Who's doing the full triton method?

[Scott.h]

Scott.h... A DOS and the Core 7 is all you need to get started. After you get it "dialed in" send your test and Triton will recommend what can be done to improve the water of your reef. Up to you if you want to do it (I do) or not. I use ESV charcoal in a reactor and don't use any GFO (I find GFO to be more trouble than its worth) works best for me. I'm not a "Triton fanatic " and my tank is set up different than the perfect Triton Method because of my Eshopps R200 sump which I made into a sort of a Triton/Berlin hybrid. If you feel like looking at the few posts I made you can see I had my issues being a saltwater beginner which Triton seem to solve at the moment.

I'm not having any filtration issues. I have to add nitrate and phosphate, without running extra stuff. But there are two different core 7 kits, see below. I do not want to carbon dose, and with what I have Im not sure where I fall. Assuming the full method. Just want to verify that, and that there are no carbon dosing elements inside one or the other of the kits.

http://uniquecorals.com/dry-goods/triton/triton-core-7-reef-supplements.html

http://uniquecorals.com/dry-goods/triton/triton-base-elementz-core-7.html

 

[Oberst Oswald]

I would say this (which is for the Full Triton Method)... http://uniquecorals.com/dry-goods/triton/triton-base-elementz-core-7.html . Don't know what is in this stuff but I can safely say that there is no carbon dosing necessary because I don't carbon dose.

 

[Oberst Oswald]

good morning everyone. I am very excited to try out this Triton method on my new tank. It is a 90g brand new tank still in the middle of its cycle. Ammonia is finally dropping significantly, while Nitrites are beginning to maximize. Im also starting to get some nitrates so I know the cycle is churning right on along. I have a 40g sump with a turf scrubber built in. Not running the scrubber quite yet, but planning on tuning it on soon. pH seems to be doing ok, balncing out around 8.05 and 8.2ish but my dkh is much higher than the 8 that is recommended. The salt that I am using is Reef Crystals, which is where I think the high dkh is coming from in the first place. How could I go about getting my dosage dialed in if I'm ABOVE the 8 that we should be shooting for?

Triton recommends using their salt or Tropic Marin Pro. I'm sure there are other salts that work. Don't know how you can lower salt that is already too high without adding dkh users (coral etc). I red (sp?) somewhere, I think in the Triton section of the forum, that Triton works better in tanks that have been around awhile. I will try to find the post for you later. By using a scrubber you will be going "off the beaten path" and might bring you difficulties. The Triton 'frug should be stocked with an assortment of plants which a new tank will not support in the beginning until its got some time under its belt. Please read all you can on Triton...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Triton recommends using their salt or Tropic Marin Pro. I'm sure there are other salts that work. Don't know how you can lower salt that is already too high without adding dkh users (coral etc). .

It is not hard to lower alkalinity is a salt mix, if there's a reason to at to do that. Muriatic acid works well.

 

[BDubs74]

Triton recommends using their salt or Tropic Marin Pro. I'm sure there are other salts that work. Don't know how you can lower salt that is already too high without adding dkh users (coral etc). I red (sp?) somewhere, I think in the Triton section of the forum, that Triton works better in tanks that have been around awhile. I will try to find the post for you later. By using a scrubber you will be going "off the beaten path" and might bring you difficulties. The Triton 'frug should be stocked with an assortment of plants which a new tank will not support in the beginning until its got some time under its belt. Please read all you can on Triton...

By using a scrubber instead of a standard refugium with chaeto or other macor algae, you just have to use the alternate method mix. I'm just wondering if I need to somehow bring the dkh down to 8 before starting to dose.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

By using a scrubber instead of a standard refugium with chaeto or other macor algae, you just have to use the alternate method mix. I'm just wondering if I need to somehow bring the dkh down to 8 before starting to dose.

Before dosing what, exactly?

 

[BDubs74]

Before dosing what, exactly?

