How to use Trident, dosing on newly started tank

[canadianeh]

I want to use Trident to control dosing and that’s my goal. My tank is 65 gallon total system Red Sea Reefer 250. It is under two months old and only have two clownfish in it for now.

I am not sure where to start first. Corals first ,or Trident and dosing start first before corals?

Also, which dosing products you use with Trident?

Please forgive me if I didn’t ask things correctly as I am new to dosing and Trident.

 

[Sdot]

You should only start dosing when major elements are being depleted.

 

[User1]

I want to use Trident to control dosing and that’s my goal. My tank is 65 gallon total system Red Sea Reefer 250. It is under two months old and only have two clownfish in it for now.

I am not sure where to start first. Corals first ,or Trident and dosing start first before corals?

Also, which dosing products you use with Trident?

Please forgive me if I didn’t ask things correctly as I am new to dosing and Trident.

Good to have goals. Having said that you mentioned the tank is only two months old and two clown fish. Are we talking a new tank, two months past cycle, upgrade, merging of tanks, and most of all what sort of rocks are we using? Not knowing I'm just going to assume, maybe incorrectly, that this is indeed a newly set up tank, 2 months old to include the cycle. By cycle I mean it can process 4 ppm of ammonia in under 24 hours and safe for fish.

With this in mind there is no need to start any dosing now. You have a few little cycles to go through that we call the ugly stages or phases. Cyno, green hair algae, and diatoms to name a few. It will clear up and then they may or may not come back. You can though let it start monitoring your tank which will actually help you with water chemistry. Set it to do the minimum testing only and it will guide you on consumption. Based on your goals of coral you can then use this info to dose 2 part or whatever of your choice. Based on the size I like either ESV 2 part or Tropic Marin All For Reef (this is great stuff actually and their is a DIY recipe that is super amazing).

Anyway the TLR version is this. You do not need to dose today. You can set it up to monitor. Buy a hanna phosphate test kit and nitrate (nyos is good) and continue to let it mature.

 

[canadianeh]

Good to have goals. Having said that you mentioned the tank is only two months old and two clown fish. Are we talking a new tank, two months past cycle, upgrade, merging of tanks, and most of all what sort of rocks are we using? Not knowing I'm just going to assume, maybe incorrectly, that this is indeed a newly set up tank, 2 months old to include the cycle. By cycle I mean it can process 4 ppm of ammonia in under 24 hours and safe for fish.

With this in mind there is no need to start any dosing now. You have a few little cycles to go through that we call the ugly stages or phases. Cyno, green hair algae, and diatoms to name a few. It will clear up and then they may or may not come back. You can though let it start monitoring your tank which will actually help you with water chemistry. Set it to do the minimum testing only and it will guide you on consumption. Based on your goals of coral you can then use this info to dose 2 part or whatever of your choice. Based on the size I like either ESV 2 part or Tropic Marin All For Reef (this is great stuff actually and their is a DIY recipe that is super amazing).

Anyway the TLR version is this. You do not need to dose today. You can set it up to monitor. Buy a hanna phosphate test kit and nitrate (nyos is good) and continue to let it mature.

yes it is under 2 months old including the cycle time. So I can just set up Trident to build the data about my tank chemistry while waiting but forget dosing for the time being?
in term of adding corals, should I wait until I completed my fish list (there are 10 of them)?When can I add corals?

 

[User1]

yes it is under 2 months old including the cycle time. So I can just set up Trident to build the data about my tank chemistry while waiting but forget dosing for the time being?
in term of adding corals, should I wait until I completed my fish list (there are 10 of them)?When can I add corals?

Correct. You could set the trident to the lowest test of 4/2/2 (4 alk, 2 ca, mg) and watch the water chemistry. No need to dose anything yet unless you start to see changes. Your rocks and biological filter are still maturing.

As far as fish and coral both go slow. Fish are a bit more tricky since we typically try and put them in order of least aggressive to more aggressive or territorial. At least that is what I try and do by adding the more peaceful fish first so they have more room of the tank to establish.

Corals I would start with a test frag and see how it does. Then similar to fish add a new test frag here and there over time. Remember you are still going to have a few ugly phases and you do not want to deal with that and the coral.

 

[canadianeh]

Correct. You could set the trident to the lowest test of 4/2/2 (4 alk, 2 ca, mg) and watch the water chemistry. No need to dose anything yet unless you start to see changes. Your rocks and biological filter are still maturing.

As far as fish and coral both go slow. Fish are a bit more tricky since we typically try and put them in order of least aggressive to more aggressive or territorial. At least that is what I try and do by adding the more peaceful fish first so they have more room of the tank to establish.

Corals I would start with a test frag and see how it does. Then similar to fish add a new test frag here and there over time. Remember you are still going to have a few ugly phases and you do not want to deal with that and the coral.

Sorry but what is test of 4/2/2 mean?

I am using Caribsea purple liferock and has not using lights at all since day one. I limit amount of sun lights going into the room where the tank is too. Hopefully, I will not be going through very bad ugly phases. I am also culturing apex pods on my own and will periodically dose them to the tank. I also have small ball of chaeto in refugium and have bunch of marine pure balls.

I have two clownfish right now and thinking about adding one new fish every 2 weeks or more. My fish list is Royal gramma, Molly miller blenny, Pink stripe wrasse, 2 Bangai cardinal, Yellow watchmen goby, Purple firefish, 1 Pygmy angelfish (either flameback, flame, lemon peel, cherub, or potter).

I know for coral I have to wait and try with a test frag, when do you think I can try and what kind of frag?

