Spotlight on the complete Triton Method | BRStv

[randyBRS]

Hey guys!

With so many questions revolving around the implementing the Triton Method it's a great time for today's Spotlight to make its debut! Here's our look at the Triton Method with advice on what you'll need, getting started and a bit more.

Thanks!

 

[ratherbfishin]

Hey guys!

With so many questions revolving around the implementing the Triton Method it's a great time for today's Spotlight to make its debut! Here's our look at the Triton Method with advice on what you'll need, getting started and a bit more.

Thanks!

Hopefully it will be affordable

 

[rglewis]

Is it frowned upon for me to comment negatively about this system as a triton user? (soon to be former triton user)

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Affordable is relative and how fast your tank consumes the elements is a huge factor. For example: the BRS 160 tank. Based on the numbers it will cost over $600 per year to just solely dose the Core7 4 part liquids. That doesn't include any other costs like replacing carbon, ICP testing, etc.

 

[warby]

iv been dosing triton core 7 base for 6 months and had nothing but success from doing so.

 

[ReefBeta]

Is it frowned upon for me to comment negatively about this system as a triton user? (soon to be former triton user)

Do tell your story. I always find negative side of the story more useful than the purely positive report in evaluating new equipments and methods.

 

[RobertP]

Affordable is relative and how fast your tank consumes the elements is a huge factor. For example: the BRS 160 tank. Based on the numbers it will cost over $600 per year to just solely dose the Core7 4 part liquids. That doesn't include any other costs like replacing carbon, ICP testing, etc.

Dang, never bothered to do the math. If they are using 40ml per day x 365 is about 14,600 ml or 14.6 Liters per year. Multiply 15 L (1L=1000ml) by $55 and that is $825. If you get the 10 Liter bottles at $419 you do 1 of the big bottles at $419 + 5 x $55 = $694 per year. Makes more sense to go with the 10L bottles so you have the extra and puts you at $840 the first year. Of course if everything is growing well you expect to INCREASE the dosage over time which makes this worse. Suddenly I am not so enthusiastic for triton.

 

[ReefBeta]

Dang, never bothered to do the math. If they are using 40ml per day x 365 is about 14,600 ml or 14.6 Liters per year. Multiply 15 L (1L=1000ml) by $55 and that is $825. If you get the 10 Liter bottles at $419 you do 1 of the big bottles at $419 + 5 x $55 = $694 per year. Makes more sense to go with the 10L bottles so you have the extra and puts you at $840 the first year. Of course if everything is growing well you expect to INCREASE the dosage over time which makes this worse. Suddenly I am not so enthusiastic for triton.

How much were they using in the previous method, per year? It's zeovit dosing, brs 2 parts, and salt for water change, rolling mat, right? Can someone do a calculation on those?

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Dang, never bothered to do the math. If they are using 40ml per day x 365 is about 14,600 ml or 14.6 Liters per year. Multiply 15 L (1L=1000ml) by $55 and that is $825. If you get the 10 Liter bottles at $419 you do 1 of the big bottles at $419 + 5 x $55 = $694 per year. Makes more sense to go with the 10L bottles so you have the extra and puts you at $840 the first year. Of course if everything is growing well you expect to INCREASE the dosage over time which makes this worse. Suddenly I am not so enthusiastic for triton.

I know some local reefers who dose 100ml per day. The BRS 160 is moderately stocked with SPS compared to some SPS dominate tanks out there as well so...
If you run the numbers using the same example tank BRS 160 at 40ml per day for dosing ESV B-Ionic 2 Part (which contains trace elements) and buy the 8 gallon kit plus the 5 gallon bucket of Magnesium you are looking at roughly less than two hundred bucks per year.

