Triton Salts

djbetterly · Mar 21, 2015

I'm a bit confused by the use of triton salts. I ordered a bucket thinking I could use it regularly, but now looking back I noticed this on their page:

It is not intended to be a regular-use salt mix, and the entire 2 liter bucket must be mixed with 50L of pure RO water for optimum dissolution of elements. Once mixed with water, it can be used in smaller portions as needed.

I could use a better explanation of this please.

Thank you!

joefishUC · Mar 21, 2015

Hello DJ,

As you read there, the salt is intended to be used to flush out impurities, heavy metals, excess trace elements, unwanted contaminants in one's tank, etc. Since many heavy metals are hard to remove through filtration, the easiest way to remove them would be to flush them out through water changes. This salt was created to do just that. It contains all of the macro elements but none of the trace elements. It is made with very high quality ingredients and as a result, commands a good price compared to regular salt mixes. At this point in time, Triton is not trying to compete with salt manufacturers by making a regular use salt. Triton specializes in creating products that don't exist in the marketplace. Hope this helps. If you have no use for the salt, you can return for a full refund. Call us to arrange for this

djbetterly · Mar 22, 2015

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the quick response. I had the triton test done and do feel I could benefit from the salts. I'd like to hear your opinion if you don't mind so I've attached the results. Currently I'm using ESV salts, and I've been looking to try something new. I've been told tropic marin are good, any thoughts or recommendations? I live close to the manhattan store here in NY and they have been very good about guiding and consulting with me as well.

Thanks for your input!

Dustin

joefishUC · Mar 23, 2015

Im glad my guys and gals at Manhattan Aquariums are taking good care of you. (Let me know if they aren't

)

Your water isn't that bad but it could use a few good water changes to flush out the stuff that is high like Iodine, Tin, Cobalt, Lithium, etc. Please remember that understanding the effect of having some of these elements present in slightly higher concentrations than NSW is something we are still learning about. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are causing harm. Often times if the corals are looking great then one shouldn't worry too much about them. The ESV salts are really good salts. There was some issues with inflated elements such as Lithium in some batches but we believe the manufacturer has changed suppliers for certain ingredients and things should be more inline with what people want now. They are a very transparent company and I encourage anyone with questions about their or any manufacturer's salt to call the manufacturer and let them best explain the results and changes being made to the product in question. I have seen so many great tanks ran on ESV salt and their two-part products.

Tropic Marin Pro is the recommended salt of Triton as it consistently tests well on ICP testing. Just be sure to check the alkalinity on freshly mixed batches as I have heard it mixes quite lower than what people here in the states are used to.

I would do the water changes with the Triton salt and also some larger ones with the salt of your choice then consider doing another Triton test. Also try to identify the source of the contaminants.

If you want an easier time trying to balance out the macro and trace elements you should consider the Base Elementz. Dripping in all four parts on a daily basis takes out all the guess work!

djbetterly · Mar 23, 2015

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I do have a complaint or two about the manhattan store, but I don't feel this is the proper venue for that. I'm not a fan of venting resolvable issues to a public forum.

I look forward to receiving the salts and will keep you posted on my luck.

Thanks so much for your advice.

Best,
Dustin

djbetterly · Mar 25, 2015

So I just received the triton salts and have a few questions. It says to use all the salt at once, and not progressively. I actually don't have enough buckets to do that. Would it be fine if I did it all in one day?

joefishUC · Mar 25, 2015

djbetterly said:
So I just received the triton salts and have a few questions. It says to use all the salt at once, and not progressively. I actually don't have enough buckets to do that. Would it be fine if I did it all in one day?

As with any dry salt mix, the best way to use it is to dissolve it all at once. This will allow the full contents of the mix to dissolve. Due to settling or possible packing issues, dried salt mixes are not always completely mixed uniformly. Sometimes there are hot spots in the mix where a higher concentration of a particular element reside. Although triton salts are mixed extremely well, they still are subject to these hot spots. If you only dissolve part of the salt at a time, it is ok but not ideal. To really get the best effect out of the salt, using it during a single water change is the best.

djbetterly · Mar 30, 2015

I mixed up the salt and did a water change over the weekend. Is it typical for the triton salt to have higher calcium and a bit lower alkalinity? Normally my ESV salts mix at around 8.5 alk and 480 calc. When I mixed the triton salt it came to 7.5 alk and 500 calc. Is that normal?

Also, you mentioned

If you want an easier time trying to balance out the macro and trace elements you should consider the Base Elementz. Dripping in all four parts on a daily basis takes out all the guess work!

Can you explain that further? I see its four parts. Currently I'm dosing ESV two part and vodka, so I have one channel left on my doser. Would the triton drips replace the ESV?

