Unbalanced parameter dosing with Triton

[VJV]

Dear Triton,

I have setup my tank according to the Triton method and into the 6 month mark of dosing the base elementz. However, in order to keep my Alkalinity at the recommended 8.0dKH my Magnesium and Calcium are too hig at 1480ppm and 475ppm, respectively.

Is there any harm in dosing different quantities of the elementz to balance the chemistry?

 

[Tim@Triton]

Firstly, have you had these numbers confirmed with the ICP?

Once everything is stable you can start to lower your KH towards 7. For some systems the parameters are more favourable there.

Another option is to reduce the dose of number two a little to bring Calcium down a bit, Mg at 1480 is no problem.

 

[VJV]

Thanks Tim. I did have a Triton test a couple of months ago that confirmed the results I was getting from my test kits so have no reason to doubt them. At that point things were relatively balanced but calcium and magnesium have been creeping up overtime.

I had cut the dosage of Calcium and Magnesium to 24ml and 12ml respectively, and had maintained the Alk dosage at 50ml to bring things in line. Do you believe I should bring Alk down to?

Also, high levels of Magnesium in my reef typically result in a lot of Trochus snails dying so I would like to bring it down.

 

[Tim@Triton]

I certainly wouldn't class 1480 as high but anyway, you should not dose 1 and 3a/b differently as each other as they contain the important trace elements and we have seen a few systems running into problems when they are dosed differently.

Number 2 is designed to be able to be dosed differently as Calcium is the most common element that can go out of whack, so that solution does not contain any of the important traces in with it.

The best way to think of it is you should lower the dose of all of them until you reach the right level for the highest parameter, then buffer the lower up to the correct level then the maintaining dose should carry it on from there. So in your case another option would be to equal dose but to lower the dose of all the solutions until the Magnesium is where you want it. Once there then if needed buffer the Alk additionally to get it back up to where you want it.

However, I were you I would equal dose and then lower to get to an Alk of closer to 7 and see where you are then..

 

[293482398]

However, I were you I would equal dose and then lower to get to an Alk of closer to 7 and see where you are then..

Is this a potential example of a tank that might be happier with an alk closer to 7 than 8? You mentioned that some tanks prefer 7 over 8, but what gives you that indication? Was that it things were easily balanced at 7.4, but wouldn't balance at 8 or was it something related to growth rates of corals or macro? Thanks!

 

[VJV]

I certainly wouldn't class 1480 as high but anyway, you should not dose 1 and 3a/b differently as each other as they contain the important trace elements and we have seen a few systems running into problems when they are dosed differently.

Number 2 is designed to be able to be dosed differently as Calcium is the most common element that can go out of whack, so that solution does not contain any of the important traces in with it.

The best way to think of it is you should lower the dose of all of them until you reach the right level for the highest parameter, then buffer the lower up to the correct level then the maintaining dose should carry it on from there. So in your case another option would be to equal dose but to lower the dose of all the solutions until the Magnesium is where you want it. Once there then if needed buffer the Alk additionally to get it back up to where you want it.

However, I were you I would equal dose and then lower to get to an Alk of closer to 7 and see where you are then..

Thanks Tim. Much appreciated.

 

[Tim@Triton]

Is this a potential example of a tank that might be happier with an alk closer to 7 than 8? You mentioned that some tanks prefer 7 over 8, but what gives you that indication? Was that it things were easily balanced at 7.4, but wouldn't balance at 8 or was it something related to growth rates of corals or macro? Thanks!

As we always say "No two tanks are the same" so it is impossible to make a product that will work for everyone. With that being said the Triton solutions (original Base Elements and Core7) are designed to be balanced at an operating KH of between 7-9. The number 8 is given out as a target point due to inaccuracies of home KH test kits (error generally around 1dKH), this gives us more room for error, especially in the early stages of establishing a stable dose.

The advice for users who have established a stable dose and use a reliable KH test kit is to lower the target down to 7. This gives us a more natural set of parameters. With Core7 the system runs even better at around 7 dKH due to the new composition. Personally 7.2dKH is my sweet spot.

With the OP's params running slightly high then that's why I would suggest a slightly lower KH target point.

Hope this helps

 

[d2mini]

You've probably already checked but make sure your dosing pumps are calibrated equally.
Re-calibrate periodically.