 

[RobertP]

I use BRS 2 part and you have to mix it yourself. It does not say how many gallons can be mixed up per gallon on mix. If I recall correctly it is 2.5 cups for Ca and 2 cups for Alk. There are 16 cups in 1 gallon and runs $79 per gallon jugs. I will use the Alk since the math is easier. That means you get 8 gallons of Alk mix per gallon of soda ash. I thought they said they were dosing 100 ml per day prior to the change but that is just a guess. If it is 100 ml then that would be 100ml x 365 days is 36,500 ml (or 36.5 L) per year. There are about 3.78 Liters to 1 gallon so that would be 36.5L divided by 3.78 to get 9.66 gallons per year. So you could buy two 1 gallon bottles for a total of $158 and have almost 3/4 of it left.
Remember the BRS two part comes with both the soda ash, Calcium chloride, AND magnesium for the price.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-2-part-calcium-alkalinity-total-package-bulk.html

 

[randyBRS]

Is it frowned upon for me to comment negatively about this system as a triton user? (soon to be former triton user)

You can absolutely share your experiences here in the discussion thread!

-Randy

 

[RobertP]

For ESV 2 part let us assume it is 100 ml per day as well. Also I am reading the description that says the 8 gallon mix makes 4 gallons. We can use the same math as the BRS. 100 ml per day x 365 days per year is 36.5 liters per year. 36.5 Liters divided by 3.78 liters to get 9.66 gallons per year. I THINK the 8 gallon bucket for $89.99 makes 4 gallons of CA and 4 gallons of Alk. So if you buy 3 of them it would cover you. In that case it would be 3 x $89.99 = $269.97. You will also need the magnesium and since we dont have numbers for it let's just assume that a single 5 gallon will be enough. So add $269.97 for the 2 part to the 5 gal Mag for $94.99 you get a total of $364.96. Still far less than triton.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/esv-b-ionic-calcium-buffer-system.html

 

[randyBRS]

How much were they using in the previous method, per year? It's zeovit dosing, brs 2 parts, and salt for water change, rolling mat, right? Can someone do a calculation on those?

This is where I think the real value savings comes in. If you calculate cost of water production, salt mix, other means of supplementing the tank for nutrient control as well as major, trace and minor elements... Not to mention your personal value in your own time and effort, there's bound to be some balancing costs. It's not for everyone's tank or style of reef keeping by any means, but there are some draws to it that some will find worth the cost.

I use BRS 2 part and you have to mix it yourself. It does not say how many gallons can be mixed up per gallon on mix. If I recall correctly it is 2.5 cups for Ca and 2 cups for Alk. There are 16 cups in 1 gallon and runs $79 per gallon jugs. I will use the Alk since the math is easier. That means you get 8 gallons of Alk mix per gallon of soda ash. I thought they said they were dosing 100 ml per day prior to the change but that is just a guess. If it is 100 ml then that would be 100ml x 365 days is 36,500 ml (or 36.5 L) per year. There are about 3.78 Liters to 1 gallon so that would be 36.5L divided by 3.78 to get 9.66 gallons per year. So you could buy two 1 gallon bottles for a total of $158 and have almost 3/4 of it left.
Remember the BRS two part comes with both the soda ash and the Calcium chloride for the price.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-2-part-calcium-alkalinity-total-package-bulk.html

BRS 2-part is for sure a much more cost effective method at replacing/maintaining just the major elements (Alk/Ca/Mg) in the tank. However, the Triton Method is an all encompassing major/minor/trace element replenishment and balance system where you are dosing much more than skeletal building blocks. Before Triton we didn't have any idea of where the BRS160 was as far as those minor and trace elements and we were also dosing a complete carbon source program at the same time. But now with the laboratory testing, not only do we know, but we know exactly what to dose and how much to get back to levels near natural seawater.

So now the cost of the Zeovit system, cost of 2-part, cost of water, cost of salt mix all begins to weigh into the equation. Probably one of the biggest "costs" to us specifically was time spent on maintaining the daily blue bottle dosages, weekly water changes and other bi-weekly/monthly maintenance. Sure, in some form or fashion this actually costs BRS physical dollars, but even for my own sanity here in the office or at home, this less hands-on method to reef keeping is VERY valuable to me personally.

This is definitely not a method of reef keeping for everyone as there are so many approaches out there that work and have been working for years! However for my style of reef keeping, it's very attractive.