 

[GabeM]

I have an SCA 50 cube about the same size with the sump and it took me 8 months before I needed to start dosing, it was 6 months before I started adding real stony corals.

So with many Zoa's/Sofites/LPS your calcium and alkalinity uptake will be minimal. I wouldn't even bother running the trident at $20/month in reagent costs - just test weekly until you start having stony corals.

Please read http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/rhf/feature/index.php

 

[User1]

I have an SCA 50 cube about the same size with the sump and it took me 8 months before I needed to start dosing, it was 6 months before I started adding real stony corals.

So with many Zoa's/Sofites/LPS your calcium and alkalinity uptake will be minimal. I wouldn't even bother running the trident at $20/month in reagent costs - just test weekly until you start having stony corals.

Please read http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/rhf/feature/index.php

True - reagent cost.

 

[User1]

Sorry but what is test of 4/2/2 mean?

I am using Caribsea purple liferock and has not using lights at all since day one. I limit amount of sun lights going into the room where the tank is too. Hopefully, I will not be going through very bad ugly phases. I am also culturing apex pods on my own and will periodically dose them to the tank. I also have small ball of chaeto in refugium and have bunch of marine pure balls.

I have two clownfish right now and thinking about adding one new fish every 2 weeks or more. My fish list is Royal gramma, Molly miller blenny, Pink stripe wrasse, 2 Bangai cardinal, Yellow watchmen goby, Purple firefish, 1 Pygmy angelfish (either flameback, flame, lemon peel, cherub, or potter).

I know for coral I have to wait and try with a test frag, when do you think I can try and what kind of frag?

4/2/2 is the lowest number of tests you can let the Trident run a day. 4 Alk, 2 Ca, 2 Mag.

As @GabeM noted above, which is a great point, you can always just run a manual test once a week and watch it that way and save some money. Either will work.

 

[canadianeh]

ok. So I guess in term of trying frag I should wait for 6 months then? Any particular frags that best for trying guys?

 

[GabeM]

ok. So I guess in term of trying frag I should wait for 6 months then? Any particular frags that best for trying guys?

You can put easy corals like zoas/mushrooms/euphyllia in as long as you are cycled and are doing regular water changes. Once you are comfortable with those and they are growing and you feel that your parameters are stable you can start adding SPS. My first SPS was a superman montipora and then a Cali tort. I half killed both of those multiple times.

 

[canadianeh]

You can put easy corals like zoas/mushrooms/euphyllia in as long as you are cycled and are doing regular water changes. Once you are comfortable with those and they are growing and you feel that your parameters are stable you can start adding SPS. My first SPS was a superman montipora and then a Cali tort. I half killed both of those multiple times.

I didn’t mention that my tank will be LPS and softies dominant. I may try SPS.

 

[iambenfields]

I have an SCA 50 cube about the same size with the sump and it took me 8 months before I needed to start dosing, it was 6 months before I started adding real stony corals.

So with many Zoa's/Sofites/LPS your calcium and alkalinity uptake will be minimal. I wouldn't even bother running the trident at $20/month in reagent costs - just test weekly until you start having stony corals.

Please read http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/rhf/feature/index.php

Hey Gabe - how are you reducing the number of tests? Just unplugging it?

 

[GabeM]

Hey Gabe - how are you reducing the number of tests? Just unplugging it?

Don't reduce the tests - my understanding is that the system is designed to run at a certain interval to keep the system from clogging since it keeps liquid in its lines while connected and you will have a bad time if they get clogged.

For a softie and LPS tank I would disconnect the trident (run the program) and put it in storage until you are using enough alkalinity and calcium for it to be worthwhile. Softies consume a minimal amount of calcium and alkalinity and most LPS are slow growers when it comes to skeletal growth as well. Weekly tests should be fine until you start to see a large reduction in alkalinity between tests (Over 1dkh), However, it won't hurt anything to keep it running other than your wallet.

 

[iambenfields]

Cool, yeah I have mine arriving tomorrow but I didn’t want to burn through a bunch of reagent until the tank is really consuming alk cal and mag.

 

[sharpimage]

Everyone is correct about not needing the trident right now. You can start with the simple corals now though. Also, the pygmy angel typically nip at corals. You may want to research that one.

 

[canadianeh]

I am thinking of buying Trident in the future as suggested here. In the mean time if I buy Hanna checker alk, cal, and mag, it will cost me initially $250 including taxes in Canada. Trident cost $800. So acquiring Hanna checkers cost is 31% of getting a trident.

is it worth it to invest in Hanna checkers alk, cal, and mag if in the end I am going to get Trident anyway?

 

[GabeM]

I am thinking of buying Trident in the future as suggested here. In the mean time if I buy Hanna checker alk, cal, and mag, it will cost me initially $250 including taxes in Canada. Trident cost $800. So acquiring Hanna checkers cost is 31% of getting a trident.

is it worth it to invest in Hanna checkers alk, cal, and mag if in the end I am going to get Trident anyway?

Why is the trident $800 ? It is $600 here. I am using the phosphate checker and salifert nitrate in conjunction with the trident.

 

[canadianeh]

Why is the trident $800 ? It is $600 here. I am using the phosphate checker and salifert nitrate in conjunction with the trident.

$800 Canadian.

so buying three Hanna Will cost me $250. I wonder if it is worth it to buy Hanna if I will need to spend $800 for Trident

 

[GabeM]

$800 Canadian.

so buying three Hanna Will cost me $250. I wonder if it is worth it to buy Hanna if I will need to spend $800 for Trident

IMO it wont hurt if you are not icp testing regularly and need a second opinion.