Automatic vs Manual: Do you prefer having everything automated or doing it yourself?

[j.falk]

DIY all the way!

 

[Oldreefer44]

My eyes: for overall health of the system
Automation: for testing
My brain: for what to do with it

 

[fish farmer]

I prefer automation for stability. That doesn't mean I can take a hands-off approach though because it requires regular vetting of those automated systems.

One of my hatchery bosses says "trust your equipment".....but I'm still carrying a beeper waiting for the call and crossing my fingers that it is only a power flicker.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

One of my hatchery bosses says "trust your equipment".....but I'm still carrying a beeper waiting for the call and crossing my fingers that it is only a power flicker.

Did you say beeper?

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Automated because we travel quite a bit!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

DIY all the way!

DIY is a good option!

 

[garyd12503]

I enjoy hands on, But I'm retired so I have the time.

 

[Doogs]

A mixture of both is nice. Looking forward to the days of not having to replace filter floss.

 

[Spare time]

I have an auto top off and alarm for my office tank since I am often away for long periods of time, but otherwise I prefer manual everything since my hands can't get stuck in the on position lol

 

[Yazannreef]

Automation what? Setting up this beast.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Automation what? Setring up this beast.

Geez that thing is nice

 

[Stevorino]

I automate everything I can.

Some of that is due to my travel schedule, but it also affords me spend more time enjoying the tank.

I do think though that it is important to keep things as simple as you can. Just because you can automate it, doesn't mean you should do it. I have learned this this hard way over time.

 

[marinesnow]

I do both. Even though my water is tested automatically, I check my parameters myself to ensure congruency, not to mention it’s nostalgic. There’s something gratifying about putting in the work.

 

[HawkeyeDJ]

Automation has its pros and cons.

Precision and consistency and stability is a pro.

Failure of technology (not if, when) is a con.

Initial investment costs can be a con.

Long-term savings is a pro.

Less labor involved can be a pro or a con.

I would personally recommend any beginner start with as little automation as possible, simply to get a firmer understanding of what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and the consequences when it is not done.

By running those tests, changing water, dosing, dealing with various challenges, facing occasional crises, the new hobbyist will at least gain an understanding and appreciation of what technology and automation systems can accomplish (and what it can't).

And perhaps most importantly, the hobbyist will hopefully know what to do when their technology fails.

 

[Tavero]

To err is human. I am human. I know i will forget to add the daily portion of alkalinity, calcium, phosphat and nitrate, so a machine is doing that for me. Feeding and top of is easy to remember because you can see the fish begging for food.

 

[nuxx Verified Sponsor]

Had pretty much everything automated... now I also had redundancy incase something messed up.

 

[FoolishWizard]

Current build goal it to have everything automated. Auto water change system just ordered, that the last piece before I fill her up and kick the cycle off.

 

[Rich Klein]

I automate everything but my water changes, but have hoses and pumps from my mixing station for that. Switching to dosing All-4-Reef and AcroPower from a calcium reactor (so much tweaking and maintenance) and manually dosing Red Sea AB+ has been my latest game changer. But I check my Apex app for the Trident and Dos stats, and manually quickly hit the buttons on my Dos units weekly, along with my other nitrate, phosphate, and potassium tests just so that I can catch any possible issues quickly. My 7+ year reef has never been so stable. Crazy growth, no Cyano problems etc.

 

[Gobi1canobi]

Over the past few years, we have seen many different products come out that have made some task for our reef tank automated, such as water changes, or even water testing. I was wondering do you prefer going automated or do you enjoy doing everything manually? Curious to hear what everyone says!

Honestly I start hands in to keep a good eye on things . I gotta learn the tank and inhabitants. Also I believe in spotting patterns and noticing when it's broken. Don't like using chemicals if u dont have to. But API general cure saved my clowns life. So I'm not against them. But when the tank is matured Ill use some automation. Also gotta have money for it.

 

[Boomer52]

When I started in the hobby several decades ago I did everything myself. Over the last 8 years I have been automating. At first for the ease of having the controller shut off all the equipment that needs to be shut off for a water change, and then turning them back on, with proper delays and in the desired order. Then the ATO really was the wow moment since I was not great on keeping up with evaporation. Work and family quite often got in the way. I found monitoring much more efficient than doing things hands on. I'm still hands on with many tasks such as water changes and testing, but I see automated testing and a few other items in the near future.