just a quick comment on the video with more insight from the manufacturer point of view for Alkatronic. 1. Noise level comparison was at different location. Trident seems to be not as close to the tank. but honestly, it is quite similar. 2. Alkatronic doesn’t need strict 4 weeks calibration but is just an advise to users. On the other hand, no info about calibration or servicing needed for the Trident. 3. The cost of reagent is wrong. Should be $0.04 per Alkatronic test based on 29.99 for 1L. 29.99/5000=0.006, 0.006*7ml per test = $0.04. he said Alkatroince needs $0.17/test. 4. Never showed Trident readings with the back to back tests and he showed only a daily test record with 12 hours apart (Alkatronic) not what he said back to back tests. If we can see back to back results, I am very confident that Alkatronic will show even better results. Consistency reading is the key with these auto testers. 5. Any info on how the units handle error readings/tests? Alkatronic will do back to back test if the reading deviates too much from the previous reading but will still show the final confirmed reading when established.
FOCUSTRONIC just another note is how awesome the customer service is on alkatronic. I have never had a question or issue that has not been answered within hours, by the owner of the company! This has been one of my very favorite things about the alkatronic!
@@HerbysReef I will have to be honest with you on this point. We have had a few customers that have received alkatronic units that simply did't work and they worked with the manufacture and they couldn't figure out how to get them to work and left the customer without a solution. I haven't sold enough tridents to have these issues left.
if you even get the alkatronic to work lmao... PLEASE RESTART.... i'll never mess with this company again... they had me unplug, replug, and unplug and replug my unit at least 25 times...
Seriously, new to your channel but this is one of the best comparison video's I have seen. Your side by side setup is a fabulous idea. Great content. Thanks.
Thank You! We are just trying to present the data. The reality is both devices have both positives & negatives. There's a lot for our customers to try to decipher on their own, we hope this helps.
I wouldn't have much faith in this review he has got quite a few things wrong personally I don't think he's even used an Alkatronic in his life otherwise he would know the cost per test is about a quarter of what he claims don't know where he got his info but since he's in apex's pocket I should expect nothing less.
Yes, we messed up the cost per test kit as the correction to the video states. The issue was caused by the confusion of labels & Alkatronic now adding a sample reagent with new units. It’s true mark only used the Alkatronic about 4 months.
I own a lot of Neptune gear and I think the Trident is a amazing gear but the problem for me is the cost to run this thing. You are looking at 540$ in reagents if you run it for 24 months + if you want to service it. I really hope they drop the price on this things.
Thanks for the great comparison video, I do want to point out that the math on the alkatronic testing cost is wrong when factoring in there is a larger concentrated reagent for sale. If you buy the 4L concentrated reagent for $110, that will dilute to 20L, which will perform about 2500 tests per Alkatronics website. That equates to approximately 4.4 cents per test
All in all, 4 things that matter the most: Accuracy, Ease of use, dependable, cost: Trident. Great video and very fair testing. I still would never buy one and I feel anyone with a smaller tank than 100 gallon should not buy one either unless you have plenty of money and no wife.
I finally got one from SaltwaterAquarium thanks for the gear been waiting for months.. I did not get an in stock message I just started checking daily.
Great video. I have an Alkatronic and it has been tricky to learn how to use it. You do like with most things eventually find a way to use it. I’m looking forward to getting a Trident however
Man this was brutal... alkatronic stock just took a hit this video. No way in hell anyone buying one now, even if this was a stand alone video. Trident for the win by along shot. You must have had this video ready for awhile.. perfect timing. Great job 😎👍🏾
Yeah no kidding, the statement from the Alkatronic that Alk & Ca are used in equal amounts which is why it only tests Alk ... ok I'll buy that... but then why do you include only a single dosing pump on the unit then? The minute you dose alkalinity then it is no longer "balanced" with Ca, plus has anyone ever had them out of balance (watches everyone's hand shoot up)... yeah, sounds like double talk from the company to try and convince people to buy their unit over the competitor which does them all.
And alkatronic customer service sucks... I was sent defective unit, and they kept doing everything in their power to blame me, then I did Facebook Live video with my issues, and instantly was offered option to send back for refund to distributor. Anyone who bought one from SaltwaterAquarium.com should be entitled to a complete refund for this piece of garbage Alkatronic machine.
Can’t blame distributors from a product being bad. They just the middle men... the manufacture need to make better products and support them. That’s why I try to avoid first generation products. Always bugs and refining needed. I’m sure a lot more videos will be coming soon just get your 🍿 ready
@@CJSAQUARIUMS I'm not blaming the distributor. This is totally on Alkatronics. That said, maybe more should be done by distributors before they carry these new products for sale. I found it odd how this video was posted and emailed out moments after I submitted my refund claim because Alkatronics failed to get the machine to work right.
I am new to automation testing, however for me I will be going with Trident! For 2 main reasons - It tests CA, ALK & MAG compared to just ALK only & they have other equipments which have been running for years (so this ain't their first Rodeo).
I read MANY reviews about the Trident and it seems most of them are bad. They almost always say that it breaks after a year of use and Caan coat double to just fix it. Have you had any problems? I want a Trident but am afraid to do it.
I see many comments on "the" site that have described the trident breaking down often after a little time, being "dinky" and customer service not helping. Did yours have problems after three years, did the alkatronic break down or function? Ever have to call customer support from either?
Hello Marc! First all ... Thank you so much for all the support you provide to the reef community. ✨👏🏻😊😉 I’ve got one doubt: For those who running calcium reactors, the I Trident be able to work in parallel with?
