Trident numbers vs my numbers

[Susan Edwards]

--Hooked up the trident my b-i-l gave me. Everything I found online said to just reset it like new. Has new regents and it's working. However, It's numbers do not match mine!!!
Trident just now Hanna & API just now
Ca 270 360 API
ALK 7.9 9.2 Hanna
Mg 1470 1440 API

The numbers are so far off. Although the alk could be closer to 8.5 as that is where it normally is. 9.2 is a bit higher so maybe a testing error. Ca is a big difference. Mag is pretty close.

Not sure what to do or which numbers to believe... Or how to adjust my dosing...Do I just see what several test show?

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

Did you use the calibration solution that comes with the regent box for the trident? I didn’t and it was way off until I did so

 

[Susan Edwards]

I didn't have any as this is a second hand unit. If I do that, will it waste the new regents I just set up? I'll have to see if I can order it.

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

I didn't have any as this is a second hand unit. If I do that, will it waste the new regents I just set up? I'll have to see if I can order it.

No it won’t waste them. My recommendation would be to buy a one month (or more if you’re planning on using it like I do mine) reagent pack online, they all come with 2 reagent A 1 B 1 C and 1 calibration solution. On the front of the solution is the parameters of what’s in the bottle, you put your sample line into that bottle, prime the sample in apex, then let it run a test with the reagents inside the unit. At the end it’ll spit out it’s numbers and you type in the numbers on the bottles label. This will calibrate the system. Hope that helps you! If you are in Texas or would like I can send you a spare bottle I have for the cost of the shipping, but they do come with the refill packs also

 

[Susan Edwards]

I looked to buy the calibration and no one has in stock!! I have a new 2 mo supply but my brother in law didn't include the calibration bottle. If you want to sell me one, I'm happy to pay shipping!!! I want to give this a month or so try before I order more regent. I'm in CA

I'm assuming you do not need to run the calibration each time you change regents?

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

I looked to buy the calibration and no one has in stock!! I have a new 2 mo supply but my brother in law didn't include the calibration bottle. If you want to sell me one, I'm happy to pay shipping!!! I want to give this a month or so try before I order more regent. I'm in CA

I'm assuming you do not need to run the calibration each time you change regents?

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

Did you open the 2 month supply boxes? They do come with the solution in the box. I cannot confirm or deny the need to do it with every reagent change, however I can attest that I didn’t use the solution for about 6 months because the parameters didn’t seem to move much, but then saw some issues in the tank, ran it, and it was way off, now I use the calibration solution at the start of every time I open a new reagent box. I’ll check my box for extras in the morning if you’d like to pm me

 

[Susan Edwards]

It wasn't a new box. It was what was left of what my son in law had when he gave me the trident and some other apex gear. He had 1 unused and new set of a 2 mo supply (2a, 1b, 1c) and nothing else. And that is what I am using now. So if I like this, and can make it work, then I'll either order the 2 mo supply or the 6 mo which is a better deal

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

It wasn't a new box. It was what was left of what my son in law had when he gave me the trident and some other apex gear. He had 1 unused and new set of a 2 mo supply (2a, 1b, 1c) and nothing else. And that is what I am using now. So if I like this, and can make it work, then I'll either order the 2 mo supply or the 6 mo which is a better deal

No doubt! Send me your address and I’ll get one out to you that I have sitting in my reef box. I’m from CA myself!

 

[Gtinnel]

If you trust your other test kits you can also "calibrate" your trident with your tank water just type in the values of what your other tests show for alk/cal/mag when doing the calibration.
This is the way I do it, but I test the parameters multiple times with different test kits to give me readings that I trust to set the trident to.

 

[Susan Edwards]

If you trust your other test kits you can also "calibrate" your trident with your tank water just type in the values of what your other tests show for alk/cal/mag when doing the calibration.
This is the way I do it, but I test the parameters multiple times with different test kits to give me readings that I trust to set the trident to.

I think I'd trust them to be stable lol's, as my numbers are very consistant and tank is very happy. Now I need to go google how to set the calibration to what I test and when I get the calibration fluid, I'll do that, and see where I'm at. I'm going to my dau's for a week later this month and would like to be able to monitor the tank and give hubby instructions lol's.

 

[Gtinnel]

The only downside IMO to calibrating the trident with your tanks water is that your reading can only be as accurate as your other test kit, but as long as the parameters are stable like you mentioned then it doesn't really matter what the values are, within reason of course.

