Trident Frequently Asked Questions: Preface

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Below you’ll find a variety of questions that might come up while considering the Trident for purchase or using the Trident.

Please click on the question for the answer.

The Trident is a Marine Aquarium Water Analyzer that performs titrations to report the Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium levels.  Comprehensive product information is available here.

The stated precision and accuracy of the Trident is:

  • Alkalinity: +/- 0.05 dKH
  • Calcium: +/- 15 ppm
  • Magnesium: +/- 15 ppm

Comprehensive product information is available here.

The measurement range of the Trident is:

  • Alkalinity: 5.0 – 15.0 dKH
  • Calcium: 250 – 875 ppm
  • Magnesium: 850 – 1950 ppm

Comprehensive product information is available here.

The default testing frequency for the Trident is 4 Alkalinity tests per day (every 6 hours) and 2 Calcium and Magnesium tests (every 12 hours).

This frequency can be adjusted to up to 24 Alkalinity tests per day and 12 Calcium and Magnesium tests.

Detailed product information can be found here.

On average the Trident uses about 7 mL per test per parameter.

Detailed product information can be found here.

The exact amount of waste varies depending on your parameter levels and the amount of reagent the Trident uses.  On average a 1L waste container would only need to be emptied every 2 weeks or so.

The Trident can also be directed to empty into a drain instead of fixed volume container.

The waste water cannot be directed back into the aquarium.

With every Trident purchase the items that are included:

  • Trident Marine Aquarium Analyzer
  • 1Link cable (US/CAN only)
  • 5′ of black sample line tubing
  • 5′ of clear waste line tubing
  • 2-month reagent supply
  • Calibration Fluid
  • Get Started Card

Comprehensive product information is available here.

Included with the Trident purchase is approximately and typically a 2-month supply of reagents.  The words “approximately” and “typically” are used because some initial installations of the Trident will use more reagents that other installations.

To be on the safe side, Neptune Systems indicates there will be at least 1 month of reagents at the normal testing interval of 4 Alkalinity and 2 Calcium/Magnesium tests per day but likely more.

After the Trident has been installed and running normally, then the replacement 2-month reagent kit available from Neptune Systems should last for approximately 2 months.

Replacement reagent and other Trident supplies can be purchased here.

It can be purchased in 2 or 6 month kits that include:

  • Quantity 2 Reagent A
  • Quantity 1 Reagent B
  • Quantity 1 Reagent C
  • Quantity 1 Trident Calibration Solution

Replacement reagent can be purchased through any authorized Neptune Systems dealer.

In the United Stated and Canada, a 1LINK cable in included with every Trident purchase.  Included with each Apex System purchased in the US and Canada is a minimum number of three 1LINK ports that are found on the EB832.  If those 1LINK ports are occupied by other 1LINK devices like the WAV, COR, and DŌS, then the Trident will need to be connected with an Aquabus cable and powered by a 36W power supply that can be purchased separately. The Trident may also be connected to a 1LINK module.  The Trident must not be connected to the 1LINK port of a DŌS.

If one of your 1LINK connections is occupied by a Neptune Systems DŌS, then it is possible to connect the Trident with the spare Aquabus cable and power supply that was included with your DŌS purchase.

The Trident is not compatible with the Apex Classic, Lite or Jr systems.  It is compatible with the Apex and the ApexEL Systems.

Like most aquarium devices, regular preventative maintenance is recommended so they perform as designed and have as long a lifespan as possible. The Trident is no different in this respect.

We recommend that the Trident have a routine service of a small number of its parts in the window of 24-36 months.  And, while we will have a kit available for customers to do this maintenance themselves, we strongly suggest that the Trident be sent in to our service center to have this performed.

To find out more please see

https://neptunesystems.com/tridentservice

The installation and use of the Trident was designed with the customer’s experience in mind.  No documentation is required to operate the Trident within normal use.   All related installation, setup, and use of the product is built directly into Apex Fusion with easy to follow steps to get up and running and keep the Trident working over time.

Please refer to the Get Started card included with the Trident initial purchase to get started!

If you prefer a more classic experience to setting up and using the Trident, then please see our Get Started documentation here.

The Trident must be setup with 3-4′ of the aquarium water.  The sample line tubing included with the Trident is 5′ long and cannot be extended or cut.