Alkatronic on the other hand can control if dkh is too high via the included smart socket to shut down the pump to the reactor and enable it again when dkh is back within range
Actualy you get 5L With the alkatronic Reagent not 1.25L. If buy the 4L Concentrated Reagent you get about 2600 test for 110$, if you do 4 tests a day it will last about 650 days.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom Mix 250ml of concentrated reagent with 1000ml Rodi = 1.25 L. You still have 0.75 L concentrated reagent left. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION A concentrated reagent specifically for the Alkatronic Alkalinity Controller. For every 1 part reagent, mix 4 parts RO/DI water. Every 1000mL of concentrate will produce 5000mL of solution.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom Yeah i know but I mean the cost per test is not correct because you showed the bottle that cost 29$ and gives you 5L. Anyway nice video 🙂
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom There we go.. That is what I was trying to say in a much worse way. This video has been very helpful. I have an alkatronic and am debating on purchasing a second for my frag system or trying the Trident.. I will be waiting for the initial batch reviews to come out. Thanks for the video
I've been looking up reviews of both these now that people have had alot of time with them and I keep reading horror stories about how the trident systems have tons of issues after about 6months-1 year of use. Then when something breaks the customer service is terrible. I wish there was something like the trident that was more reliable
Mat, not really, if I had to spend a little extra time to set up but get a hundred times better accuracy and control. 38 minutes I can spare in my life time, but if I had to spend an extra 10 minutes a day or 60 minutes a week maintaining it, that really says it all.
Bob Ellis Trust me, this video was made to try and sell the most tridents. I have had the Alkatronic for over a year and it is awesome. Not to take away from trident, I definitely think it is great, and in some ways better than the Alkatronic. It is for sure easier to set up, but for someone with an apex classic who does not really want to upgrade, or for someone who wants to test more than every six hours the Alkatronic makes sense. He made a mistake on reagent cost. I test every 2 to 4 hours and reagent costs about $8 per month. Once you see how beneficial the alk tests are you will want to test more often than every six hours. My Alkatronic will dose when needed and shut my calcium reactor peri pump off when too high. It keeps my alk within .3 dkh variance. I am in no way saying Trident isn’t great or even worth it, I am just saying there is a place for the Alkatronic
In contrast. We have lots of Alkatronic in inventory that we hope to sell. We sell both devices and wanted to be as fair as we could presenting the data. We will do a Round 2 Video and highlight the fact that Alkatronic is cheaper to operate.
SaltwaterAquarium there are more other benefits in running Alkatronic. One major point which many may miss is the added redundancy to their whole system and you won’t get that when all equipment is controlled by a single module
SaltwaterAquarium yes, with Alkatronic, you have the added redundancy because it is standalone and also can connect to other controllers for added safety. Think this way, if you dosing system and monitor depends on the controller, what if the controller fails? Anything can fail so not saying they are bad but just a possible scenario. If the tank has an Alkatronic, dkh would still be monitored and controlled despite other equipment is not functioning
I'll wait for more competition from other manufacturers, hope we get a Chinese (jebao) competitor to drop prices down a little. These two products are great, the comparison I think lacks fairness, however, the trident to me it's the best unit out of the two. I take care of four SPS aquariums and manual test work fine, no need to do so many tests to get things working. 1 test a week is sufficient, no need to do 4 test daily. That's my take on it.
I am not happy to see a review with some major errors concerning Alkatronic. One test costs 0.04USD. If you do 8 tests/day, which is the purpose with a KH monitor to get the benefits out, our 4 l conc reagent last 16 months. Concerning ph cal fluids, most distr or retailer include them, OR inform user to buy separate for 1-2 USD. No big deal at all to be honest, and should not have such a weight. Precision when talking to standard deviation Alkatronic is the only machine that has showed to achieve 0.04dKH. I lack this info overall from all others competitors. Why?. Thats the most important info of all. Also maybe its fair to emphasize that Alkatronic corrects in both directions and are the only machine that is 100% standalone to do that. And the cooperation with Dosetronic make Alkatronic dosing functions more developed and smart that competitors. I lack a comment of that, as that is crucial when you decide to buy a product. Last, the sound. In last production Alkatronic is ultra silent, like Dosetronic, and Focustronic offer a very cheap upgrade kit with 4 new bushings to make all machines that quiet. I am looking forward to see more review side by side, from other sources as well, to get as good comparison as possible.
This not true. BOTH Devices have routine maintenance requirements. Think of it as an oil change or changing the tires on your car. 18-24 months on the Trident. There is an OPTIONAL but Recommended option to service the TRIDENT. That Recommendation is once after 18-24 months. There is no requirement to send it in for maintenance, it's up to you. There will also be a kit made available to service the unit at home. The Alkatronic has maintenance requirements as well. Monthly calibration, changing dose head, changing tubing, ph Probes, etc.
This review is like buying a car, and only use the small fuel that was included from the store, and then make judgments from that. One of Alkatronics big efforts has just been the reagent , its low cost, and high precision , and possibility to measure very frequently (otherwise you miss the whole idea), so to do a review without include the original way of using Alkatronic, thus with the 4 l reagent, is not fair. I would have expected a review of that kind that people can get correct guidance.
I understand you have an interest in the Alkatronic, but in the end you can get an Apex, Neptune and 2 DoS for the same price as the Alkatronic and do 10X (conservative) more with it. The Apex would be monitoring and controlling your tank, dosing KH, Ca, Mg and another solution of your choice. Your machine may be orders of magnitude more accurate in a lab sense but few, if any, reefers care at that level.
Nope not yet but we will be excited to get our hands on it ASAP. We will try to review all the automated testing solutions out there including Auto Balance & Reef Bot.
Like most reefers, we just can’t stop f$&@ing with our quality of water along with everything else that goes into this expensive hobby. We pretty much been told the main focus is stability along with some parameters as a guide (Temp, Salinity, ALK , Cal, Mag). We all know that manual testing is inaccurate and time consuming. I happen to own an apex, but even if I didn’t, I think I would go with the tool that gives the most information to help me be successful in this hobby. That being said, good luck in getting a Trident. They seem to be in high demand. P.S. Would interesting to do a recap on this with the GHL ION Director
Plain to see that you're an Apex lover! You failed to mention that the Alkatronic uses Bluetooth for initial setup then is wifi and it also can send you test results anywhere in the world and when connected to the Dosetronic you can dose as required. The cost of service was missed out for the Trident $100-250'per year so it actually costs between $30 and $35 per month for trident and $2 per month for Alkatronic . If only you used the Alkatronic properly you may have realised that w test per day 12 hours apart tells you there's a difference from am to pm which if you'd done a minimum of 4 tests per day you might have found that the alk usage varying depends upon lighting and the Alkatronic and Dosetronic combo would have over a couple of days found the ALK usage and dosed according. I could go on and on picking out your faults with this video but it would probably fall on deaf ears.
yea and the bluetooth connection sucks. why don't you tell everyone that you need plug and unplug the stupid unit dozens of times and it sucks with android. matter of fact eric tang was unable to get it to connect with out me having an iphone. the alkatronic is a mess, and the people who run that company are the reason the product is so bad. worst customer service ever.
