Could this be the Trident announcement?

[justingraham]

What I still don’t get is people / fanboys were going to buy this anyway if it was 600 dollars or 1000 dollars why sit on this information unless there is something more they are not sharing

 

[kkiel02]

Ok in all honesty did y’all really think this would not need maintenance? Not trying to be mean or anything but it’s a device that measures very specific amounts of salt water along with reagents so it requires at least service of the pump and lines. $100 for a pump head and lines isn’t too bad although I’m not sure what else they will have in the kit without seeing it first. I’m just surprised on how many people seem to have gotten blindsided by this.

 

[justingraham]

Ok in all honesty did y’all really think this would not need maintenance? Not trying to be mean or anything but it’s a device that measures very specific amounts of salt water along with reagents so it requires at least service of the pump and lines. $100 for a pump head and lines isn’t too bad although I’m not sure what else they will have in the kit without seeing it first. I’m just surprised on how many people seem to have gotten blindsided by this.

Not when Terrance says what they are doing is better and cheaper then any ph probe device out there

 

[MnFish1]

With reagent and if you add the maintenance cost it’s about $30 a month to run the Trident.

Kinda killed my excitement also.

I hope it’s not also. He did say he really recommends people don’t do it on their own though.

Well why dont you change what you said to 1 $/day - or cents per minute. lol. the only question to me is - is it as or more accurate than the competition, is the competition compatible with the Apex - and what happens when its away for maintenance when you are using it for dosing - and if you can get away without it for a week - what's the point in the first place of all the testing.

 

[MnFish1]

Ok in all honesty did y’all really think this would not need maintenance? Not trying to be mean or anything but it’s a device that measures very specific amounts of salt water along with reagents so it requires at least service of the pump and lines. $100 for a pump head and lines isn’t too bad although I’m not sure what else they will have in the kit without seeing it first. I’m just surprised on how many people seem to have gotten blindsided by this.

The point is - not that anyone didnt think maintenance would be needed - the point is - if you're doing your dosing based on this device what do you do when you have to sen d it in for a week? This could have been announced months ago.....

 

[MnFish1]

It has been simply amazing controlling my alk, calcium, and magnesium with my Trident since January. I run a CaRx so my elements were reasonably stable prior to having the trident. I can tell you my swings were about 8.6 to 8.9

With Trident and DOS Control for supplementation, I have tightened alk to 8.7 to 8.8 on average. In the SPS world this is sensational.

What happens when you have to send it in for a week for maintenance?

 

[MnFish1]

Totally not necessary to measure any of those things multiple times a day. You can measure Mag once a month

They do give reasons as to why it makes sense - and some of them do - including maintaining the machine - and the cost is not that much - my question is - how does it compare with alk (the most important by far to me) to the competition - and whether the competition is compatible with Apex.

 

[WWIII]

The waiting till the last minute to divulge the maintenance schedule and fees was no mistake. Obviously. Just like them only releasing the full package 2016 apex with the promise of the Trident coming soon. Not giving any of their current customers a path to upgrade their existing apex until around a year later, by releasing the head unit solo (if that's even a reasonable path?).

I am happy for the guys that have been waiting so long for this to be released, it's finally here! For me personally, I really have been turned off by Neptune's marketing and apparent product roadmap over the past couple years.

Not sure what maintenance would cost $150-$200 and require the unit to be sent in? I'd think it's some hoses and a pump head whenever it starts to act up. I would think that would cost around $20. Who knows, since they waited till its release date to tell us. What are guys gonna do when it fails before this timeframe? Or when they have to send it in for a week? To me that's a big hassle. I would want the "wear parts" on hand to swap out whenever they need it.

 

[MnFish1]

The waiting till the last minute to divulge the maintenance schedule and fees was no mistake. Obviously. Just like them only releasing the full package 2016 apex with the promise of the Trident coming soon. Not giving any of their current customers a path to upgrade their existing apex until around a year later, by releasing the head unit solo (if that's even a reasonable path?).

I am happy for the guys that have been waiting so long for this to be released, it's finally here! For me personally, I really have been turned off by Neptune's marketing and apparent product roadmap over the past couple years.