-Randy

 

[Ryanbrs]

I know some local reefers who dose 100ml per day. The BRS 160 is moderately stocked with SPS compared to some SPS dominate tanks out there as well so...
If you run the numbers using the same example tank BRS 160 at 40ml per day for dosing ESV B-Ionic 2 Part (which contains trace elements) and buy the 8 gallon kit plus the 5 gallon bucket of Magnesium you are looking at roughly less than two hundred bucks per year.

I haven't bothered to do the math on this because it will vary so much from person to person. I am certain it won't be anything resembling cheap. Starting at the point above it would cost at least $600 more than b-ionic. Probably more because of the tests and some elements. However, you should subtract some amount for decreased salt and RO/DI use. Everyone will also have to evaluate their own time as well. If you value your free time at $20 an hour, an hour a week is $1,040 yearly. I am not saying everyone spends an hour a week on mixing and changing water or that's the correct rate for you but it should be part of the individual calculation.

That said I think the real win will be identified if there are any health, growth or coloration differences. Considering a lot of reefers pay $50-75 for a single one-inch stick of SPS. Making all of them grow faster or more colorful might have a lot of value. I certainly hope that our video series will help identify if those results actually materialize.

 

[Ryanbrs]

Is it frowned upon for me to comment negatively about this system as a triton user? (soon to be former triton user)

all experiences are welcomed and valued : )

 

[RobertP]

Those factors I made up certainly do not contain salt, additional additives, cleaning filter socks (fun!), rodi filter use/replace, or mixing salt. Seems almost a wash with triton now. If you factor in your own time (which I try to never do for a hobby) then the cost comparison is a non-issue.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

If you value your free time at $20 an hour, an hour a week $1,040. I am not saying everyone spends an hour a week on mixing and changing water or that's the correct rate for you but it should be part of the individual calculation.

The metaphor that, "time is money" maybe true for some business people who are always on the clock. But time is not money for everyone. As you have said, priorities and perceptions vary. The idea that running Triton is going to save you $1k per year in time spent is debatable.

 

[Broadwave]

My take on the Triton Method is neither positive nor negative albeit it is another method for adding key additives to our boxes of water that help sustain the organisms we keep.

From my experience, and again this is just my personal 2 cents and every reef is different, I ran Triton for a year and did not work well for me. For some reason I could NEVER keep or grow any macro algae in my refugium and my SPS just didn't grow. The SPS were indeed colorful, but they just didn't grow and like I said neither did the algae. All I was ever able to grow in the refugium was red and green slime surface algae. Yes, I am using the Kessil H380 to light the fuge and water quality was within acceptable parameters. Again, to be clear, I'm not bashing Triton but it rather just didn't work for my ecosystem.

From a cost perspective, will Triton become more expensive as your colorful sticks grow and take up nutrients, yes.. of course it will. Same with ANY other method you choose to run on your systems. The more they grow, the more nutrients / additives our corals need to thrive. Then again, each reefer has varying budgets on what they spend on their reefs. For me, I get more bang for my buck with BRS 2 part.

What I've found works best for me is a refugium with strong (oversized) skimmer, ROX carbon, a dosing pump dosing BRS 2 Part and Zeovit additives (Pohl's Extra and AA LPS) throughout the day to keep things stable. In addition, I'm using the Triton ICP testing every couple of months to see where anything may be off and then using the different Triton elements (like Zinc, Bromine or Detox) to bring up / down any deficiencies to ideal levels. My corals are now growing like weeds.

Keep in mind, if you have a sand bed like I do, even with Triton, you will still need to do occasional water changes to remove the detritus build up from your sand bed.

 

[Whipples]

Would BRS160 ever consider doing the hybrid route where you use a CaRX for 70%ish of alk/CA demand and use triton to support the difference as well as add those traces back in? Seems to be a happy medium.

 

[TbyZ]

MACNA 2015 Triton workshop day 1 of 3. Presentation by Unique Corals

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&...=9o4GgCWqf3g&usg=AOvVaw3YqFksdNo_xqFLI5O1l9Ed