Trident for the win! Blows my mind on the others one being so expensive with so much error, so much maintenance, so much setting up and the extra work for the reagent. How can they expect to sell these things?
Alkatronic is very good at doing what it was designed to do. With Dosetroinic's 5 dosing pumps the options are endless. Both devices have positives and negatives to measure when making a purchase decision.
Agreed if the price tag was not 899 and maybe 299. Everyone buying one of these will more than likely be a gear junky with an apex anyway. So as a customer, to make the ALKATRONIC even marketable to a reefer, itll need to be way cheaper esp when everything on it falls short in comparison in every aspect. I understand you can't give biased comments. BUT you can look out for the customer and not recommend or not sale it any longer. I would be really upset if I bought the ALK already from you guys vice the trident
@@jamesparrott2073 That being said I can see the Trident being sold out most of the year given the early demand and slow release of units. Alkatronic is in stock and a cheaper solution if you don't want an apex or one isn't available where you live or if you only want to do alk control & dose.
I will not be picking up either of these units in the near future so I just wanted to state my lack of bias. Out of curiosity though my understanding is that the trident will require service from Neptune periodically (I have heard anywhere from six months to 24 mos) coming in at around 250$. Any info on that?
Hi, thanks for that. What’s the price per Alkalinity test for the Trident, since testing calcium and magnesium daily is widely agreed pretty useless. Is is possible to test Alkalinity daily and testing ca and mg weekly as recommended in reefing ?
SaltwaterAquarium I have actually never heard someone tests mg or ca daily, any published evidence for better growth when testing daily for this parameters ? If I want an automated tester for the things I test weekly, I need one who tests phosphate and nitrate, ca and mg as well I would go for the Reefbot instead. I go Triton so the Alkatronic/ Dosetronic doses my 4 part solution based on the Alkalinity. I test other parameters ones a week and every 6 months ICP.
another important point is the extra redundancy you will add with Alkatronic to your system as it is a standalone product while it can share the test results to other controllers. In case of an emergency with your aquarium controller, the alkalinity being the most important element will still be checked and controlled with Alkatronic and do not rely on any other equipments to do its job.
Missing a major point here, Focustronic TELLS YOU HOW TO MAKE THE REAGENT! All the reagent is, is Muriatic Acid and water. You can make a gallon of reagent for less than 5 cents. A gallon of Muriatic Acid will last the lifetime of the Focustronic. So the reagent for the lifetime of the Frocustronic is the cost of a gallon of Muriatic Acid.
Its in the manual, pg 32 Appendix section Recipe for carbonate-solution. I did some testing and I mix 7.2 ml of HCL Acid to 128 oz of RO water. You get small variance but you can adjust those in menu.
Hmm base line test 7.5 dkh alkatronic 7.6 Trident 7.2 and your review is fine for both?? How much Neptune pay u to do this review lol how about this 44$ for 2 months so 44x6=264$ per year plus 150$ maintenance fee to send the Trident in to service n calibrate which equal 414$ Alkatronic 110$ for 4l reagant 2 test per day last 2 years.
Surely if you are looking at setup times, you should take into account how long it takes to setup the Apex unit, as if you don't set that up, then surely you will have no results from the Trident ?
Man... that dilution, I was expecting a 5:1 or something, heck even 2:1... but 1L of concentrate makes 1.25L of solution. Geeze is there any chemical reason they couldn't just sell you the diluted solution so there's no guesswork on your side and just ship a plastic bottle 25% larger? That said, don't have an Apex, and even if I did, I'd sit back a while to really let all the bugs get handled, and hopefully wait for a solution where it can be a one touch testing instead of forcing a minimum of 4 tests a day.
Maybe that part wasn't clear. For Alkatronic - For every 1 part reagent, mix 4 parts RO/DI water. Every 1000mL of concentrate will produce 5000mL of solution.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom Ahh ok that makes sense, I thought 1000mL of concentrated when diluted makes 1250 of usable mixture. Thanks for clearing that part up. Still leaning heavily towards the Trident though.
@@Mike__B It all depends on budget and what your looking for. Alkatronic can test & dose within itself. Trident needs an APEX and a DOS, but it can do a ton of other stuff. So there are positives & negatives to both. It all really depends on budget and what your looking for.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom IMO it depends upon where you're at in the hobby. Yeah the Alkatronic is cheaper then the Trident + ApexEl combo, but it's only $200 cheaper, so if you're already spending $900 on an auto alkalinity tester why not spend another $200 and get a calcium check, a magnesium check, and a full on controller to do everything with probes, etc... at least that's the way I would see if I was getting into this hobby new. Now if you had any of the other controllers out there, or an older Apex that can't use the Trident then I could understand $200 may be something you don't want to do. But there's a super high chance that if you're looking into a method to automatically test like this then you already have something in place to dose, so I wouldn't call the addition of a doser as a net positive. But as you said, it all depends upon your situation. And that said, currently I'm ok with sitting back and seeing if any other players enter the game, because having choices is definitely good.
I know the trident people said to send it in for maintenance every 18 to 24 months but also gave the option to manually replace parts instead due to wear and tear. Is the alkatronic similar or is it just monthly maintenance?
BOTH Devices have routine maintenance requirements. Think of it as an oil change or changing the tires on your car. 18-24 months Optional Recommended maintenance on the Trident. The Alkatronic has maintenance requirements as well. Monthly calibration, changing dose head, changing tubing, ph probes, etc.