No.

The sample line is 5′ long and cannot be cut or extended.  If the fixed length of the sample line is changed, then you can expect inaccurate results from the Trident.  If you need to purchase new sample line, then you can do so here.

The waste line should not be cut either, but if additional length is needed, then Neptune Systems recommends possibly using some additional airline or RO tubing, placing the waste line inside that tubing, and placing the additional tubing in a drain or container.

To schedule a test with the Trident, on the Trident tile, select the gear button, then select Schedule.

If you’d like to run a test manually, then select the preferred test under “Start Test.”

No, the only available frequencies and scheduled start times are those found in the Trident Scheduler.  Further customization is not available.

No, not at this time.

A Calcium/Magnesium test is required for every two Alkalinity tests to keep the Trident working under normal and tested operating conditions.

The Trident dashboard tile is your source for all information relating to the Trident’s operation on your system.  By clicking on the Trident tile it offers:

  1. The last recorded test results
  2. Spike-line graphs of your parameters.  Clicking on a graph will bring you to the graph page
  3. The amount of reagent left in each bottle
  4. The amount of test remaining based on the amount of reagent in each bottle and the amount the waste container is filled.

There are two Tasks in Apex Fusion to assist you with replacing reagents.  One called “Trident Reagent A Replacement” is only for Reagent A.  The other is for all three reagents called “Trident Reagent Replacement.”

In the unlikely situation of needing to replace only B and/or C, then please see the Trident Reagent Replacement Guide.

The Trident offers a variety of notifications from reagents being empty to failed tests.  Neptune Systems recommends that you add a notification to be notified about these situations.

  1. Select the gear associated with the email alert outlet
  2. Type the following line to the email alert outlet
    “If Error Tri”
  3. Select the autofilled Trident name
  4. Complete the coding line:
    “If Error Trident_#_3 Then ON” (# will be unique for your installation; it is the Trident’s Aquabus address)
  5. Update to Apex Fusion

Mixing old, left-over reagents that are left in the empty bottle with a new, fresh bottle will cause the reagents in the new bottle to become contaminated.  Neptune Systems packages all the reagents in a 2-month supply so they all come from the same manufacturing batch.  Mixing batches can affect the accuracy and precision of your Trident measurements.

Calibration is not required for the Trident to run appropriately.  The Trident is factory calibrated at Neptune Systems before it ships to you, but given different installation factors and reagent batches its possible that the factory calibration will not offer the stated accuracy for your parameters.

An onsite calibration will allow for more accurate measurements.

The Trident should not be calibrated until at least 48 hours after its initial setup.  This helps to ensure that the Trident is working normally before attempting the calibration.  “Normal” can be defined as readings that are stable and generally consistent over the last 24-48 hours.

With every 2-month reagent package is a calibration standard.  In every 2-month package Neptune Systems guarantees the reagents are from the same “batch.”  The calibration standard allows your Trident to calibrate to that batch.  Generally we recommend that at least 2-3 tests are completed on the new batch of reagents before attempting a calibration.

There is a task in Apex Fusion to assist you with calibrating the Trident.  That task is called “Trident Calibration.”

Please see the Trident Calibration Guide, if you prefer written documentation in completing that process.

There should be about 50 mL left in the calibration bottle after a calibration.  This is normal and not to be concerned about.

The calibration standard is only to be used once.   Within a few hours of being opened will no longer hold the stated values on the outside of the bottle.

It is important that the calibration bottle be placed about 6″ from the normal height of the sample line holder when the sample line holder is installed on the aquarium.

The reason for this requirement is so the Trident calibrates to your specific installation.  The sample line head height can affect the accuracy and precision of the Trident.  For this reason it is important the reference solution be placed at the maximum head height of your installation.

This is an involved question, but most likely this is due to the precision on both your test kit and maybe the Trident.

As an example, your alkalinity test kit may have a stated precision of +/- 0.15 dKH. The Trident has a precision of +/- 0.05dKH. Let’s say that the actual alkalinity is 8.5. Your test may kit reports 8.35, and then the Trident reports 8.55. This is normal.

But there are many other possibilities as well – your test kit reagent could be expired, the test kit could have a faulty syringe, you may have measured the sample water slightly off, etc. If you are concerned about the accuracy of the Trident, please obtain our available Calibration Standard and run the Trident calibration. Chances are no manual test you can do will be as accurate as the Trident after calibration.

