Need Help with Trident Alkalinity
- Thread starter AKL1950
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I just bought a brand new unit from BRS. I'm having the exact same issues. Calcium way low, Alk way low Mag way low.
Dang, I hate talking to Neptune support, guess I'll have to call. Do they have to do the factory reset or can I do it?
Dang, I hate talking to Neptune support, guess I'll have to call. Do they have to do the factory reset or can I do it?
Tonight I tested my ALK with the Hanna digital test kit after the Trident did it's thing, 9.3 was the reading. Trident shows 8.26 --- Now I am concerned that my unit is off as well. Ugh! If it aint one thing....... probably time for a ticket with Neptune.
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After they had me reset the Trident I was getting consistent reading again that were in line with manual testing. On Monday I put in new reagents which naturally gave me readings that were off from the previous bottles. I calibrated yesterday and readings went right back to where they had been. Keeping my fingers crossed that my issues are fixed.
I’ve put off a return call to them just because I haven’t had the time. Mine is still running about .6dkh below my manual tests. How did they have you reset it? And did you calibrate with their solution afterward or your own tank water. I still can’t seem to get it to calibrate with my tank water. Any time I do that it reverts to reading 1.5dkh lower then my manual tests. I’ve used up all of my calibration solution doing their trouble shooting. They said they would replace them, but I am tired of talking to them and just getting a response that I shouldn’t expect the numbers to match, which I’m not really expecting 100%, or that every other manual test is wrong and the trident it right.
So after you reset it, then calibrated with their solution, trident started reading the same as your manual tests? I’ve only had Neptune calibration solution from 2 different lots (I’ve only had this machine about 3 months) and tested the solution with my manual tests. Each time Alk read higher then the bottle stated. First time .85dkh, second time .6dkh higher then on the bottle. Did you happen to manual test the extra fluid after you performed the most recent calibration?
I used fauna Marin solution for my very first calibration about 4 days after setting up. When I first set up the trident my Alk and Mg were reading very close to my manual tests, but my calcium was in the 600s which I knew not to be true. After I calibrated with fauna Marin that first time is when my Alk started reading 1.5 lower then my other tests. I verified the fauna Marin solution with Hanna and salifert. Alk on the bottle was 6.6, Hanna 6.7, Salifert 6.6. It was a brand new bottle I was using. In one of my recent unproductive calls with Neptune they told me people have problems with that solution, and if I had used an old bottle, the Alk would be off. They said that’s why “their solution is only good for a few hours. I told him it was a freshly opened bottle I used to calibrate and then when I got off I tested that 3 month old bottle of solution with Hanna/salifert and this time they both read 6.6. I’m getting really frustrated with this machine!
The manual tests will always be different from the Trident. My original problem was that when calibration was complete and running a regular test immediately afterward on the calibration fluid the Trident was giving different readings both times. I did do manual tests with the calibration fluid. I got a higher reading on Alk also, it was .9 higher using a Hanna checker.
Edit: I just got an email notice that my Triton test was complete.
Trident Triton
Cal - 416 422
Mag - 1410 1336
When I did the calibration after doing the reset I got similar differences between the Trident and manual testing.
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And it doesn’t concern you that a machine you paid $600 for is giving you readings for Alk that are almost a full dkh off? I purchased the machine expecting both accuracy and precision and it just won’t give me both for Alk. Ca/Mg are close enough for me, but when I have hanna/salifert/ATI ICP (with fauna marin confirming my manual tests are reading accuratly) telling me my tank is about 8.5dkh, and the trident is telling me my tank is 7.6dkh which one do you think I am going to trust? There should be no “mental calibration” where I add .85 or .6 depending on how far off their calibration solution is. That’s why I’ve tried to calibrate with my own water, but it won’t keep those numbers and automatically reverts to reading 1.5dkh below manual tests. There are plenty of people on these boards that say their trident matches very close to their manual tests AND that they can calibrate with tank water. Neither of these claims is true for me. I doubt anyone is saying that 1dkh is “close enough”. Further, Neptune even claims that calibrating to tank water is an option in their FAQ section and one of the things that made me more comfortable purchasing one after reading so many posts about how the machine is junk and their solution is ALWAYS wrong.
Hard to explain why some hobbyists have different experiences using the same product. Frustrating to say the least for those who it isn't doing what it is supposed to. So many environmental differences as it relates to installation and what not.
Sorry to hear about your current frustrations.
This exactly
This thread seems to have slowed. Gophish, did you get to any resolution with your unit?
I am struggling the same as you and bought the Trident for the reasons listed below:
Unfortunately I have been down the calibrate with the calibration bottle, tank water, on a Tuesday or Thursday with holy water, only with the sump lights on but room lights off, take the unit apart and clean (only been online for 7 weeks) .... UGH!
Here are my latest results and to say I am disappointed is an understatement:
The above manual test data was done 3 times each and manual tests were always accurate per the calibration solution bottle. I have to believe my tank water is accurate as it was done three times as well with the same test kits.
I have another call scheduled with Neptune for this week Thursday.
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You are saying:
Calibration bottle reads ALK 8.3, CA 440, and MG 1345. Correct?
You calibrated the Trident using bottle above, with correct values. Correct?
Replaced sample line and ran a manual test and got a reading of ALK 7.39, CA 408, and MG 1363. Correct?
After that did you place the Trident sample line in the same bottle of calibration solution and run a manual test? If so, what are those numbers. Note you may need to run the prime task but curious if you ran a manual test using the calibration solution after calibrating, manual test, etc.
does anyone else having the same problem? anyone think its the batch they recently did for the trident that has all this problem? i had the trident before and i was assure it pretty accurate with my hanna checker and for this brand new unit i bought less than a month the result is 1.5dkh different from hanna checker and salifert. Hate to add 1.5dkh to the trident test and then test again with hanna such a waste of a $600 unit.
I did not run a regular ALK test after using the calibration fluid. I was already 6+ hours into all this testing and I had used more of the solution to run the manual tests. If my manual tests were so close to the calibration fluid I don’t see how one could claim my manual test is inaccurate. If the Trident wasn’t so far off ( .71 dKh) I would just forget about it.
It frustrates me as to how a $600 unit with the marketing that Neptune claims should require all this extra testing. I am having trouble understanding why only the recently purchased units, it seems, are having this much trouble.
It frustrates me as to how a $600 unit with the marketing that Neptune claims should require all this extra testing. I am having trouble understanding why only the recently purchased units, it seems, are having this much trouble.
I'm not saying you or your tests are wrong. What I was trying to say is to isolate the Trident after calibration, manual, or scheduled test, then moving the sample line to a "known" solution and running a manual "combined" test. Combined because you are listing all three. The Trident should report similar numbers to the reference.
If you are out of solution you can pilfer from another box of reagents or use Fauna Marin's multi reference.
It doesn't. There are many of us who do not see these issues. Every aquarium / environment is different so hard to say how many are reporting what you are seeing. Does everyone come here asking for help vs Neptune's forums vs. emailing support? I don't so hard to quantify.
Fully understand the frustration.
Sorry -- I am just at my wits end here. Being an electrical engineer, I suspect an issue with the photo "eye" that is used to do the test and "see" the color change, possibly. Water pickup problem is doubtful since I took the unit apart per Neptune's video and made sure all connections were good and the pick up line was back flushed. None of that work showed anything suspicious,
Calibration was run at 4:11 PM on this graph. You can see it is better afterwards than prior to calibration but still off.
Calibration was run at 4:11 PM on this graph. You can see it is better afterwards than prior to calibration but still off.
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