Seems like quite a few errors in the mathematics of costs per test. Quite a few other points seem pretty dubious and somewhat biased, there seems to be a big deal made with the variations on the Alkatronic ( mine is very rarely different by more than 0.03 from the previous reading) yet there is no mention made of any of the Trident variations, hardly a comparison with only 1 side of the story :(
Yes the optional 18-24 maintenance on the Trident and the maintenance, monthly calibration, replacement of dosing heads, tubing, ph probe, etc on the alkatronic was not covered in this video. We will be sure to cover this in a future video.
i want one but theyre still so expensive and having to add reagents kind of defeats some of the purpose. Now why not just test the water by hand while im down here refilling the tester? and god knows im going to be double checking testing results anyways...if money weren't an issue id absolutely get one. but until they come down in price or the technology advances to a more accurate hands off model i think this is where i draw the line at on tank automation...im already auto topping off, auto-dosing, auto lighting auto feeding and doing manual water changes weekly like clockwork...how much do the parameters in my tank really change anyways? You can go down a rabbit hole of crap in this hobby. testing this and testing that... your par, your alk, your calcium, ect... enjoy your tank. do your maintenance and live and let live at some point... i guess if you got a ton invested in coral and such then if some added redundancy helps you enjoy the hobby more so be it. but i think auto testing is off the table for me atm.
Dear Neptune Sales, Operations and Planning Teams, First off, thank you for putting out a fantastic product. But I, and many others, have an issue: This is beyond ridiculous. Please just tell us when the 6 month supply of reagents will be back in stock. I understand and appreciate the COVID-19 impact, but I also work in Supply Chain and can absolutely assure you that China and other SEA countries are back up to full production. Even accounting for the fact that you're likely shipping via Ocean ( with a 1-2 month shipping time). Please stop using COVID as an excuse. You were unable to keep your supply up with demand prior to COVID and show no signs that you're getting any better. Feel free in passing this message along, or deleting, but your Supply Planning is an absolute wreck and is frankly very likely misaligned with an actual S&OP process. Or, Neptune is not capable of ramping up production capacity within their supply partners or in finding additional capacity with other partners. Your customers are losing faith and bombarding the Neptune with one-star reviews because of the lack of 6 month reagents. When can we expect the 6 month pack supply to be in stock? Please do not respond with the point that the 2 month supply is in stock. That's very well known and is at a much higher cost point. Unless you'd like to sell us three of the 2 month packs for the price of the 6 month supply. Seriously, it's been over a year. Get your act together. At this point, it's just getting embarrassing. Thanks, Previously loyal, but getting frustrated customer base
You can not trust these devices as the will fail when you need them the most. Apex under the cover is just shit and there ATO is garbage. If you can not create a good ATO do not count on anything else that they created. Why do I feel this way is because I call Apex and they told me to call BRS and BRS told me to call Apex. Not only is the device garbage the service is also garbage.
just a quick comment on the video with more insight from the manufacturer point of view for Alkatronic.
1. Noise level comparison was at different location. Trident seems to be not as close to the tank. but honestly, it is quite similar.
2. Alkatronic doesn’t need strict 4 weeks calibration but is just an advise to users. On the other hand, no info about calibration or servicing needed for the Trident.
3. The cost of reagent is wrong. Should be $0.04 per Alkatronic test based on 29.99 for 1L. 29.99/5000=0.006, 0.006*7ml per test = $0.04. he said Alkatroince needs $0.17/test.
4. Never showed Trident readings with the back to back tests and he showed only a daily test record with 12 hours apart (Alkatronic) not what he said back to back tests. If we can see back to back results, I am very confident that Alkatronic will show even better results. Consistency reading is the key with these auto testers.
5. Any info on how the units handle error readings/tests? Alkatronic will do back to back test if the reading deviates too much from the previous reading but will still show the final confirmed reading when established.
FOCUSTRONIC thank you so much for adding this extra info! I will pin this to the top of the thread.
FOCUSTRONIC just another note is how awesome the customer service is on alkatronic. I have never had a question or issue that has not been answered within hours, by the owner of the company! This has been one of my very favorite things about the alkatronic!
@@HerbysReef I will have to be honest with you on this point. We have had a few customers that have received alkatronic units that simply did't work and they worked with the manufacture and they couldn't figure out how to get them to work and left the customer without a solution. I haven't sold enough tridents to have these issues left.
if you even get the alkatronic to work lmao... PLEASE RESTART.... i'll never mess with this company again... they had me unplug, replug, and unplug and replug my unit at least 25 times...
Thank you it's all good information!
Seriously, new to your channel but this is one of the best comparison video's I have seen. Your side by side setup is a fabulous idea. Great content. Thanks.
Thanks for this. Huge help in understanding the difference between these two. I'm excited to see the reviews of the other similar systems!
Thank You! We are just trying to present the data. The reality is both devices have both positives & negatives. There's a lot for our customers to try to decipher on their own, we hope this helps.
I wouldn't have much faith in this review he has got quite a few things wrong personally I don't think he's even used an Alkatronic in his life otherwise he would know the cost per test is about a quarter of what he claims don't know where he got his info but since he's in apex's pocket I should expect nothing less.
Yes, we messed up the cost per test kit as the correction to the video states. The issue was caused by the confusion of labels & Alkatronic now adding a sample reagent with new units. It’s true mark only used the Alkatronic about 4 months.
I own a lot of Neptune gear and I think the Trident is a amazing gear but the problem for me is the cost to run this thing. You are looking at 540$ in reagents if you run it for 24 months + if you want to service it. I really hope they drop the price on this things.
Thanks for the great comparison video, I do want to point out that the math on the alkatronic testing cost is wrong when factoring in there is a larger concentrated reagent for sale. If you buy the 4L concentrated reagent for $110, that will dilute to 20L, which will perform about 2500 tests per Alkatronics website. That equates to approximately 4.4 cents per test
Great Point! We were going off of the 250ml you get in the box at the 1L price.
Correction: The Alkatronic reagent cost is about $.04/test when utitlizing the 1L concentrated reagent.
All in all, 4 things that matter the most: Accuracy, Ease of use, dependable, cost: Trident. Great video and very fair testing. I still would never buy one and I feel anyone with a smaller tank than 100 gallon should not buy one either unless you have plenty of money and no wife.
