant I tested it with my Red Sea pro test and my Hanna checker.

Yeah - fully understood. After reading some of the comments this morning I just pulled out my left over calibration solution and ran a manual trident test is all. I guess my point was that many of us hobbyist can use the same product but have a totally different experience with it. Doesn't mean either of us is right or wrong or the product is poo but rather we just have different experiences. I do not compare to other test kits as I'd end up frustrated and/or confused.

 

[nothing_fancy]

This is an ongoing saga for most trident users I think. Between Hanna test for dKh my trident is almost exactly 1 dKh lower. It does get annoying. Salifert and Hanna seem pretty close by Salifert is a bit of a guessing game when it comes to fractions of a dKh. I just ordered the coral vue reagents for the first time. I have some ATI Referenz solution. I think Im going to try to calibrate it them to that, then look at the hanna results and then perhaps cal to tank water depending on the results, maybe cal off the average. Does that sound reasonable?