I may be in the minority, but my advice to any new reefer is to not automate too much at first. There is a difference (to me anyway) between having an additional layer of redundancy, like with a heater controller, and making things so easy that you fall out of the habit of really monitoring your system. Test your water frequently, add any supplements by hand, and by doing the math to figure out the best dose. Keep a log of what's going on with your tank from week to week. Getting to know what to do and how to do it, without a controller, puts you in the best position to decide what you do want to control later on, and gives you the experience to get more hands on when needed if and when problems arise.
Again, just my opinion
