Qualms with the triton system

[HM3105]

I've always thought Triton elements was just the same components as your salt minus the salt part. It's a WC without the water part. The algae uptake the nutrients at a more efficient rate than WC. Is this incorrect ?

 

[Xclusive Reef]

I know a few people like reefingwitho that runs triton and is very happy and I know ricks reef tank who had been running a calcium reactor for over 20 years and both don't do water changes. Triton is just another way of doing, nothing new just different.

As far as water changes and keeping same old water well honestly you kinda are doing water changes cause your auto too off I'd dumping in back fresh rodi water daily...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

As far as water changes and keeping same old water well honestly you kinda are doing water changes cause your auto too off I'd dumping in back fresh rodi water daily...

FWIW, replacing evaporated water does not provide any of the advantages or detriments of a water change.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

FWIW, replacing evaporated water does not provide any of the advantages or detriments of a water change.

agree but you are not using the same old water, there is fresh water being added to the system daily. if someone is adding trace elements,

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

agree but you are not using the same old water, there is fresh water being added to the system daily. if someone is adding trace elements,

It does nothing at all. Pure fresh water evaporates out and pure fresh water is added back. There is no functional difference from a tank that has no evaporation and gets no top off water

 

[sghera64]

Algae certainly sucks up a lot of trace elements that could otherwise benefit corals. There have been plenty of dry weight tests that show what algae consume. There are also plenty of people that have to dose iron, nitrates, ect to keep their algae filters going.

Triton in this respect is self-fulfilling in that you may show some depletion rates per their tests as the algae is sucking up essential elements. With no water changes, the setup dictates you having to buy and dose elements....just send them another $50 and they'll tell you what to do. They've essentially taken a standard nutrient tool and turned it into a money making "method"

I don't use algae filters as I don't want competition for my acropora systems and there are many other options that don't directly compete with the corals for trace elements and nutrients.

According to Triton's "Guide to the TRITON METHOD-5-4-17-web.pdf": "Note: some of the algae should be allowed to die-back, it is during this process that the acids, vitamins, and sugars are released."

At least some of the "fruits" of the algae scrubber are to be 'set free' presumable for coral and micro fauna food. But, yes, most of it is likely locked up and then removed by the Algae - - that is the point of the scrubber.

 

[MnFish1]

Triton is a perfect marketing system - and probably a great reef system as well. But - Its a perfect way to sell more product. 1. Use their Salt. 2. set up a tank with a much larger refugium for algae (to remove N and P) - but Also remove a lot of trace elements. 3. Use their trace elements. 4. Let 'some' algae die - so that they can release 'some stuff' back into the water (adds uncertainty). 5. Don't do water changes. 6. Because every tank is different (food/fish/coral/size) pay for testing your water. 7. When you get test results - use more trace elements (or change water - with their salt - and test again (or use their detox product).

 

[Bruce Burnett]

There are a number of people as shown by a survey here on R2R that do not do water changes. But to clear some things up if they pull reactors to change media they will have to make up some salt mix, If they pull out a lot of wet skim then there is more salt water to add back at some point. My system is 300 gallon and I figure based on these things alone I replace about 30% percent a year. This is a long way from what most people figure as water change. Some people do 10-20 percent a week or every two weeks and others do 1% a day. Some people remove their detritus frequently and as part of their water change and some almost never remove it. One of the things I think when using a large refugium as required by the Triton method or a large ATS it allows you to feed more food to the tank more frequently for fat healthy fish, this in turn helps feed the corals.