 

[VJV]

You've probably already checked but make sure your dosing pumps are calibrated equally.
Re-calibrate periodically.

Thanks Denis. Unfortunately I have an old model Grotech pump that cannot be calibrated. Over the years I have worked around this simply by testing and adjusting individual dosage for each pump. Maybe it's time for that new GHL Doser [emoji1]2.1

 

[VJV]

I certainly wouldn't class 1480 as high but anyway, you should not dose 1 and 3a/b differently as each other as they contain the important trace elements and we have seen a few systems running into problems when they are dosed differently.

Number 2 is designed to be able to be dosed differently as Calcium is the most common element that can go out of whack, so that solution does not contain any of the important traces in with it.

The best way to think of it is you should lower the dose of all of them until you reach the right level for the highest parameter, then buffer the lower up to the correct level then the maintaining dose should carry it on from there. So in your case another option would be to equal dose but to lower the dose of all the solutions until the Magnesium is where you want it. Once there then if needed buffer the Alk additionally to get it back up to where you want it.

However, I were you I would equal dose and then lower to get to an Alk of closer to 7 and see where you are then..

Tim, I decided to change to the core 7 additives and noticed that some of them (I believe it was the magnesium) precipitate as soon as they hit the water, with hundreds of small particulates forming instantly. I believe they do dissolve over time but is this normal?

 

[Tim@Triton]

Tim, I decided to change to the core 7 additives and noticed that some of them (I believe it was the magnesium) precipitate as soon as they hit the water, with hundreds of small particulates forming instantly. I believe they do dissolve over time but is this normal?

The 3a and 3b solutions are the Alkalinity, this is quite normal, however this is why I should emphasise that you should dose into an area of high flow so they are swept away.

 

[VJV]

Thanks! I am dosing in the return section so there is no higher flow than that in my sump. This section has some 30 liters of volume and the return is a 8.000l/h pump (that I assume is outputting between 3.000 and 4.000). This never occurred with the normal Elementz but I guess is to be expected given the 7x concentration.

 

[Tim@Triton]

Thanks! I am dosing in the return section so there is no higher flow than that in my sump. This section has some 30 liters of volume and the return is a 8.000l/h pump (that I assume is outputting between 3.000 and 4.000). This never occurred with the normal Elementz but I guess is to be expected given the 7x concentration.

Yeah a few customers add a small powerhead to get high flow, also it is a good post to highlight that these solutions are completely different to the old style, in both composition and indeed which solution is in each bottle.

 

[Motts]

Hey i just started first week of dosing core7 triton method and i am having a crazy high magnesium spike can someone please advise.

 

[Tim@Triton]

Hey i just started first week of dosing core7 triton method and i am having a crazy high magnesium spike can someone please advise.

Started the convo with you on the other topic you posted on

 

[Motts]

k got it replied on the other post

 

[VJV]

Yeah a few customers add a small powerhead to get high flow, also it is a good post to highlight that these solutions are completely different to the old style, in both composition and indeed which solution is in each bottle.

Definitely!! I really do not understand why doesn't Triton clearly state what each bottle is in the respective labels...???!!! I mean, why not??? And on top of this they decide to change the solution numbers from normal to the core7 which further complicates things.

By the way, am I right in assuming that 1 is magnesium and 2 is calcium?

 

[justingraham]

Yea I would like to know what one is as I had a problem with my dosing pump being stuck in a syphon and draining a bunch of one into my tank

I thought my alk was going to be thru the roof but apparently alk is the 3's

 

[Tim@Triton]

Definitely!! I really do not understand why doesn't Triton clearly state what each bottle is in the respective labels...???!!! I mean, why not??? And on top of this they decide to change the solution numbers from normal to the core7 which further complicates things.

By the way, am I right in assuming that 1 is magnesium and 2 is calcium?

Yea I would like to know what one is as I had a problem with my dosing pump being stuck in a syphon and draining a bunch of one into my tank

I thought my alk was going to be thru the roof but apparently alk is the 3's

The reason that the contents are not on the packaging is that the solutions are not designed to be used individually, they are a set, to be dosed equally, the only exception to the rule is number 2 for controlling Calcium which can go out of sink with the others and why that has stayed in number 2 in all versions. If you have a problem then a quick look at the user manuals will tell you what is in what. They are pinned to the top of this forum and can also be found here.