Hahahahaha great response
I finally got one from SaltwaterAquarium thanks for the gear been waiting for months..
I did not get an in stock message I just started checking daily.
Interesting. Buying the Neptune setup feels like you're getting a 'free' Apex 🤔👍
Thanks for the insite. think the mastertronic has added another dimension to this comparison
Great video. I have an Alkatronic and it has been tricky to learn how to use it. You do like with most things eventually find a way to use it. I’m looking forward to getting a Trident however
Man this was brutal... alkatronic stock just took a hit this video. No way in hell anyone buying one now, even if this was a stand alone video. Trident for the win by along shot. You must have had this video ready for awhile.. perfect timing. Great job 😎👍🏾
Yeah no kidding, the statement from the Alkatronic that Alk & Ca are used in equal amounts which is why it only tests Alk ... ok I'll buy that... but then why do you include only a single dosing pump on the unit then? The minute you dose alkalinity then it is no longer "balanced" with Ca, plus has anyone ever had them out of balance (watches everyone's hand shoot up)... yeah, sounds like double talk from the company to try and convince people to buy their unit over the competitor which does them all.
And alkatronic customer service sucks... I was sent defective unit, and they kept doing everything in their power to blame me, then I did Facebook Live video with my issues, and instantly was offered option to send back for refund to distributor. Anyone who bought one from SaltwaterAquarium.com should be entitled to a complete refund for this piece of garbage Alkatronic machine.
Can’t blame distributors from a product being bad. They just the middle men... the manufacture need to make better products and support them. That’s why I try to avoid first generation products. Always bugs and refining needed. I’m sure a lot more videos will be coming soon just get your 🍿 ready
@@CJSAQUARIUMS I'm not blaming the distributor. This is totally on Alkatronics. That said, maybe more should be done by distributors before they carry these new products for sale. I found it odd how this video was posted and emailed out moments after I submitted my refund claim because Alkatronics failed to get the machine to work right.
My alkatronic is on point. Not much maintenance for me. And I don’t have to send in my unit for up keep
I am new to automation testing, however for me I will be going with Trident! For 2 main reasons - It tests CA, ALK & MAG compared to just ALK only & they have other equipments which have been running for years (so this ain't their first Rodeo).
I read MANY reviews about the Trident and it seems most of them are bad. They almost always say that it breaks after a year of use and Caan coat double to just fix it. Have you had any problems? I want a Trident but am afraid to do it.
Nice video.
This is way out of my budget. Also I only have a lagoon 25 lol
Glad I bought the trident . Thanks good reviews
What an awesome detailed breakdown! Thanks!
I see many comments on "the" site that have described the trident breaking down often after a little time, being "dinky" and customer service not helping. Did yours have problems after three years, did the alkatronic break down or function? Ever have to call customer support from either?
Hello Marc!
First all ... Thank you so much for all the support you provide to the reef community. ✨👏🏻😊😉
I’ve got one doubt:
For those who running calcium reactors, the I Trident be able to work in parallel with?
Yes. It can do a number of things in conjunction with a calcium reactor, supplemental dosing, alerts for calcium levels being low, etc
Alkatronic on the other hand can control if dkh is too high via the included smart socket to shut down the pump to the reactor and enable it again when dkh is back within range
Actualy you get 5L With the alkatronic Reagent not 1.25L. If buy the 4L Concentrated Reagent you get about 2600 test for 110$, if you do 4 tests a day it will last about 650 days.
Yes we were comparing the out of the box experience. 250ml of concentrated reagent comes with it, that's 1.25 L.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom Mix 250ml of concentrated reagent with 1000ml Rodi = 1.25 L. You still have 0.75 L concentrated reagent left.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
A concentrated reagent specifically for the Alkatronic Alkalinity Controller. For every 1 part reagent, mix 4 parts RO/DI water. Every 1000mL of concentrate will produce 5000mL of solution.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom Yeah i know but I mean the cost per test is not correct because you showed the bottle that cost 29$ and gives you 5L. Anyway nice video 🙂
Correction: The Alkatronic reagent cost is about $.04/test when utitlizing the 1L concentrated reagent.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom There we go.. That is what I was trying to say in a much worse way. This video has been very helpful. I have an alkatronic and am debating on purchasing a second for my frag system or trying the Trident.. I will be waiting for the initial batch reviews to come out. Thanks for the video
I would recommend the alkatronic everyday of the week. Dropped 2k on apex and all bells and whistles, all I got left that works is the boxes.
Good to know. great info. Well done vid as always
I've been looking up reviews of both these now that people have had alot of time with them and I keep reading horror stories about how the trident systems have tons of issues after about 6months-1 year of use. Then when something breaks the customer service is terrible. I wish there was something like the trident that was more reliable
Well done
13 minutes vs 51 minutes.
Says it all, really.
Mat, not really, if I had to spend a little extra time to set up but get a hundred times better accuracy and control. 38 minutes I can spare in my life time, but if I had to spend an extra 10 minutes a day or 60 minutes a week maintaining it, that really says it all.
Great vid mark many thanks 🙏😀
Very hard to understand the complaints about the Trident after seeing the Alkatronic. Thanks Mark!
Bob Ellis Trust me, this video was made to try and sell the most tridents. I have had the Alkatronic for over a year and it is awesome. Not to take away from trident, I definitely think it is great, and in some ways better than the Alkatronic. It is for sure easier to set up, but for someone with an apex classic who does not really want to upgrade, or for someone who wants to test more than every six hours the Alkatronic makes sense. He made a mistake on reagent cost. I test every 2 to 4 hours and reagent costs about $8 per month. Once you see how beneficial the alk tests are you will want to test more often than every six hours. My Alkatronic will dose when needed and shut my calcium reactor peri pump off when too high. It keeps my alk within .3 dkh variance. I am in no way saying Trident isn’t great or even worth it, I am just saying there is a place for the Alkatronic
In contrast. We have lots of Alkatronic in inventory that we hope to sell. We sell both devices and wanted to be as fair as we could presenting the data. We will do a Round 2 Video and highlight the fact that Alkatronic is cheaper to operate.
