- Today at BRStv Reef FAQs,
we answer,
can you really use the Triton Method to eliminate
the need for water changes with your reef tank?
(upbeat music)
Hi I'm Ryan.
Your host to BRStv Reef FAQs.
Today we answer the most common question
about the Triton Method.
Can you really stop doing water changes?
Reality is no one likes hauling buckets of water around.
And reducing the work involved in maintaining the tank
has a direct causation to the lifespan of the tank.
Outside of crappy heaters with no backup controller,
the number one cause of tank failure is the tank's
extreme dependence on the availability of time
from the caregiver.
In this case, meaning you,
and the tank's dependence on water changes.
If you stop doing them because you're busy,
particularly in the first few years,
or stop doing them without a well-designed approach,
the chances for success go down.
Inversely, if you reduce your tank's reliance
on your personal time or implement
a well-thought-out approach
to reducing water changes,
there will be a much higher percentage path
to a five to ten year reef tank in long-term success.
So today's question is an unequivocal yes,
you can use the Triton Method to drastically reduce
the tank's dependence on you,
to do water changes.
I say that as someone who ran the Triton Method
for a couple years and documented the results
on a public tank with the BRS160.
The way the owner of Triton described the Triton Method
is a three prong approach to maintaining healthy biology
in a reef tank including
light, filtration, and chemistry.
At the most basic level,
the reason why you can drastically reduce water changes
is because most of us are doing water changes
to limit the buildup of excess nitrate and phosphate.
We'll remove general contaminants and to some degree
maintain minor and trace elements.
The Triton Method relies on a well-lit refugium
for nutrient removal which absolutely works,
high quality carbon remove many general contaminants,
their CORE7 four part to maintain undesirable elements,
an ICP test to provide a window into the elevated elements
and overall chemistry.
If the ICP test detect low elements,
they suggest dosing the specific elements.
If something is elevated or out of line
with natural seawater,
only then perform a water change.
In majority of cases outside of that,
you're just exchanging good water with good water,
which is kind of a waste of time and money.
So there's no question this is an approach to reduce
the reef tank's reliance on water changes and your time.
However, there are a couple of notable caveats
that the Triton Method eliminates the shotgun approach
to water changes which is just do them all the time,
regardless of if the tank actually requires it
and you know you're covered.
That replaces that with a water change approach
of testing and only performing them when the data shows
that it's required.
So this means when the test says do the water changes,
you have to do them for this method to work.
If you ignore the testing data,
don't be surprised when you start to experience mortalities.
The testing approach to water changes only works
if you follow the advice of the test.
So be aware the Triton Method isn't designed
to eliminate water changes altogether,
but more so just to reduce them to when they're needed.
This is the second caveat.
Well the sexy piece to the Triton System
is the thought of eliminating or reducing water changes.
That's really just a side effect of a overall approach
to quality filtration and chemistry.
Some of you may find that rather than focus
on how to eliminate water changes,
it's just easier and more effective to find ways
to make water changes easier,
so it doesn't matter.
For example,
well, I personally like the Triton Method
and the overall approach and results,
particularly the four part CORE7 solution
which is specifically designed for a refugium.
In fact the only major, minor trace element solution
designed for use with the refugium and the related
element update that I'm aware of.
However in the end,
I just found it was easier to implement auto water changes
than monitor and correct chemistry imbalances with testing.
In the end,
I think water changes and testing and dosing individual
elements end up to be pretty similar in cost.
The Triton System with auto water changes is what I call
hybrid solution to some degree,
but just one of the available approaches.
We use the Neptune DOS for our auto water changes,
but there are variety options out there.
If you want to learn more about how to use the Neptune DOS,
for this, Randy did an awesome spotlight,
so check it out.
See you next week with another batch of BRStv Reef FAQs.