The non-Triton Method Reef Supplements
http://uniquecorals.com/dry-goods/triton/triton-core-7-reef-supplements.html

 

[Scott.h]

Triton recommends using their salt or Tropic Marin Pro. I'm sure there are other salts that work. Don't know how you can lower salt that is already too high without adding dkh users (coral etc). I red (sp?) somewhere, I think in the Triton section of the forum, that Triton works better in tanks that have been around awhile. I will try to find the post for you later. By using a scrubber you will be going "off the beaten path" and might bring you difficulties. The Triton 'frug should be stocked with an assortment of plants which a new tank will not support in the beginning until its got some time under its belt. Please read all you can on Triton...

I already use TM pro reef. I chose this, not because they recommend it, but because it has the lowest alk I've found while having the other elements elevated. I keep my alk at 7.0. The mix is generally 7.8 but I lower it with hydrocloic acid instead of muratic. I guess I feel better about adding less impurities.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't think any supplements need the alk to be low, except those that drive down nutrients (organic carbon dosing, for example).

Otherwise, at higher alk corals will grow at least as fast and maybe faster, and will need supplements the same or more.

 

[TStuc70890]

Here is a Triton article from last year, that I found helpful. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-triton-experiences-so-far.261180/

 

[Scott.h]

Here is a Triton article from last year, that I found helpful. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-triton-experiences-so-far.261180/

he has some interesting points but he may be a little out there. I don't know. I sure hope I don't have algae outbreaks or cyano after I start. I'm not having any problems as of now.

 

[Oberst Oswald]

I had no issues, either algae or cyano, when starting Triton. The 'frug plants did get more denser for awhile and I had to remove the floating plants quite often. After a month or two it leveled out and worked just like it is suppose to work with a slight die off and only have to remove some stuff weekly or so. I kind of think the 'frug (along with the skimmer) is working too good and sucking up the nutrients. After reading Tim's post to me I made a change today and going to see if running the sump without a sock will help with coral growth.

 

[Scott.h]

I had no issues, either algae or cyano, when starting Triton. The 'frug plants did get more denser for awhile and I had to remove the floating plants quite often. After a month or two it leveled out and worked just like it is suppose to work with a slight die off and only have to remove some stuff weekly or so. I kind of think the 'frug (along with the skimmer) is working too good and sucking up the nutrients. After reading Tim's post to me I made a change today and going to see if running the sump without a sock will help with coral growth.

I know some don't use socks, even other then triton. To me it seems like asking for punishment long term. Why not catch the big garbage that will get stuck somewhere and break down. Say mysis shrimp pieces. Why give food the opportunity to break down? Especially if you aren't doing water changes. Detritus will end up somewhere and that's the stuff I go after when I do water changes. The corners of the sump etc. Yes eventually it will break down, but this build up can lead to big problems too.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I know some don't use socks, even other then triton. To me it seems like asking for punishment long term. Why not catch the big garbage that will get stuck somewhere and break down. Say mysis shrimp pieces. Why give food the opportunity to break down? Especially if you aren't doing water changes. Detritus will end up somewhere and that's the stuff I go after when I do water changes. The corners of the sump etc. Yes eventually it will break down, but this build up can lead to big problems too.

Lots of people end up needing to dose nitrate and sometimes phosphate these days. Not collecting these solids will contribute a small amount to the added nutrients (not a lot unless they are a large fraction of the foods added, since nearly all of the N and P in foods, whether eaten or not, end up in the water). .

 

[Oberst Oswald]

Where I am going with this is I believe that corals need to have regular feedings and if you have a huge skimmer and filter the hell out of your water, this makes life as a coral hard. So it could be true that it is hard to establish SPS in that environment. But if you have a clean water system (nitrates and phosphates) that at the same time is nutrient rich (reef chili, reef roids, oyster, etc) you can grow anything. Right now my greenbay packer zoa colony is putting out almost 1 polyp per day!!!