SaltwaterAquarium there are more other benefits in running Alkatronic. One major point which many may miss is the added redundancy to their whole system and you won’t get that when all equipment is controlled by a single module
@@focustronic831 redundancy is a great thing right?
SaltwaterAquarium yes, with Alkatronic, you have the added redundancy because it is standalone and also can connect to other controllers for added safety. Think this way, if you dosing system and monitor depends on the controller, what if the controller fails? Anything can fail so not saying they are bad but just a possible scenario. If the tank has an Alkatronic, dkh would still be monitored and controlled despite other equipment is not functioning
Neptune has given saltwateraquarium so much more money than focustronics. This is clear in the video and everybody should be aware.
def worth it if you have a large sps display or grow out system if not its not really necessary.
I'll wait for more competition from other manufacturers, hope we get a Chinese (jebao) competitor to drop prices down a little. These two products are great, the comparison I think lacks fairness, however, the trident to me it's the best unit out of the two. I take care of four SPS aquariums and manual test work fine, no need to do so many tests to get things working. 1 test a week is sufficient, no need to do 4 test daily. That's my take on it.
I am not happy to see a review with some major errors concerning Alkatronic. One test costs 0.04USD. If you do 8 tests/day, which is the purpose with a KH monitor to get the benefits out, our 4 l conc reagent last 16 months. Concerning ph cal fluids, most distr or retailer include them, OR inform user to buy separate for 1-2 USD. No big deal at all to be honest, and should not have such a weight. Precision when talking to standard deviation Alkatronic is the only machine that has showed to achieve 0.04dKH. I lack this info overall from all others competitors. Why?. Thats the most important info of all. Also maybe its fair to emphasize that Alkatronic corrects in both directions and are the only machine that is 100% standalone to do that. And the cooperation with Dosetronic make Alkatronic dosing functions more developed and smart that competitors. I lack a comment of that, as that is crucial when you decide to buy a product. Last, the sound. In last production Alkatronic is ultra silent, like Dosetronic, and Focustronic offer a very cheap upgrade kit with 4 new bushings to make all machines that quiet. I am looking forward to see more review side by side, from other sources as well, to get as good comparison as possible.
Thank you for the comments. I’ll make sure to cover all those points in Round 2.
SaltwaterAquarium will you be doing a round 2 video? To cover Jonas points?
What's the cost per test of just Alk for the Trident?
Waiting for the GHL System !
This is already available (in the US at least).
@@skzion2 I mean the one that will be similar with Trident but without regent liquids...
Excuse me sir, great video, much appreciated! But could you do a review of all three? GHL, trident 🔱 and Focustronic
Nice review! Thanks
I’ve herd the trident will need to be sent in for maintenance twice a year or so and maintenance is around $150. Any info on that?
This not true. BOTH Devices have routine maintenance requirements. Think of it as an oil change or changing the tires on your car.
18-24 months on the Trident. There is an OPTIONAL but Recommended option to service the TRIDENT. That Recommendation is once after 18-24 months. There is no requirement to send it in for maintenance, it's up to you. There will also be a kit made available to service the unit at home.
The Alkatronic has maintenance requirements as well. Monthly calibration, changing dose head, changing tubing, ph Probes, etc.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom has the service kit been released yet?
Great review 👍👍👍
I got both 😊
Is there a comparison of the GHL controller and Kh director?
This review is like buying a car, and only use the small fuel that was included from the store, and then make judgments from that. One of Alkatronics big efforts has just been the reagent , its low cost, and high precision , and possibility to measure very frequently (otherwise you miss the whole idea), so to do a review without include the original way of using Alkatronic, thus with the 4 l reagent, is not fair. I would have expected a review of that kind that people can get correct guidance.
Jonas Roman I wish y’all would sell at BRS. I think they would have given you a fair review
I understand you have an interest in the Alkatronic, but in the end you can get an Apex, Neptune and 2 DoS for the same price as the Alkatronic and do 10X (conservative) more with it. The Apex would be monitoring and controlling your tank, dosing KH, Ca, Mg and another solution of your choice. Your machine may be orders of magnitude more accurate in a lab sense but few, if any, reefers care at that level.
GREAT VIDEO 👍
Sir have you seen xepta auto balance. A review will be awesome
Nope not yet but we will be excited to get our hands on it ASAP. We will try to review all the automated testing solutions out there including Auto Balance & Reef Bot.
Have you checked out the reefbot?
Like most reefers, we just can’t stop f$&@ing with our quality of water along with everything else that goes into this expensive hobby. We pretty much been told the main focus is stability along with some parameters as a guide (Temp, Salinity, ALK , Cal, Mag). We all know that manual testing is inaccurate and time consuming. I happen to own an apex, but even if I didn’t, I think I would go with the tool that gives the most information to help me be successful in this hobby. That being said, good luck in getting a Trident. They seem to be in high demand. P.S. Would interesting to do a recap on this with the GHL ION Director
What's your thoughts on the abex xepta,? .I think is a game changer
We will be excited to get our hands on it ASAP. We will try to review all the automated testing solutions out there including Auto Balance & Reef Bot.
Plain to see that you're an Apex lover! You failed to mention that the Alkatronic uses Bluetooth for initial setup then is wifi and it also can send you test results anywhere in the world and when connected to the Dosetronic you can dose as required. The cost of service was missed out for the Trident $100-250'per year so it actually costs between $30 and $35 per month for trident and $2 per month for Alkatronic .
If only you used the Alkatronic properly you may have realised that w test per day 12 hours apart tells you there's a difference from am to pm which if you'd done a minimum of 4 tests per day you might have found that the alk usage varying depends upon lighting and the Alkatronic and Dosetronic combo would have over a couple of days found the ALK usage and dosed according.
I could go on and on picking out your faults with this video but it would probably fall on deaf ears.
