Oh! I didn't realize Triton was a method. I just thought it was a tank brand or something. I'd never heard of it, so I googled. So, you dose their additives and send your water in for very precise testing. They then tell you how to tweak the dosing, and you don't do any water changes. Refugiums with plants are very important to this method, but you don't export any plant material? So the skimmer cup is the only export done? And, by leaving all plants in the system, everything they take up remains in the system, keeping parameters stable. Is that it basically? I'm sure I've left out some vital elements of it.
I'm always fascinated with new methods. Could you explain more on how you're applying this method to your tank?
My first impression is that they've found a great way to monetize a method; You use only their additives and their testing, at considerable expense. Obviously, this kind of technology isn't cheap, but it sounds very precise.
I love learning about new methods that fly in the face of convention. Here we all are, exporting, exporting, exporting, and they say no, you need to add this, this and this! I'm going to read more, and see what I can apply to my own methods.
You've pretty much got it.
The simplest way to describe it is running your tank in a very "natural" manner.
The refugium provides most of the filtration, along with a quality skimmer. Carbon is the only other thing that is recommended to run on and ongoing basis.
All parameters are meant to be run as close to NSW as possible, with Alk at 8.0 dkh.
The Triton Base Elements are comprised of 4 mixtures. Alk, Calc, Mag and then a bunch of minor elements that are found in NSW and industry salt mix.
The problem with using water changes to replenish these minor elements is that we have no idea how much is being used up, how much we are putting back in, and if we are putting back enough or too much. How would any imbalances effect the tank long term? What do all these minor elements do and how important are they? We don't know and neither does Triton, but the thinking is, if it's in NSW, then its a pretty safe bet that we should strive to keep it there.
So the Base Elements (4 dosing pumps needed) should provide everything you need and remove the guesswork.
Since every tank is different, these elements could be used up at various rates so the occasional tweak may be needed and these are provided separately to add more or you can then do some water changes to bring them back down if they are too high. But for the most part you should just need the 4. And they recommend a variety of macros because the tank sucks up or releases various nutrients at different times/rates. As these rise and fall the various macros should work together to keep things pretty stable. And as certain nutrients are depleted and certain macros die back, good stuff is released back into the tank to feed your coral and other organisms.
As far as expense is concerned, it's really no more expensive than traditional two-part dosing if you factor in the amount of money saved on doing regular water changes. And it's recommended to test just a few times a year to make sure nothing major is changing. Plus an extra few tests in the beginning just so you have a base, and then a couple to make sure you've got it dialed in.
Triton isn't selling a mystery potion. It's not about buying a bunch of blue bottles with undocumented ingredients, a strict regimen of daily dosing, pumping reactors, etc. What they are doing is providing a way for us to run our tanks as close to NSW as possible, in the most natural way possible, and providing a testing service that goes far beyond what is available in hobby test kit form to really make sure everything is on point and allowing us to nip any potentially devastating problems in the bud.
I'm only a few months in, but that's my general take on it so far.