Reading a post (from another thread) like this makes me wonder why I have such slow growth and its not me being impatient. I like to think I'm doing everything right and spending lots of money to buy what I think is the best equipment. I feed my corals the exact food plus other food (Rods, fish roe and drops from the little blue bottles (Pohl's) etc. Triton has been successful for me keeping SPS alive with great PE, color and having a attractive tank (Softies, LPS, zoa's) but growth is lacking especially with the zoa's. I'm going to give sockless a try for a few weeks and see if certain "test subjects" show a polyp or two. Dumping more food into my tank to feed a small dog is not "doing it" for coral growth even though my pot bellied fish would think otherwise.

 

[Oberst Oswald]

I put the sock back in because I could not stand seeing stuff floating around in the tank. The skimmer was needing to be emptied more anyway without the sock. Got my Triton results back which showed I was very low on Ca and low on Mg among other elements. I don't get it... my Kh is 7.4 and the 4 DOS heads are calibrated correctly so I did not often test Ca & Mg because dosage is the same for all 4 bottles which I see are used equally. One thing I notice is the Hanna alkalinity reagents give a different test results with each new replacement bottle. I bought 3 bottles and tested... one was way off and the other two were pretty close so I don't trust the home testing kits. Just for information... I almost have every bottle of elements now with Lithium, Sulfur and Nickel now recommended to be added with the latest test results. Triton has been good to my tank so I'm going to follow their advice religiously and see how it goes.

 

[Scott.h]

That's kinda where I'm at. What I've found by "feeding more" is extra garbage followed by cyano. So I'm feeding what the fish need, adding a touch of coral food (just because), leaving the socks in, and dosing no3 daily with the dos. Every few days adding a 1/4 ml po3.

The thing I'm skeptical about, over time using the system you have to assume all elements will use the same amount by following alk. Obviously they don't. For instance I dose alk daily (obviously) but never mg. Obviously doing no water changes it will use some mg, but using the four bottles you have no control. Right now my calcium is 474. I don't need calcium but I have to add it per the system. What's in bottle number 2? Calcium and..? No one knows. I already know over time I'll end up with triton salt and 30 different bottles trying to offset everything.

The other thing Im skeptical of that is its scientificly proven live rock, skimming, carbon, and a fuge (of normal size) won't remove 100% TOC in a normally stocked tank. So if I'm paying more for an even more premium salt, all the little bottles, core 7, and still end up changing water this won't be at all cost effective. None the less I will follow it to a T with the exception of socks and see what happens. If I removed the socks the algae would probably grow more, yes, but I'd just have to dose more no3. Maybe full colonies will help with nutrients too. Not sure

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The thing I'm skeptical about, over time using the system you have to assume all elements will use the same amount by following alk.

You should be skeptical. That's nonsense. Many trace elements are consumed by tissue growth, not skeletal growth. iron, etc. A tank with soft corals and algae of any type will use los of trace elements by little to no alkalinity.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The other thing Im skeptical of that is its scientificly proven live rock, skimming, carbon, and a fuge (of normal size) won't remove 100% TOC in a normally stocked tank. So if I'm paying more for an even more premium salt, all the little bottles, core 7, and still end up changing water this won't be at all cost effective.

i'm sorry, I'm not following the TOC comment and how ti relates to husbandry.

 

[Scott.h]

i'm sorry, I'm not following the TOC comment and how ti relates to husbandry.

I was referring to feeding and fish waste without doing weekly water changes could end up with a build up of TOC long term, especially in an immature tank.
I was recently looking for a big expensive skimmer thinking of doing triton method long-term and also thinking a better skimmer would help combat my fear of these things. I came across this article, which further explains my comment.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature

In short no matter what skimmer you buy it's only going to pull about 30% of the TOC out of the water. Eventually it's going to have to be exported somehow. Triton is relying on a fuge. My thinking is that I don't have enough mature corals to also help remove those nutrients from the water. As of now I have to add nutrients. Long-term as the fish grow I may have to do some other methods of nutrient export. Water changes perhaps.

I'm being skeptical, not meaning to bash, but just thinking about this whole thing realistically. I'm going to give it a try but I just see it being an extra cost factor long-term.