Sangheili · Mar 30, 2015

djbetterly said:
I mixed up the salt and did a water change over the weekend. Is it typical for the triton salt to have higher calcium and a bit lower alkalinity? Normally my ESV salts mix at around 8.5 alk and 480 calc. When I mixed the triton salt it came to 7.5 alk and 500 calc. Is that normal?

Also, you mentioned

Can you explain that further? I see its four parts. Currently I'm dosing ESV two part and vodka, so I have one channel left on my doser. Would the triton drips replace the ESV?

Since Triton recommends Tropic Marine Pro, I am not surprised that Triton's salt mixes at 7.5dkh. My Tropic Marin salt mixes right at 7.5 as well.

The 4-part Triton Base Elementz will replace your 2 part. Part 1 is Alk, Part 2 is Calc, and Part 3A/3B is magnesium. In addition there are trace elements in Part 2. Part 3A/3B can be combined to one container if you don't have the pump heads available (but it may crystallize over time).

Triton does not recommend Vodka dosing and instead places a large emphasis on skimmer + fuge taking up that role. Triton does not force you to follow their method to every detail however and if you feel like you'd be more successful with Vodka you can certainly try it. I have personally found that all my tank needs to succeed dosage wise is Triton Base Elementz and lots of fuge growth. (I initially vodka dosed, but didn't see the benefit).

Hope this helps!

djbetterly · Mar 30, 2015

I get what you're saying about the vodka. Here's my dillema that I've been struggling with. Because I don't have a huge sump, my refugium is limited in size. Because of that I have never been able to keep any type of chaeto or macro. I've tried many of times and it just dies or melts on me and ends up up in my pumps. I was talking with a few people on different forums and many suggested vodka so I thought I'd give it a shot. It certainly wasn't my first choice but I need a way to be able to feed a bit heavier without my nitrates and phosphates creeping up on me. Right now I'm limited to feeding every other day to keep the PO4 under .1. GFO a lone wasn't cutting it, my PO4 was staying at around .075 even with regular water changes and heavy skimming. I'm open to advice, but I am limited on space and that seems to be the biggest factor for me.

djbetterly · Mar 30, 2015

Also, I'm open to possibly purchasing a new sump. I'm not a huge fan of the one I have. One of the issues I had to work out was my ATO. I built my ATO into my sump so I didn't have anything outside of the tank and stand. It had to be done to please the wife. So right now my sump looks like this...

joefishUC · Apr 4, 2015

djbetterly said:
Also, I'm open to possibly purchasing a new sump. I'm not a huge fan of the one I have. One of the issues I had to work out was my ATO. I built my ATO into my sump so I didn't have anything outside of the tank and stand. It had to be done to please the wife. So right now my sump looks like this...

I agree that the sump is a little tight and hard to successfully grow macro algae. You may want to consider dosing vodka daily to assist with nutrient control. GFO will certainly work to keep the po4 low but you will have to change it more often if it hasn't seemed effective in the past. There are also different brands of gfo, some more powerful than others. Rowaphos is really good as well as AL99 from Triton.

With elevated po4 levels around .10 and nitrates somewhere between 5-30ppm you probably will find you can get by with less food for the tank. A macro algae refugium is great but certainly not mandatory for success. It is simply a tool that is used in the balancing act of nutrient availability and control. I personally feel that it provides a bigger safety net against swings which is more of an issue when using bacteria and filter devices as the main nutrient control device. It just seems to add a thick layer of stability to the system. That being said, you can certainly achieve excellent results without it.

Regarding the sump swap- Im sure with some careful planning you can come up with something that better fits your plans. We are always here to help!

Fishinwall · May 25, 2015

What does Triton think about Red Sea Pro salt?

Triton US · May 25, 2015

We have heard good things about the Red Sea Pro Salt. Some people have posted results of ICP tests for the various salt mixes Red Sea offers. I believe the Blue bucket salt is the preferred salt.

Fishinwall · May 25, 2015

Isn't the pro purple? If like to know how compatible the purple is.

Sangheili · May 26, 2015

Why would you want to use a salt with 14 alk? Unless maybe you had a softy tank or something with no SPS.

Fishinwall · May 31, 2015

Sangheili said:
Why would you want to use a salt with 14 alk? Unless maybe you had a softy tank or something with no SPS.

Mixes at 10-11 for me ...well says it's for growth and has a big picture of an SPS on it. Idk

reeftank220master · Jun 20, 2017

djbetterly said:
Hey Joe,

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I do have a complaint or two about the manhattan store, but I don't feel this is the proper venue for that. I'm not a fan of venting resolvable issues to a public forum.

I look forward to receiving the salts and will keep you posted on my luck.

Thanks so much for your advice.

Best,
Dustin

What was your problem you had with the Manhattan store?