Martin Waite ok you definitely are wrong. You don’t need to service the Trident every year you fucking idiot
yea and the bluetooth connection sucks. why don't you tell everyone that you need plug and unplug the stupid unit dozens of times and it sucks with android. matter of fact eric tang was unable to get it to connect with out me having an iphone. the alkatronic is a mess, and the people who run that company are the reason the product is so bad. worst customer service ever.
Trident for the win! Blows my mind on the others one being so expensive with so much error, so much maintenance, so much setting up and the extra work for the reagent. How can they expect to sell these things?
Alkatronic is very good at doing what it was designed to do. With Dosetroinic's 5 dosing pumps the options are endless. Both devices have positives and negatives to measure when making a purchase decision.
Agreed if the price tag was not 899 and maybe 299. Everyone buying one of these will more than likely be a gear junky with an apex anyway. So as a customer, to make the ALKATRONIC even marketable to a reefer, itll need to be way cheaper esp when everything on it falls short in comparison in every aspect. I understand you can't give biased comments. BUT you can look out for the customer and not recommend or not sale it any longer.
I would be really upset if I bought the ALK already from you guys vice the trident
@@jamesparrott2073 That being said I can see the Trident being sold out most of the year given the early demand and slow release of units. Alkatronic is in stock and a cheaper solution if you don't want an apex or one isn't available where you live or if you only want to do alk control & dose.
Also the reagents don't need to be reordered on a bi-monthly basis and can be purchased in bulk 4L size. Both devices have differences.
Regardless, I appreciate the info and am a subscriber for life.
Thank you for the info why don’t you test the GHL. Tester ???
Bill Ray it’s on the list
SaltwaterAquarium grear as I have the GHL KH director. But was thinking of getting the apex as I have the apex controller thank you.
Do you like the KH director?
SaltwaterAquarium I do but it’s only test alk be nice to have all 3 tests.
Does the trident automatically adjust your levels if you have a dos?
Yes ;)
Honestly the work that goes into maintaining these things seems about the same as just doing a Salifert test daily lol
I will not be picking up either of these units in the near future so I just wanted to state my lack of bias. Out of curiosity though my understanding is that the trident will require service from Neptune periodically (I have heard anywhere from six months to 24 mos) coming in at around 250$. Any info on that?
John Hendrickson the service interval is optional.
Think of both units as automobiles. Both need oil changes, new brakes, etc from time to time.
Hi. Would like to check is there an expiry date on reagent if left unopened? I am overseas user and thinking should i stock up the reagents or not
Alkatronics Reagents do not come with an expiration date. I assume that means they don’t expire? Not sure I’ll need to ask focustronic
Can you use this with the older Apex Gold system??
The timing benchmark was a bit skewed. You didn't include time to calibrate the Apex dosers nor the time to calibrate the Apex pH probe.
Can you adjust the amount of either of how often they check vice those settings mentioned?
Yes. Minimum on each unit is twice a day and maximum is 24x a day (Once every hour)
Hi, thanks for that. What’s the price per Alkalinity test for the Trident, since testing calcium and magnesium daily is widely agreed pretty useless.
Is is possible to test Alkalinity daily and testing ca and mg weekly as recommended in reefing ?
Nope. The minimum number of tests set is 4 alkalinity, 2 calcium, 2 magnesium.
SaltwaterAquarium I have actually never heard someone tests mg or ca daily, any published evidence for better growth when testing daily for this parameters ?
If I want an automated tester for the things I test weekly, I need one who tests phosphate and nitrate, ca and mg as well I would go for the Reefbot instead.
I go Triton so the Alkatronic/ Dosetronic doses my 4 part solution based on the Alkalinity. I test other parameters ones a week and every 6 months ICP.
another important point is the extra redundancy you will add with Alkatronic to your system as it is a standalone product while it can share the test results to other controllers. In case of an emergency with your aquarium controller, the alkalinity being the most important element will still be checked and controlled with Alkatronic and do not rely on any other equipments to do its job.
Great point.
Can you do a review on the reefbot in comparison to these two devices?
Yes. That is the plan.
Is the trident out already? Or when is the release?
It had been released, there are limited quantities available with restocks Coming biweekly
Missing a major point here, Focustronic TELLS YOU HOW TO MAKE THE REAGENT! All the reagent is, is Muriatic Acid and water. You can make a gallon of reagent for less than 5 cents. A gallon of Muriatic Acid will last the lifetime of the Focustronic. So the reagent for the lifetime of the Frocustronic is the cost of a gallon of Muriatic Acid.
Oh really I did not know that. Can you share a link to focustronic that shows me where/how to make the reagent?
Its in the manual, pg 32 Appendix section Recipe for carbonate-solution. I did some testing and I mix 7.2 ml of HCL Acid to 128 oz of RO water. You get small variance but you can adjust those in menu.
Hmm base line test 7.5 dkh alkatronic 7.6 Trident 7.2 and your review is fine for both?? How much Neptune pay u to do this review lol how about this
44$ for 2 months so 44x6=264$ per year plus 150$ maintenance fee to send the Trident in to service n calibrate which equal 414$
Alkatronic 110$ for 4l reagant 2 test per day last 2 years.
Surely if you are looking at setup times, you should take into account how long it takes to setup the Apex unit, as if you don't set that up, then surely you will have no results from the Trident ?
Yes, that is a very good point. Also if you plan to dose with the trident you need to take the time of setting up an Apex DOS pump as well.
Got the reefbot and I can safely say I prefer it over my apex systems
Man... that dilution, I was expecting a 5:1 or something, heck even 2:1... but 1L of concentrate makes 1.25L of solution. Geeze is there any chemical reason they couldn't just sell you the diluted solution so there's no guesswork on your side and just ship a plastic bottle 25% larger?
That said, don't have an Apex, and even if I did, I'd sit back a while to really let all the bugs get handled, and hopefully wait for a solution where it can be a one touch testing instead of forcing a minimum of 4 tests a day.
Maybe that part wasn't clear. For Alkatronic - For every 1 part reagent, mix 4 parts RO/DI water. Every 1000mL of concentrate will produce 5000mL of solution.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom Ahh ok that makes sense, I thought 1000mL of concentrated when diluted makes 1250 of usable mixture. Thanks for clearing that part up.
