Does a Trident make all the difference?

[Jax15]

Recently I've been considering getting a Trident. My system is all Apex controlled, and it would be an easy (albeit, very expensive!) addition. So my question to the Trident owners is this - has it made a big difference in your success? Is it worth the cost of continued reagent purchasing? Should I get one?

 

[WIReefer]

I am wondering the same thing, even though I just set mine up today!

 

[TheHarold]

If you already test a few times a week, I would not claim it makes a "significant" difference.

However I love not needing to manually test anymore, and the increased stability should increase growth somewhat.

 

[SuncrestReef]

I believe the Trident has significantly improved my alk stability, and I have seen significant SPS growth for the past year with the Trident. Of course I can't prove the Trident is the cause since I didn't run a separate tank in parallel without a Trident. See my detailed thread for before and after graphs showing the change in daily swings after dialing in my Trident Controlled Dosing: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/trident-hands-on.596716/

 

[Jax15]

I believe the Trident has significantly improved my alk stability, and I have seen significant SPS growth for the past year with the Trident. Of course I can't prove the Trident is the cause since I didn't run a separate tank in parallel without a Trident. See my detailed thread for before and after graphs showing the change in daily swings after dialing in my Trident Controlled Dosing: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/trident-hands-on.596716/

Thanks, will def check out your thread. Did you struggle at all keeping SPS alive before, and not after? Or more so only growth rates?

 

[ca1ore]

Trident has made absolutely no difference to the success of my tank .... it has, however, allowed me to spend less time testing and more time doing stuff I enjoy.

 

[DSEKULA]

I'm a testing freak.. I test my tank water a ton (daily, weekly, schedules etc) and finally purchased a trident and while I don't see it changing my success I can see it making my life easier.

 

[robbyg]

It makes a huge difference in my reef keeping.
My Alk is only swinging about .2 dKH per day versus some swings that would go 1-2 dKH between my erratic testing times prior to getting the trident. I am seeing the pay off already!

 

[Drendo]

For me, absolutely. Testing is a chore to me l, but I’m obsessed with my levels.

 

[LDog74]

Love checking on my phone 4 times a day vs performing the test. So convenient!

 

[Letterkenny]

So far I am loving it. It really enables stability and nice when connected to the DOS so you can set up automatic dosing.

 

[Waters]

Definitely made a difference with me, mainly since my numbers are being tested throughout the day, which I never did before. It has also prevented several ALK spikes due to angry coral no longer consuming ALK.

 

[canadianeh]

I just got DOS and Trident. I haven’t set them up. My goal is to have automatic testing and Trident controlled dosing.

The only thing I am dosing right now is Red Sea AB+. I think I wed to start dosing Alk and Cal.

Do I need to run Trident and DOS independently for sometime before I tell Trident to control the dosing? Or, can I tell Trident to do it right from the start?

 

[Letterkenny]

I just got DOS and Trident. I haven’t set them up. My goal is to have automatic testing and Trident controlled dosing.

The only thing I am dosing right now is Red Sea AB+. I think I wed to start dosing Alk and Cal.

Do I need to run Trident and DOS independently for sometime before I tell Trident to control the dosing? Or, can I tell Trident to do it right from the start?

Need to run the trident for about a week to determine usage.

 

[homer1475]

God how did we ever keep corals before the trident?

Newbies getting into the hobby that setup a tank with it, will be quitting even sooner when all of a sudden their trident messes up(trust me anything made by humans, will eventually fail), and they have no idea on how to run a simple titration test.

Will it make a difference in your reefkeeping? Only if your lazy and don't like testing. This is not a lazy mans hobby if you want to keep high end corals and fish.

Only thing I see the trident doing is making it easier to perform tests, and you don't have to personally take the time out of your day to do them.

I personally cannot see spending the 1k(need to upgrade my apex also) to find out. My time testing is not worth that much to me.

 

[User1]

Trident has made absolutely no difference to the success of my tank .... it has, however, allowed me to spend less time testing and more time doing stuff I enjoy.

This is really what it comes down to. Is it necessary? No. However, is it a time saver? Yes, it is.

In my personal case I do think it helps make a successful tank mainly because the testing is getting done vs me having to spend time doing it. But is it really necessary? No, but it is dang sure nice to have. I'm not going to lie

 

[canadianeh]

For me who depends on my family to read color shades on test kits, Trident is a must have.

I know there is Hanna Checker but they are known for the Alk test one and not so much for their Cal and Mag ones.

 

[Cabinetman]

I’ve only had mine about a week and since getting it I’ve been able to stabilize my alk which I always struggle with because I find it so hard to take the time to test.. worth every penny if you ask me.

 

[Naturalreef]

I own a different brand, but it allows me to keep a SPS dominant reef tank since I travel for work. My SPS have never been healthier! Stability is king and the auto alk allows me to keep swings down to ~.1-.2 dkh. I won’t own a reef tank without one. A couple of lost SPS due to alk swings almost pays for the machine. Maintenance is the only caveat.....you have to keep the machine up to speed or it will turn on you

 

[lavoisier]

My Trident is worth every penny because it gives me accurate testing of alk 4 times a day. It is wonderous!