I don't know if you are dosing with 2 part, but if you are and don't already have one you should consider getting a dos. The trident controlled dosing is amazing IME.

As for how to calibrate there is a task function for it that walks you through what to do step by step. The only difference for me is that I don't put the sample line into the calibration bottle since I use water from my tank.

 

[Susan Edwards]

The only downside IMO to calibrating the trident with your tanks water is that your reading can only be as accurate as your other test kit, but as long as the parameters are stable like you mentioned then it doesn't really matter what the values are, within reason of course.

I don't know if you are dosing with 2 part, but if you are and don't already have one you should consider getting a dos. The trident controlled dosing is amazing IME.

As for how to calibrate there is a task function for it that walks you through what to do step by step. The only difference for me is that I don't put the sample line into the calibration bottle since I use water from my tank.

thanks. I am dosing 2 part plug mg. I have the red sea doser but waiting on a replacement. My new doser turns out to be a used returned doser with a head not working!. Ugh! I do have a DOS. 1 for awc and the one my bil gave me which I thought to set up to dose nopox and ab+, esp. as the DOS is super accurate.

Alk this am a bit more in line and mg right about where I tested so it is Ca that is still very low so will retest that one after work today and the alk. If CA really is that low, then I need to dose more, and more often to get it up some. Even with api it needs to come up. I've been dosing manually 2x's a day

12am alk 8 6am alk 7.996am alk 7.99
6am ca 278 mg 1439

 

[Gtinnel]

Going from manually dosing any doser will be a huge upgrade, but with controlled dosing with a dos the apex will adjust the dose based upon trident reading, it's great because as your demand gradually increases the system will gradually increase your dosages to match.

Controlled dosing is the reason I bought an Apex system and it is well worth it in my opinion.

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

Going from manually dosing any doser will be a huge upgrade, but with controlled dosing with a dos the apex will adjust the dose based upon trident reading, it's great because as your demand gradually increases the system will gradually increase your dosages to match.

Controlled dosing is the reason I bought an Apex system and it is well worth it in my opinion.

I’m gonna need a class from you. I have my dos set to 8ml over a 24 hour period and it keeps it somewhat stable, but when I tried to setup trident controls I got lost in the over-under aspect and didn’t want to screw up with something so important

 

[Gtinnel]

I’m gonna need a class from you. I have my dos set to 8ml over a 24 hour period and it keeps it somewhat stable, but when I tried to setup trident controls I got lost in the over-under aspect and didn’t want to screw up with something so important

Trust me I am not the person to teach anyone anything Neptune, I just figure it out as I go. The little question marks that describe what each value is do a really good job of explaining it.

With controlled dosing you set your base dosage, which in your case would be 8ml, then you set which test to use (obviously for dosing alk you would use the alk test and calcium for calcium), set your value which is what you want it to keep your levels at. Set your range, which is how far above or below you will allow your reading to go away from your value and still allow it to adjust the dosage (for my example my value is 8.25 and my range is .5 so as long as my alkalinity stays between 7.75-8.75 the dose will be controlled. Then set your limit which is how much the dosage is allowed to be changed either up or down. So my limit is set to 35% so if my base dose is 100ml a day the Apex is allowed to dose as little as 65ml and as much as 135ml per day. The range and limit are just to prevent controlled dosing from dosing way to much or to little if there is a bad reading from the trident.

The fun part is when you start setting up different intervals to fine tune how much you dose and when. For instance between midnight and 6 am I only dose 13ml but between 6pm and midnight I dose 42ml. Playing with intervals really makes a difference on getting stable parameters too, since your tanks consumption throughout the day changes.

 

[areefer01]

Send Neptune support a email/ticket and ask them for a calibration bottle. They should be able to sell you one. Just say you purchased the unit 2nd hand and while it contained reagents there was no calibration fluid.

After the Trident is setup I thought they said to wait 24 to 48 hours then run through the calibration. In any case after it is setup and runs a test or two then you run through the calibration and the numbers will be more inline to what you expect.

 

[jimsflies]

After calibrating the trident, you can use the calibration fluid to double check your Hanna checkers to see how accurate they are. The calibration fluid has the laboratory analytical results for Alk, Ca, and Mg printed on the side of it. I wouldn't trust either until I compare them to a standard (the calibration fluid, in this case).