Still leaning heavily towards the Trident though.
@@Mike__B It all depends on budget and what your looking for. Alkatronic can test & dose within itself. Trident needs an APEX and a DOS, but it can do a ton of other stuff. So there are positives & negatives to both. It all really depends on budget and what your looking for.
We were comparing the out of the box experience. 250ml of concentrated reagent comes with it, that's 1.25 L.
@@Saltwateraquariumdotcom IMO it depends upon where you're at in the hobby. Yeah the Alkatronic is cheaper then the Trident + ApexEl combo, but it's only $200 cheaper, so if you're already spending $900 on an auto alkalinity tester why not spend another $200 and get a calcium check, a magnesium check, and a full on controller to do everything with probes, etc... at least that's the way I would see if I was getting into this hobby new. Now if you had any of the other controllers out there, or an older Apex that can't use the Trident then I could understand $200 may be something you don't want to do.
But there's a super high chance that if you're looking into a method to automatically test like this then you already have something in place to dose, so I wouldn't call the addition of a doser as a net positive. But as you said, it all depends upon your situation.
And that said, currently I'm ok with sitting back and seeing if any other players enter the game, because having choices is definitely good.
Did Neptune pay you?
I know the trident people said to send it in for maintenance every 18 to 24 months but also gave the option to manually replace parts instead due to wear and tear. Is the alkatronic similar or is it just monthly maintenance?
For a 100$...on top of forcing to test mag and ca daily so you buy reagent once a month not every 2 months as the "add video" state...
BOTH Devices have routine maintenance requirements. Think of it as an oil change or changing the tires on your car.
18-24 months Optional Recommended maintenance on the Trident.
The Alkatronic has maintenance requirements as well. Monthly calibration, changing dose head, changing tubing, ph probes, etc.
Seems like quite a few errors in the mathematics of costs per test. Quite a few other points seem pretty dubious and somewhat biased, there seems to be a big deal made with the variations on the Alkatronic ( mine is very rarely different by more than 0.03 from the previous reading) yet there is no mention made of any of the Trident variations, hardly a comparison with only 1 side of the story :(
This is the key to a good alk controller
Does this work with apex jr?
No, you need the Apex 2016 or the ApexEL.
No you need a newer apex
Will the Trident automaticaly adjust your dosing pumps to compensate for the test ? Will it correct to the proper dose on the DOS?
Yes
Pretty sure he left out the fact you have to send back the trident for periodic maintenance and didn’t include those costs or inconvenience.
Yes the optional 18-24 maintenance on the Trident and the maintenance, monthly calibration, replacement of dosing heads, tubing, ph probe, etc on the alkatronic was not covered in this video. We will be sure to cover this in a future video.
how about no
FOCUSTRONIC TESTS NITRATE AND PHOSPHATE - there is no comparison in which one has more utiliy.
sounds like the alkatronic is better...cause it's in stock lol
True
Can’t agree more
I just need to justify my purchase first. I don’t want feel guilty for not waiting who knows how long for the trident to be back in stock.
Trident hands down 👍🏾👍🏾
Alkatronic is a cheaper option but it does less. There are positives & negatives to both ecosystems
Why are you affiliated with that Rico's aquarium guy don't you know he's a panhandler you're going to ruin your reputation with that guy
Abdolsutly agreed.
i want one but theyre still so expensive and having to add reagents kind of defeats some of the purpose. Now why not just test the water by hand while im down here refilling the tester? and god knows im going to be double checking testing results anyways...if money weren't an issue id absolutely get one. but until they come down in price or the technology advances to a more accurate hands off model i think this is where i draw the line at on tank automation...im already auto topping off, auto-dosing, auto lighting auto feeding and doing manual water changes weekly like clockwork...how much do the parameters in my tank really change anyways?
You can go down a rabbit hole of crap in this hobby. testing this and testing that... your par, your alk, your calcium, ect... enjoy your tank. do your maintenance and live and let live at some point...
i guess if you got a ton invested in coral and such then if some added redundancy helps you enjoy the hobby more so be it. but i think auto testing is off the table for me atm.
✨👏🏻😊😉
Have you considered reviewing deodorant ? Honestly mate ... you should ! Or at least try using one !
Good One!
Currently, there are 19 Alkatronic users at the time of this remark. 👎
This is an add not a review.
Lol this was just a big fu#k you to the alcatronic lol .... But fair enough what a solid hunk of shit that thing is compared to apex.
I'll stick with my hannah
Dear Neptune Sales, Operations and Planning Teams,
First off, thank you for putting out a fantastic product. But I, and many others, have an issue:
This is beyond ridiculous. Please just tell us when the 6 month supply of reagents will be back in stock. I understand and appreciate the COVID-19 impact, but I also work in Supply Chain and can absolutely assure you that China and other SEA countries are back up to full production. Even accounting for the fact that you're likely shipping via Ocean ( with a 1-2 month shipping time). Please stop using COVID as an excuse. You were unable to keep your supply up with demand prior to COVID and show no signs that you're getting any better.
Feel free in passing this message along, or deleting, but your Supply Planning is an absolute wreck and is frankly very likely misaligned with an actual S&OP process. Or, Neptune is not capable of ramping up production capacity within their supply partners or in finding additional capacity with other partners. Your customers are losing faith and bombarding the Neptune with one-star reviews because of the lack of 6 month reagents.
When can we expect the 6 month pack supply to be in stock?
Please do not respond with the point that the 2 month supply is in stock. That's very well known and is at a much higher cost point. Unless you'd like to sell us three of the 2 month packs for the price of the 6 month supply.
Seriously, it's been over a year. Get your act together. At this point, it's just getting embarrassing.
Thanks,
Previously loyal, but getting frustrated customer base
You can not trust these devices as the will fail when you need them the most. Apex under the cover is just shit and there ATO is garbage. If you can not create a good ATO do not count on anything else that they created. Why do I feel this way is because I call Apex and they told me to call BRS and BRS told me to call Apex. Not only is the device garbage the service is also garbage.
I have never seen a more biased review. Not surprising as saltwateraquarium sells a ton of neptune gear.