Guide to the Triton Method

Joe Heavy · May 20, 2018

Mark Gray said:
Good to know I don't have water in mine yet, I ran out of the pipe I was using, and my pipe stretcher broke, so I had to order more but water soon.

I ran out of of blue pvc for the upstairs run from the floor. I ended up using flexible PVC from the floor up to display tank and colored hard line in basement sump area where it’s cool to see all the workings of the aquarium. My stand will hide all upstairs plumbing and using flex made it have less head loss and made any moving of aquarium easy due to non rigid tubing.

kmcgillz · May 21, 2018

Tim2@Triton said:
@kmcgillz 10x turnover of the display tank per hour, so roundabout 1100gph through the sump.

I've discovered that my RedSea Reefer 525XL is unable to handle the recommended 10x display tank turnover suggested for the Triton method. I can push about 6x turnover before the plumbing starts having issues. Is there anything I can do to help compensate for this? Higher flow from wave pumps in the display? Anything I can do in the sump? Thanks for the help!

Mark Gray · Jul 7, 2018

Hi Tim I have really just got my tank up and running I have fish and I did put some cheap SPS frags in it to see how they do. I have this system ready for Triton 100% but I have not started dosing yet. I have also not sent of an ICP test yet ether I want to wait for the 6 month mark. I have kits to measure everything well almost everything

The tank has not started using any ALK or CAL yet. Just thought I would ask should I start doesing my core now or hold off?

Tim2@Triton · Jul 9, 2018

Mark Gray said:
Hi Tim I have really just got my tank up and running I have fish and I did put some cheap SPS frags in it to see how they do. I have this system ready for Triton 100% but I have not started dosing yet. I have also not sent of an ICP test yet ether I want to wait for the 6 month mark. I have kits to measure everything well almost everything The tank has not started using any ALK or CAL yet. Just thought I would ask should I start doesing my core now or hold off?

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the Triton family! I wouldn't wait 6 months to send off an ICP, I would recommend testing newly made up water, and RODI to see if they are in top shape. Secondly only dose based on demand, If ALK Cal and Mag are not being consumed, then you do not need to dose. I assume that with some skeleton building corals in the tank there will be some demand very soon.

Mark Gray · Jul 9, 2018

Tim2@Triton said:
Hi Mark,

Welcome to the Triton family! I wouldn't wait 6 months to send off an ICP, I would recommend testing newly made up water, and RODI to see if they are in top shape. Secondly only dose based on demand, If ALK Cal and Mag are not being consumed, then you do not need to dose. I assume that with some skeleton building corals in the tank there will be some demand very soon.

Thank you I am testing every other day and yes I have 8 pieces of misselanous SPS now I see one million starting a new branch Thanks again

LouieP · Jul 9, 2018

Tim2@Triton said:
Hi Mark,

Welcome to the Triton family! I wouldn't wait 6 months to send off an ICP, I would recommend testing newly made up water, and RODI to see if they are in top shape. Secondly only dose based on demand, If ALK Cal and Mag are not being consumed, then you do not need to dose. I assume that with some skeleton building corals in the tank there will be some demand very soon.

Did I read that correct? Triton is now testing RODI water?

SharkbaitMuhaha · Jul 10, 2018

Hi,

I'm setting up my first tank and doing Triton right from the start. A couple questions:

1. Can I use UV sterilizer while running Triton?
2. Can I use a Söchting Oxydator (2 H2O2---->2 H20 + O2) or will this interfere with the organic take up?

I'm looking to have the greatest clarity possible in my tank and I know Ozone is already not recommended. Would this be theoretically okay to run?

Thank you!

Tim2@Triton · Jul 10, 2018

LouieP said:
Did I read that correct? Triton is now testing RODI water?

you can run a sample of RODI through a normal Triton ICP-OES test to look for metals in your RO water. I use this to look for Silicon that can slip past DI beds as they begin to become exhausted

Tim2@Triton · Jul 10, 2018

SharkbaitMuhaha said:
Hi,

I'm setting up my first tank and doing Triton right from the start. A couple questions:

1. Can I use UV sterilizer while running Triton?
2. Can I use a Söchting Oxydator (2 H2O2---->2 H20 + O2) or will this interfere with the organic take up?

I'm looking to have the greatest clarity possible in my tank and I know Ozone is already not recommended. Would this be theoretically okay to run?

Thank you!

A UV sterilizer will not cause problems, but I do not recommend using H2O2 in a system that depends on an algae bed for filtration.

Night Reefer · Jul 11, 2018

LouieP said:
Did I read that correct? Triton is now testing RODI water?

Why not just send it in like any other

Tim2@Triton said:
A UV sterilizer will not cause problems, but I do not recommend using H2O2 in a system that depends on an algae bed for filtration.

Triton says not to use the UV sterilizer. Why did it now change? I thought it killed Bacteria that the triton method needs in the system.

kdino · Jul 11, 2018

forgive me if this has been mentioned, but can this be done successfully with an algae turf scrubber as opposed to a fuge?

Tim2@Triton · Jul 11, 2018

In brief, no. Algae turf scrubbers are not refugia, they require regular mowing that removes nutrients from the systementirely. Refugia allow some of the algae to die off and return matabolites back into the system that other trophic levels use for food.

kdino · Jul 11, 2018

Tim2@Triton said:
In brief, no. Algae turf scrubbers are not refugia, they require regular mowing that removes nutrients from the systementirely. Refugia allow some of the algae to die off and return matabolites back into the system that other trophic levels use for food.

gotcha, thanks

kmcgillz · Jul 14, 2018

kmcgillz said:
I've discovered that my RedSea Reefer 525XL is unable to handle the recommended 10x display tank turnover suggested for the Triton method. I can push about 6x turnover before the plumbing starts having issues. Is there anything I can do to help compensate for this? Higher flow from wave pumps in the display? Anything I can do in the sump? Thanks for the help!

Tim2@Triton, any recommendations?

Flameback Pair · Jul 14, 2018

@Tim2@Triton There is a 10X flow recommended through Triton system tanks? Is that 10X number of gallons in the display tank or 10X number of gallons in the total system?

Tim2@Triton · Jul 16, 2018

@kmcgillz @powers2001 The recommendation is 10x the display tank volume going through the entire system. A Reefer 525xl has a 108gallon display tank and Red Sea recommends a 1060gph return pump. Consider that a lot of the 108 gallons will be displaced by rock and corals and I think you can fall within a 10x turnover of the display tank's actual volume.

Mark Gray · Jul 17, 2018

Hi Tim a quick question ok my ALK droped today from 8.1 yesterday to 7.9 today CAL is not dropping yet. Here is my question I can set up and start dosing Triton but I have to go out for work this weekend witch will mean I won't be able to test the tank Saturday through Tuesday night so I start? or I can maybe just bring the ALK up for a few days

Tim2@Triton · Jul 17, 2018

@Mark Gray wait until you are home. With respect to aquariums, nothing good ever happens fast. So wait for the right time to make the change, as rushing to make the change now, and you might have a dosing pump issue crop up.

Night Reefer · Jul 17, 2018

I 2nd that

Mark Gray · Jul 19, 2018

Hi Tim OK I am set up to dose but won't began intel next week. I read you guy recommend 2 mils for 26 gallons I figure with the sump I have 105 to 110 gallons, so 4 mills a day. I can spread this out over 24 hours so should I dose all the elements at the same time over 24 hours?