Not sure what maintenance would cost $150-$200 and require the unit to be sent in? I'd think it's some hoses and a pump head whenever it starts to act up. I would think that would cost around $20. Who knows, since they waited till its release date to tell us. What are guys gonna do when it fails before this timeframe? Or when they have to send it in for a week? To me that's a big hassle. I would want the "wear parts" on hand to swap out whenever they need it.

Probably Is mostly overnight shipping so that people can continue to maintain their tanks if they are dosing based on that information

 

[WWIII]

Probably Is mostly overnight shipping so that people can continue to maintain their tanks if they are dosing based on that information

Lol... seriously. Also insurance in case the fedex man punts it off the truck.

 

[rstrann]

I'd venture to estimate that most of the people grumbling about spending 300 bucks on maintenance would have no problem spending that much on a few new frags to replace the few that were bleached due to an alk swing

It's a hobby, y'all. Kudos to the manufacturer for advancing the hobby's tool chest. I hope they make a killing.

 

[Kyl]

The regent cost and service down the line is peanuts in comparison to the money we spend on corals and livestock. Having a device the closely monitors my parameters that helps me achieve super stable numbers is perfect for me.

Others may choose to run old fashion test kits, and that is just fine.

I see the value of the Trident and it’s inherent costs.
I was also lucky enough to be testing it for last 100 + days. I can assure you, it’s a terrific product and well worth the time and investment.

I agree with the sum of your post, the pricing and such can be considered peanuts for some that have had a lot of SPS losses, or house a tank with thousands in rather delicate acropora / montis. The retail guys as well, this will be on their systems asap if it isn't already. There's also no discounting that it works, it tests dKH (and Ca/Mg) with what seems excellent precision and can interface with the DOS for tight control. Usability wise it also seems simple, both in operation and in reagent replenishment. Availability of reagent from non-Neptune direct will be something to see going forward, as will the non-US distribution (I genuinely worry about Canadaland with this release), but overall this unit is plus plus plus by those metrics, it's a great release.

However, I will post more on this regardless of what just hit my PM box because it does need to be said again.
What is not good in my opinion is more along the lines of the general air of attitude that's surrounded this whole development release. Other market solutions are put down for requiring PH probe replacement, or syringe replacement, or requiring probe calibration regularly, etc. Summed up, because all the various solutions hardware needs to be serviced in one form or another to maintain operation, something never once brought up in regards to the Trident. We now know the reason is it was put behind the NDA, and I don't seem to recall a single leak regarding this.

So after a year plus of development, plus months of extensive 'in the wild' via NSI, out of nowhere this past Friday we see an unintentional release / mention of a servicing requirement in the unboxing video from the fusion setup task. Given it shouldn't have been disclosed, the information was quickly yanked once posted about and ultimately the thread closed as everyone started going nuts trying to get an answer about this new twist to the release and arguing with each-other. Today there was a few minutes of mention in that stream, other than that nothing. That's a pretty big part of ownership to dedicate a few minutes to, the afternoon before release, in a single medium, that was never once mentioned in product marketing, after two years of development, at least I think.

Personally I'm still on the fence as to what the right solution is, as I am heavily investing into SPS, but my market is somewhat unique as the border really sucks. The DIY ability of maintenance is not my gripe, neither is the ~$100 cost. It's solely attitude, this is a market solution that has an aspect of ownership that requires intervention, just like all the others. It's not above all, whatever tag you wish to apply to it. It's another in a growing number of solutions to help our tanks be the best they can be for coral health and growth, and I wish it had remained simply that through this whole journey by all, be they employees, backers, industry insiders and the general reefing public, including myself. I'm excited for a guy locally that I know will be trying to get one asap, it should make his reefing life so much easier, and I couldn't think of a better person to get some help than he.

At least the day is here, and I am very much fingers crossed that this release goes as flawlessly as possible. The coming months will show us how things will ultimately play out, and perhaps some lessons can be learned by all. Kudos for those that have had a hand in bringing this to market.

 

[MnFish1]

I'd venture to estimate that most of the people grumbling about spending 300 bucks on maintenance would have no problem spending that much on a few new frags to replace the few that were bleached due to an alk swing

It's a hobby, y'all. Kudos to the manufacturer for advancing the hobby's tool chest. I hope they make a killing.

