Trident FAQ

[Zaffor]

I for one "CARE" what my install looks like and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that many other reef keepers "CARE" as I dont see many brown colored poop resembling aquarium equipment on the market. Instead of rippin on someone for actually caring what his installation looks like why not focus more on constructive criticism or keep the poop to yourself.

 

[furam28]

I'm a big fan of Neptune but I would like to see a pre-release date, even if its tentative. Otherwise it feels like they just gave a teaser to ward off competitors. Alk monitors are now more widely available and affordable, and maybe Neptune, being late in the game, just wants people to hold off on getting those.

 

[DangerDave]

I'm holding off and waiting for it. I use Apex, and appreciate the insight to my reef. I don't require everything to be monitored &/or controlled by Apex . AP700 lights, ac return pump aren't, but most everything else is (powerheads, return and overflow flow, AWC, ATK, temp, rodi, etc). I see the value of having automated water testing, how it will help me up to date with my busy work & family life. I feel the cost to entry seems fair, and I'm probably willing to pay for it.

I'm really looking forward to the Trident, and hope it lives up to the hype (or at least the hype I've given it).

Dave

 

[Centerline]

I could use an update on a potential time frame myself. I have all the goods for a tank we are putting into our new office - everything but the alk controller and would really rather not spend money on a guardian only to find out that the Apex version will be available in March....

 

[Centerline]

I feel it is important for manufacturers to stay connected to their customers, even those that are not happy about their products or their product direction. So, despite the tone, I will answer some, but not all of your questions. I am not dodging, its just for some of these questions they either are not relevant (of course in my opinion, but that is what forums are about, right?), or we are not going to give out that proprietary info, or we are not yet ready to disclose the information. So here is what I can tell you.

The Trident uses an LED system to detect the changes that happen during titration. LED are rated for many thousands of hours of service. This is not something that should be concerning factor for long-term ownership of the Trident.

We will provide a set of calibration standards with the Trident.

I would hope that you would be skeptical about our product as well as the products from others that have been demonstrated but not yet seen out in the reefkeeping world. That said, the prototypes for the alkalinity component of the Trident have been in place and testing on real reef aquariums (including Rich Ross - the king of skeptical reefkeeping) for more than a year with nearly zero maintenance (although one of the prototype components in Rich's system did have a minor issue once in that timeframe).

We are still perfecting the test schedules that make the most sense. That said, at this point, we are recommending at least once a day for Ca and Mg.

I do not need to sell you on the Trident at this time. It is too early for that. There will be plenty of time for us to provide more information and for you to do more research. That said, the Trident will require a new Apex, and you have said you absolutely will not upgrade, so there is not much point in trying to sell you if that is the case.

We do not yet know what the warranty will be.

I do not know how you are possibly getting to $1600. Furthermore, never did I say that there would not be a way for existing owners of the classic to purchase the 2016 Apex Base unit. I simply said that it is not available now, and it would likely not make the most financial sense if or when it were ever made available.

You asked what I would do as a customer - you should know that I was an Apex customer the first year they came out (2009) - long before I became an employee (2012). Wow - it has been that long... So, if I were a paying Control Freak right now, and knew I was going to get the Trident when it came out, and had owned my Classic for more than a year, and I had not yet made the plunge to get a new Apex, I would sell off my Apex Classic for whatever I can get for it, along with one of my EB8 (because I would/did have more than one), along with all the probes, and PM2 and would have bought the new Apex two weekends ago for $719. Net to me would be likely ~$350-$450 and for that I would have got the new Apex, a better Energy Bar, a completely new set of probes, and a new one-year warranty. Oh, and because I bought it with my Amex, I would get an extra year of warranty. You asked what I would do - well that is absolutely the most honest answer I could give and I am glad you asked.

So after reading this whole thread all I can say is WOW - I wouldn't want your job. All of the "I hate Neptune - aint buyin - aint doin it" stuff is obnoxious in my opinion. It speaks to the lack of understanding when it comes to upgrade paths and limitations therein for standing hardware. Something as simple as the design choice of a NVRAM chip when it was state of the art juxtaposed against current offerings can translate into a more sophisticated code base simply not fitting on the original chip - and I guess that's a part of the problem with supporting the Trident on older hardware. None the less, I'm a happy Neptune customer. I own four of the 2016 units and one Apex Gold that's still happily in service.

