Trident...my grandma could guess closer numbers!

RedSea500MaxS

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New Trident....followed set up exactly.

first test results spot on. 24 hours later WTHeck!

Alkalinite is 7.96....test kits all 8.4 same as always. Calcium...is 532 but test kits 445. Mg is almost same.

what to do. Neptune says...wait 48 hours. And????? And it will learn correct jumbers?

HELP??

Thank you...I hate these gadgets. So disappointing. And Neptune....try to call or get them. NOT.
 

Williamson’s Reef

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I’ve only had mine a month. But it also tested different than my Hana on Alk. I ran the test twice. Opened up a new bottle of Hanna Alk regent and retested..boom.. it matched. Either way I’m only worried about it being consistent.
 
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RedSea500MaxS

RedSea500MaxS

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All these posts are all so happy. That’s all we want is accuracy. It’s not so far. My tech is an IT expert for a living so I know this simple process was completed perfectly.
 

robbyg

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So far most post seem to indicate the Trident is accurate. I think the OPs unit is having a hiccup or some bad reagents are at play. As for @Biggestfish comment, I would not be buying any unit just for consistency alone! It also needs to be accurate.
 

ca1ore

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I think what you actually want is precision ..... accuracy is a difficult thing to pin down. My trident consistently read about 1 dkh lower than the hanna. Replaced the reagent for the hanna, now the trident is .75 dkh lower than the hanna, consistently. I have no idea which one is more accurate.

Calcium test kits are notoriously hard to administer. I’ve gone back to the old API test kit lately. It does read consistently lower than the trident, but again, consistantly so. I have not idea which one is more accurate.
 

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I think what you actually want is precision ..... accuracy is a difficult thing to pin down. My trident consistently read about 1 dkh lower than the hanna. Replaced the reagent for the hanna, now the trident is .75 dkh lower than the hanna, consistently. I have no idea which one is more accurate.

Calcium test kits are notoriously hard to administer. I’ve gone back to the old API test kit lately. It does read consistently lower than the trident, but again, consistantly so. I have not idea which one is more accurate.
Oh that's easy, you just need to consistently test these elements with 4 or 5 different branded test kits along with the Trident. Take the mean of all the results and Boom!
Now do that every time your Trident tests your water parameters. Every time, for the rest of time!!
 

robbyg

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I would like it to be Accurate and Precise but the most important thing is that it is accurate. Precise readings that are always off are not what I would be paying for. Accuracy within the given specification range is fine but you guys are implying that it's not within Spec.
 

scubasteve020

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New Trident....followed set up exactly.

first test results spot on. 24 hours later WTHeck!

Alkalinite is 7.96....test kits all 8.4 same as always. Calcium...is 532 but test kits 445. Mg is almost same.

what to do. Neptune says...wait 48 hours. And????? And it will learn correct jumbers?

HELP??

Thank you...I hate these gadgets. So disappointing. And Neptune....try to call or get them. NOT.

Did you even calibrate it with the calibration solution that’s what I had to do after 48 hours and it’s been good ever since
 

ADAM

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@RedSea500MaxS
How long has the Trident been in use?
Did the calibration complete correctly the first time?
If you dose the tank with 2-part, Kalk, or similar: what time is the dosing occurring compared to the testing time?
Ive have two Tridents that have been running for 8-9 months now and Ive been through many fault scenarios in previous SW
 
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RedSea500MaxS

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Did you even calibrate it with the calibration solution that’s what I had to do after 48 hours and it’s been good ever since
Thank you I am in it.

Today is after 48 hours.....thank you.

BUT calibration instructions are a little confusing in that it states “do not calibrate if unit is giving incorrect results” sorry I paraphrased because message is not up.

we cannot wait for things to get on track. Thx for help others positive results is exciting to hear. Appreciate help working through these bugs.
 

TheHarold

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Thank you I am in it.

Today is after 48 hours.....thank you.

BUT calibration instructions are a little confusing in that it states “do not calibrate if unit is giving incorrect results” sorry I paraphrased because message is not up.

we cannot wait for things to get on track. Thx for help others positive results is exciting to hear. Appreciate help working through these bugs.

yeah it’s not a bug, it’s called following the setup instructions :p.

Follow them.

Don’t skip things like putting the calibration solution at the same height that you will normally be sampling from.
 
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RedSea500MaxS

RedSea500MaxS

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I would like it to be Accurate and Precise but the most important thing is that it is accurate. Precise readings that are always off are not what I would be paying for. Accuracy within the given specification range is fine but you guys are implying that it's not within Spec.