To me this is right. BUT - this is an unproved, untested (except for a select few hundred very excited people who were eager to do everything right) - not the average hobbyist. The question is not - is it a good product - to me its is it the 'best product'. I wish the video showed more about that. I dont care about Mg.

 

[GugsJr]

Service is 18 or 24 months I thought. Not that big of a deal.

Let me put the service into perspective for you. I'm an active scuba diver (hopefully others here would agree on this point) and I send in my equipment every other year for service and it runs me about 180 dollars give or take. This is my BC and regs. This is my life support so while I already shelled out a lot of money for my gear I want to know it is working fully every time I use it. This is even if I don't do many dives it still goes in.

Trident is no different. You are testing something in your tank. If you choose to do an action based on a reading then you should make sure it is always working and measuring and doing what it does correctly. Service is a piece of mind. Not a money grab by the vendor.

Disagree with this statement as a biomedical engineer I repair and perform maintenance on medical equipment. So I would feel comfortable doing the maintenance myself.

Those that could would have to pay approximately 1/3 the cost of the unit just to maintain it. In my opinion based on the equipment I work on that's overpriced.

I'm a huge Neptune fan and recommend it to everyone with a tank, and as a color deficient reefer I was really excited for this as it would make testing way easier for me.

I agree with the overall cost I have in my tank the cost doesn't compare. I just don't think it's worth it compared to the competition.

 

[bubbaque]

Probably Is mostly overnight shipping so that people can continue to maintain their tanks if they are dosing based on that information

The problem even if they overnight the Trident back to you that doesn't mean you can put it back working on your system. They said you need to wait days to weeks just letting it run before you can re calibrate it.

 

[MnFish1]

The problem even if they overnight the Trident back to you that doesn't mean you can put it back working on your system. They said you need to wait days to weeks just letting it run before you can re calibrate it.

If you have some data on that it would be great - ?

 

[User1]

Disagree with this statement as a biomedical engineer I repair and perform maintenance on medical equipment. So I would feel comfortable doing the maintenance myself.

This isn't going to be the case with everybody though. Similar to those who rebuild their own scuba diving gear or change their oil on their car. Then there is this thing called liability...

Sometimes it is a price that we pay, if we choose that is, to be in the hobby with kits such as this. Here is another side of it. When I tracked my 2015 Mustang GT/PP I would change my oil after every weekend event. Probably didn't have to. Well within the mileage and overall temperatures but I did. I also replaced my track tires yearly for peace of mind. Maybe it is just my hobbies I'm into that I just don't see maintenance as an issue but like I said as we learn more maybe my mind will change and I'll say let us get the pitch forks and riot in the dungeon

Edit: Also as you can see by my avatar you will see a C-130. I'm former military and worked in aviation and later explosive safety. There are a lot of maintenance tasks so my comments very well could reflect a lot of that mentality that may not be applicable to here. So I do hear what everyone is saying but may be too intrenched otherwise.

 

[User1]

The problem even if they overnight the Trident back to you that doesn't mean you can put it back working on your system. They said you need to wait days to weeks just letting it run before you can re calibrate it.

I wonder if any of the beta testers could chime in on this or if they had to do any of this.

 

[MnFish1]

Could it be? EDIT: YES IT IS. THE TRIDENT IS FINALLY RELEASED!

What are your thoughts?

Also here are some new images...

I actually hate to say this - but - to me this sounds like a question you already had the answer to. - and in fact makes me distrust this site to a degree. I'm sure Neptune pays a ton of money to R2R - and rightly so - I'm sure im not the only one to think this - but maybe the only one to say it openly - because I respect this site - and you personally - this seems like a blatant advertisement....

 

[MnFish1]

Ok in all honesty did y’all really think this would not need maintenance? Not trying to be mean or anything but it’s a device that measures very specific amounts of salt water along with reagents so it requires at least service of the pump and lines. $100 for a pump head and lines isn’t too bad although I’m not sure what else they will have in the kit without seeing it first. I’m just surprised on how many people seem to have gotten blindsided by this.

Yes - I would have never ever thought that it would be required to save the box to a product to allow it to be sent in year after year - I have never EVER bought a product with this requirement. If you can give me a similar example feel free. The more I think about it and read - the more ridiculous it seems .