Triton Method...sump and many other questions

[Urbs]

Year and half ago I tore my tank down. I moved, got married, three kids ect. just too much going on to care for it. It was my first reef and it was mainly sps. I want back in. I kept everything knowing this would probably happen. I have a DSA 65 Rimless Neo tank, Trigger systems Ruby 36 sump, Vertex Omega 130 skimmer, no return pump at the moment, Sfiligoi single ended 400 watt MH running a Radium 20k bulb. I also have a Ecotech Radion 30 but will use the MH for now. Two Ecotech MP 10's and two Tunze for water movement. Bubble Magnus doser and was adding BRS Cal, Alk and Mag.

So for the Triton Method....
1. Can I use my current sump or is that a deal breaker? I understand Triton wants Cheto first then skimmer. Current sump is tank returns into my skimmer section then to refugium and return pump section.
1a. Could I just add a refugium in front of this sump for this method to work correctly?

2. I don't understand the testing method? How much does it cost? How long is the turn around on results. I looked around and couldn't find answers to these questions. I'm sure I'm missing something or not looking in the right areas.

I have more questions but feel like this is a good place to start. I appreciate any and all help.

 

[K100286]

I have been using the TM for 8 months. Haven't encountered any problems. My skimmer is in the chamber before my cheato reactor and not in the first chamber as some recommend. I'm not sure why it should be in the first chamber. I seems to be working fine for me. The TM is very easy to implement. Just order the core 7 elements, set up 4 dosing pumps and start dosing about 10 ml per day from each bottle. It is very important that you test your Alk each day with the objective of getting a reading of 8. I personally try for between. 8 and 8.5 If 10 ml is too much or not enough adjust the dosage to get to the 8 mark.
I would call the distributor, Unigue Corals in Southern California for all the specifics you need. Ask for Joe, he's the owner. I have a total of about 200 gal.and it is costing me 50.00 per month. You will also fine a lot of information on this web site. Search for "trition method". My aquarium has never looked better.

 

[Tim@Triton]

Hey Urbs

To answer your questions.

1. Ideally your sump should be setup with algae first, this is so the algae get the first crack at anything making its way down from the display, we want the algae to do most of the work for the system. However it is not the end of the world if you cannot achieve this. I personally ran my sump "backwards" before I got round to switching some baffles etc to run it the "Triton Way".

1a. You could add an external algae refugium if you wished.

2. The testing method as it stands at the moment..... you purchase a test kit from one of our retailers around the country and follow the directions in the kit, the kit costs $49. You then send the sample to Triton US (Unique Corals) who then send them over to the lab in Germany where we do the analysis. The whole process usually takes 7-10days depending on postal services. That is how it is done currently, in the next year will will be opening a facility in LA which will house it's own Lab. This will take the turnaround down to approx 2-3 days.

Other things to consider which may steer your questions are that we have a number of options for you that are not as prescriptive as the full Triton Method. If you feel that you cannot achieve the pre-requisites then the Core7 is also available as Reef Supplements, this version enables you to run your system however you like. The Core7 Base Elements require the Triton Sump setup whereas with Core7 Reef Supplements the elements responsible for boosting the performance of the algae filter have been reduced, this means that you can use any nutrient control method you like and as long as you have a suitable method and a means of dealing with any toxin accumulations you can still run with no water changes. I would recommend regular testing to keep an eye on things.

 

[Tim@Triton]

Here's some light reading

 

[Urbs]

Tim you nailed it. Thank you
Now for some reading...

 

[Urbs]

Ok where do I find a sump that meets the Triton method? My current one and all others I'm finding on the internet have the refugium in the middle section.

 

[K100286]

Don't worry about it. My refugium is in the middle and after almost 9 months I haven't had a problem. Tim said the skimmer is recommended to be in the first chamber to get the first crack at the nutritiates. However, remember that tests have shown that skimmers only remove about 30 percent of the available waste so plenty will get to the second chamber.

 

[Tim@Triton]

Don't worry about it. My refugium is in the middle and after almost 9 months I haven't had a problem. Tim said the skimmer is recommended to be in the first chamber to get the first crack at the nutritiates. However, remember that tests have shown that skimmers only remove about 30 percent of the available waste so plenty will get to the second chamber.

Tim said Skimmer should be in the second chamber not the first...

 

[K100286]

Sorry, you'll right. I miss read. Still your algae in the second chamber will still get about 70 percent of the nutritents. I don't know how all the sumps are designed, but most people want the skimmer in the first chamber. You could buy an old acrylic aquarium and set up the chambers anyway you like. In my case I have a 100 gal aquarium for the sump and I put my skimmer in the first chamber, everything is working fine so my algae will remain in the second chamber. If the algae isn't growing fast enough you could also dose some nitrogen along with some iron. So far I am only dosing iron, but if my no3 falls below 4-5 ppm I have nitrogen on hand. If you can they also recommend you have a variety of different macro algae. Let me know how it works out for you.

 

[Ryan Kouns]

Tim, say I decide to go with the Core7 Reef Supplements would I still start out a 10ml per day and test my water and adjust accordingly?

-Note: I'm going to start a 120gal DT and a 36gal sump I plan to use the Triton method asap. Can I use the Core7 Reef Supplements from the day my tank is cycled?

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Ryan, the answer really depends on your initial stocking levels. Will you be transferring more mature colonies from an existing system or starting with frags?

Triton's method is ultimately about balance between your display and the refugium.

From personal experience (and others such as d2mini's experience) a slow start from scratch can be difficult. Unless there is a fair amount of coral at startup to uptake the Core7 elements, you will likely need less than the full initial dosage.

This is anecdotal, but with low doses of Core7, algae growth in the refugium will be limited. In at least two cases here on R2R this began a boom or bust cycle of algae growth where the boom cycles spawned undesirable algae growth in both the DT and refugium when more desirable algae had failed in the bust cycles.

The key, at least in my case, was to stick it out. Going on the 15th month now and the system finally balanced (although there is some stubborn bubble algae remaining in the DT). Triton mentions the refugium will ebb and flow through different cycles, but I have been surprised that certain caulerapas I thought were long gone have come roaring back.

I believe Triton lends its self more to conversions from established tanks. If you don't have that luxury, then I recommend stocking heavily from the outset or being prepared to be patient for the balancing point.

M
#dorighttriton