Exactly. What good are bad numbers? Consistently bad is not accurate. Add 1.2, divide by .9, and subtract 2. Lol...my first test was exactly correct on Ca, DKh and Mg. Exact! Now...not close. Why? How? It cannot just be our unit, or maybe it is set up with a bug? We are working on it.

Thanks for any feedback.
 
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RedSea500MaxS

RedSea500MaxS

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@RedSea500MaxS
How long has the Trident been in use?
Did the calibration complete correctly the first time?
If you dose the tank with 2-part, Kalk, or similar: what time is the dosing occurring compared to the testing time?
Ive have two Tridents that have been running for 8-9 months now and Ive been through many fault scenarios in previous SW

that’s a great idea. I dose sump. EXCELLENT THOUGHT MY FRIEND! I am on that change this am! I will move intake for Trident to first chamber in sump return, and dose tubes to last. THANK YOU...A GENIUS Idea!
 

ADAM

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that’s a great idea. I dose sump. EXCELLENT THOUGHT MY FRIEND! I am on that change this am! I will move intake for Trident to first chamber in sump return, and dose tubes to last. THANK YOU...A GENIUS Idea!
If the dosing is automated you could offset the time of dosing a half hour before tests schedule too. If you move the intake line more than just a few inches I would wait a 2-3 days and recalibrate after moving.
 

Crabby48

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Thank you I am in it.

Today is after 48 hours.....thank you.

BUT calibration instructions are a little confusing in that it states “do not calibrate if unit is giving incorrect results” sorry I paraphrased because message is not up.

we cannot wait for things to get on track. Thx for help others positive results is exciting to hear. Appreciate help working through these bugs.
Mine was giving reading way off and I noticed things that seemed odd with trident. Many videos and emails with Neptune then I was about to ship it back but decided to calibrate it first. After calibration it has been flawless.

follow the steps exactly how task tell you and you will probably be fine
 
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yeah it’s not a bug, it’s called following the setup instructions :p.

Follow them.

Don’t skip things like putting the calibration solution at the same height that you will normally be sampling from.

This is very important and it will hold true to any other automated water testing system be it GHL, the MS, or Reefbot. This is not a ding against any of them. They have beta testers. They feed information. Some changes are made to the units and or documentation. Rinse, repeat. Go to market. What @TheHarold and others are saying is that you have to follow them :) Not saying you didn't but it is important. Be aware the location of the trident placement and follow the installation instructions from setup to running in "your" installation location, through calibration and their precision process. It isn't a tool that you are going to install and forget like a return pump, light, wave makers, etc. This is something that is iterative. And once that is done and 10 or more days have passed then you can decide if you want to let it manage dosing for you.

This is also probably one reason some prefer discs or probes. They all have their place but it doesn't mean one is better than the other. But that is a different debate and we'll let it go.

My Trident works pretty well and matches up to both manual tests and water samples from ATI. I do about 3 ATI tests a year and the last one I used a water sample before my 12:00 PM test. Sent off ATI's sample, did a manual test for ALK and Phosphate, and then let the Trident do its thing. Two weeks later compared ATI's numbers with Tridents and my Alk test and they are all within their respected margin of error. So to me that is all I needed and can't really ask for more.

To my issues. Placement is key as is the sample line location in the sump. I was using a brightwell block (the one like the marine pure bloc) and it was starting to break down. It clogged my sample line one time. Ticket into Neptune support on a Friday, I got a call on Saturday, and they walked me through over the phone clearing it. Easy. Second issue was numbers being off but as noted above the dosing dripping line should be opposite of the sample line. I think this is covered in their docs or FAQ. I would say common sense but honestly it didn't cross my mind.

Not sure if this helps you at all but remember the unit has a final check at Neptune before it gets sent to the reseller. Then you have to set it up in your location which is why you don't calibrate it until until it runs a few tests in your specific installation location. The numbers will more than likely be within your expected area after this because of the calibration fluid.

One last suggestion. Take a cup of water out of the tank before you calibrate. Once you are done you can use that cup of water with the left over calibration fluid and test your manual test kits then compare with the tridents final numbers. You will not be using the calibration fluid again so run some quick manual tests on Alk to compare.

Best of luck.
 

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I ran into inconsistency with my initial placement of the feed tubing in the drain section. While I never saw any micro bubbles I believe they were there and throwing my readings off. I moved the feed tubing into another section of the sump and my results have been pretty consistent since.
 
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