 

[Darrell Brady]

I'm sure it will beat the mindstream out.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

I love my apex so I’ll be waiting.

 

[Mark Gray]

Can't wait to see this run love my Apex easy to use and so far very reliable, Any update on when It will come out

 

[Terence]

I can assure you all that we are working super hard on this project and we should be opening up the NSI application process again this quarter to select individuals for the Trident NSI team. For those interested in that, keep your eye out for the announcement on Facebook and our forum later this quarter.

 

[Mike S]

I can assure you all that we are working super hard on this project and we should be opening up the NSI application process again this quarter to select individuals for the Trident NSI team. For those interested in that, keep your eye out for the announcement on Facebook and our forum later this quarter.

Glad to hear that its still on track to be released in a few months.

 

[JeepinReefer]

I can assure you all that we are working super hard on this project and we should be opening up the NSI application process again this quarter to select individuals for the Trident NSI team. For those interested in that, keep your eye out for the announcement on Facebook and our forum later this quarter.

Thanks for the update. Now to go refresh the website over and over!

 

[tastyfish]

Wow, there's lots of clamour over the Trident. To be fair to Neptune, they are obviously keen on testing and getting this right and not to rush into a product release when it may not be ready/they are not happy with the level of testing.

Of all things in the tank, I would want a device capable of sensing current Alk, Ca & Mg levels and *automatically* adjusting the dosage to be tested to death!

If a doser can go wrong (and they do), imagine what could go wrong here.

Remember also that other KH controllers on the market are just that. They only monitor KH. Neptune is building the Trident to monitor KH AND Ca AND Mg. That's 3 times the complexity.

Kudos to Neptune here. If they are not announcing a pre-release date, then it's likely because they feel they are not ready and don't want to disappoint customers (Remember the COR release?) or worse, rush a product out to a deadline before it's ready.

I certainly would not rush out and install something like this on my tank if I didn't have the confidence it was tested and ready.

Would you?

 

[JeepinReefer]

I certainly would not rush out and install something like this on my tank if I didn't have the confidence it was tested and ready.

Would you?

Hypothetically, I may rush out and install a monitor, but automated dosing based on the monitoring would come later once I have more confidence.

 

[dcmartinpc]

%100 agree. I am definitely getting a Trident and hopefully join the NSI program (hint hint [emoji6]), but you can bet I will still be testing at least bi-weekly at a minimum for Alkalinity. And I will certainly only use it in a monitoring capacity for a significant period of time. It is more about getting some insight into the status of the tank more frequently instead of a snapshot once a week.

Don

 

[Zaffor]

 

[AJsReef]

Remember also that other KH controllers on the market are just that. They only monitor KH. Neptune is building the Trident to monitor KH AND Ca AND Mg. That's 3 times the complexity.

Couldn't agree more. I think many are overlooking that KH is also one of the simplest tests around. Its almost always a 1 step deal be it titration or in a Colorimeter. Ca and Mg are much more involved tests with every test kit I've ever used.

Even if this product comes out late this year/early next year I'm more than willing to wait. I can do a KH test in a couple minutes. So having a KH director or equivalent isn't adding much for me personally. Now doing consistent Ca or Mg test, that's what seals the deal for me. Doing all 3 takes easily 10x the amount of time. So much so that I barely ever test Ca/Mg.

 

[Centerline]

So I just got done testing all of my tank - took an hour and a half. This is a twice a week ordeal and 3 or 4 times for alk...... I CANNOT WAIT.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

this will DRAMATICALLY reduce the time you spend testing...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BGPC5...t=&hvlocphy=9061080&hvtargid=pla-348933121169

 

[Centerline]

this will DRAMATICALLY reduce the time you spend testing...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004BGPC5...t=&hvlocphy=9061080&hvtargid=pla-348933121169

For 27 bucks that a cool little gizmo! Know if the Hanna culverts fit it?

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

i domt think the mag pill will fit in a hanna curvette..

put it does mean no shaking while titrating.

cal, alk, and mag take me about 5 min total with red sea