While not recommended, yes, that is possible.

If you believe your test kit numbers to be closer to the actual parameters of your water than what the Trident is reporting, then it is possible to use your tank water as your calibration standard instead of the calibration standard sold by Neptune Systems.

To do this, simply follow the calibration procedure and instead of the calibration standard use your water and use the values you believe your water to be.

We will say that a great amount of effort has been put into making the Trident both accurate and precise.  While we understand the faith you might have in your test kit, careful consideration should be made before dismissing an appropriately calibrated Trident measurement.

The Trident status lights can be one of three colors:

  • Blue- indicating that it is running a test or procedure
  • Orange- indicating that the Trident is currently idle
  • Red: indicating the Trident is currently experiencing an error.

The errors, and the troubleshooting needed to resolve those errors, can all be found in the Trident Troubleshooting Guide.

The Trident offers a variety of notifications from reagents being empty to failed tests.  Neptune Systems recommends that you add a notification to be notified about these situations.

  1. Select the gear associated with the email alert outlet
  2. Type the following line to the email alert outlet
    “If Error Tri”
  3. Select the autofilled Trident name
  4. Complete the coding line:
    “If Error Trident_#_3 Then ON” (# will be unique for your installation; it is the Trident’s Aquabus address)
  5. Update to Apex Fusion

If your Trident tile is displaying one of the several error states that can occur, then errors, and the necessary troubleshooting, can all be found in the Trident Troubleshooting Guide.

If a test is not initiated for a period of 24 hours or more, then this error will occur.  It is possible to receive this alert with some other Trident error that is preventing the Trident from operating such as a “Waste Full” error.  The first error to be addressed should be the primary error, then this error.

If the Trident needs to be pulled out of operation for one reason or another, then it is important to run the Trident Shutdown Task in Apex Fusion or see the guide here.

If the Trident is not shutdown appropriately, then it’s possible for blockage to occur in the sample, waste and reagent lines.  Some blockages can only be resolved by returning the Trident to Neptune Systems for service.  Therefore, Neptune Systems cannot stress enough the importance of shutting the Trident down appropriately if removing the Trident from service for any period of time that is more the 72 hours.

Yes, this is possible with the Neptune Systems DŌS.

In Apex Fusion, the “Trident Controlled Dosing” task will assist you with having the Trident maintain and control your parameters.   It is important to get some consistent data before enabling Trident Controlled Dosing.  It is also important to have a good idea what volume of additive is required to generally maintain the desired levels.

To get a better understanding of how a Trident controlled DŌS works, please see the guide here.

There are many possible reasons for this but the best place to start is the amount of additive the DŌS is scheduled to deliver over 24 hours.

It is recommended to read our documentation here for fine tuning your Trident Controlled Dosing.

Controlling an on/off dosing pump using the parameters the Trident is monitoring is not recommended.   While it is possible to configure an outlet to turn on or off based on a Trident parameter, the Trident typically only test parameters every 6-12 hours.  If you were to turn a pump on based on that value, then it wouldn’t turn off again till the next test and a whole lot of additive could be added and over dose the tank.

There is elaborate programming that can be done to do this better than the above example, but no program will operate better and with more ease than a Neptune Systems Trident and DŌS paired together to maintain those levels.

There is no formal wizard at this time that allows for the control of a calcium reactor (CaRx) with the Trident.

It is Neptune Systems opinion that a CaRx should handle 90% of your calcification needs and the additional 10% or so, can be modulated through liquid dosing.  A Trident paired with a DŌS can dynamically control that liquid additive for the delivering the most appropriate amount for the current rate of calcification.

With all that being said, there are certainly CaRx users that are using the Trident to control their CaRx.  Visit the Trident area of the Neptune Systems Community Forum to see how.

If the Trident experiences a test error for any reason, then the DŌS will return to the normal dosing volume you have set in your configuration.

If you are using Trident Controlled Dosing, the Trident experiences an unlikely bad test for one of your parameters and the “bad test” is outside the control limit set for the Trident, then the dosing volume will return normal amount set for the DŌS.

The control limits set by the “Trident Controlled Dosing” task are illustrated and explained in the guide here, and can be adjusted for your specific needs.