Does reef automation float your boat?

[KrisReef]

OG myself, but I only pick up dog deposits its when they happen to be left on our lawn.
My automatic top off is a five gallon bucket with a gravity feed manual float valve in the sump.

Call me old school, or 33rpm monaural tech savvy but my water level is good even in a power outage caused by a hostile enemy computer hack into our power grid, but I digress.

My lights are on a simple timer, the chiller and heaters have a temperature controller and my wife tells me regularly to feed the fish.

If I had an Apex I think it would still be in the box because I’m too old fashion to try and deal with the icon menus and obtuse users manual instructions. (You should see the videos I missed with the GoPro I bought right before vacation!) I have to get help from my 16yo and he’s busy on his computer...

Besides, I’m struggling here trying to keep up with technology and for $750.00 a lfs 55 miles north of my current position has a stunning colony of beautiful Acropora that would make a nice addition to our tank. Don’t think I’ll buy it or the Apex or Trident today as my wife would make herself a widow for sure if I did.

I Love technology but can’t get into tech support.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

T

Top pic, is rubber engine freeze plug, bottom pic, part of hood pins, but with option to check engine oil. That's what plug in middle for. Heeee

 

[Rakie]

Yes, but at the same time I think there's no replacement for doing it yourself. It makes you very in-tune with your tank. I can look at my tank and tell if something is off, and to an extent I can do that with my friends tanks as well. But the more 'out of the picture' you are, the duller that connection becomes.

People who are too busy for a tank are often the first people who fail to see when something bad is happening.

 

[lbacha]

I like automation in all aspects.

I started my career working in automotive tier 1 manufacturing plants where everything that could be automated was. (Watching fanuc robots is mesmerizing) I now manage a team of software engineers and our responsibility is devops and prod support. Our motto is “if you have to do it more than once then it needs to be automated”. We look for ways to automate everything.

This has spilled over to my hobbies and home. I love model railroading and digital command control has made it so much easier to run the trains and wire the layout which leaves time for making models which is what I really love doing. Home automation has saved me so much money since I didn’t need to wire extra switches into my old apartment or worry about leaving things on when I’m away. My automated watering system makes sure my rooftop garden and houseplants stay evenly watered as well allowing me to spend the whole weekend on the boat without worrying about getting back to water the plants.

Of course my aquarium is automated which allows me to spend my time on the parts of the hobby I like and minimizes the tedious stuff like water changes and hauling water for the ato. It even makes turning things off easier since I don’t have to climb into the cabinet to unplug things. Even simple things like a timer to turn lights on and off is automation, back in the day when I first started reefing I was turning my lights on and off by hand.

I spent many years before I graduated in the construction field and I have dug my fair share of ditches so I understand hard work but I’ll take a backhoe over the shovel any day.

In summary automate the things you don’t like to do or don’t have time to do so you can enjoy the other aspects of the hobby that really make it fun

Len

 

[siggy]

T

Top pic, is rubber engine freeze plug, bottom pic, part of hood pins, but with option to check engine oil. That's what plug in middle for. Heeee

With out those, both of my boats would sink

 

[Redleg]

I'm trying to figure out how to justify $1k to my wife. Then I'll be getting a package from GHL.

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

Yes... Yes it does.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I do like simple, robust automation. Digital timers, float switches, and quality dosing pumps make things a lot easier. I haven't found the need for a controller though. I tell myself I like having separate controls on each automated operation. No single point of failure and all the stuff. That's probably just because I'm cheap and not so sure I could program the controllers!

 

[Hemmdog]

Yes, but at the same time I think there's no replacement for doing it yourself. It makes you very in-tune with your tank. I can look at my tank and tell if something is off, and to an extent I can do that with my friends tanks as well. But the more 'out of the picture' you are, the duller that connection becomes.

People who are too busy for a tank are often the first people who fail to see when something bad is happening.

+1000

Called out my LFS for having low alk in their main display. He said I’m crazy, I told him to test it. 6.3.. boom.

 

[Jinko]

I do like simple, robust automation. Digital timers, float switches, and quality dosing pumps make things a lot easier. I haven't found the need for a controller though. I tell myself I like having separate controls on each automated operation. No single point of failure and all the stuff. That's probably just because I'm cheap and not so sure I could program the controllers!

This makes total sense.
It's why I scratch my head with the apex Triton, how is an add on more intuitive then a stand alone product when they could have made it stand alone and still work in conjunction with the controller and potentially appealed to more consumers.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I like automation in all aspects.

I started my career working in automotive tier 1 manufacturing plants where everything that could be automated was. (Watching fanuc robots is mesmerizing) I now manage a team of software engineers and our responsibility is devops and prod support. Our motto is “if you have to do it more than once then it needs to be automated”. We look for ways to automate everything.

This has spilled over to my hobbies and home. I love model railroading and digital command control has made it so much easier to run the trains and wire the layout which leaves time for making models which is what I really love doing. Home automation has saved me so much money since I didn’t need to wire extra switches into my old apartment or worry about leaving things on when I’m away. My automated watering system makes sure my rooftop garden and houseplants stay evenly watered as well allowing me to spend the whole weekend on the boat without worrying about getting back to water the plants.

Of course my aquarium is automated which allows me to spend my time on the parts of the hobby I like and minimizes the tedious stuff like water changes and hauling water for the ato. It even makes turning things off easier since I don’t have to climb into the cabinet to unplug things. Even simple things like a timer to turn lights on and off is automation, back in the day when I first started reefing I was turning my lights on and off by hand.

I spent many years before I graduated in the construction field and I have dug my fair share of ditches so I understand hard work but I’ll take a backhoe over the shovel any day.

In summary automate the things you don’t like to do or don’t have time to do so you can enjoy the other aspects of the hobby that really make it fun

Len

Like my papi used to say," don't send the $50hr worker to do the $5hr job".

 

[Dom]

I like keeping my finger on the pulse of my systems. Automation creates a disconnect and because of that, a long period of time may go by before you discover something going wrong. When you do discover it, it may be further along than it would have been if you were doing things to your system on a daily basis.

 

[Bassmaster116]

Ive got a 40b that i started up back in january after being out of it for around 9 years. No Apex but i dont mind testing( waiting to see why happens with the coralvue monitor thing),but i do have a couple wifi connected devices. The best thing is LED controll, and having WIFI controlled power strips! Makes setting a schedule for my ATS easy as well as as my T5 suppliment lighting.... I guess its somewhat automated but only the stuff that i really need to controll often. Ive learned to just get what ya need and want the first time it also helps make things more enjoyable haha

 

[ca1ore]

I am a self confessed tech geek. Not just apex, but anything that automates a task that I’d otherwise find tedious. I’m in need of another FFM, which will be module number 25 . Use them wisely, of course, but kit is a big part of the appeal of this hobby to me. I always prefer the tank ‘build’ for example, than I do tank-on-cruise-control.

 

[lbacha]

I like keeping my finger on the pulse of my systems. Automation creates a disconnect and because of that, a long period of time may go by before you discover something going wrong. When you do discover it, it may be further along than it would have been if you were doing things to your system on a daily basis.

Automation actually helps you keep the finger on the pulse not the opposite. Relying on being in front of your tank to know what is going on means you are disconnected a lot (unless you can sit in front of your tank 24/7). I have a ton of automation yet I still spend an hr or more a day in front of my tank observing it and making sure everything is in good order. Automation actually allows me time to observe the tank, frag overgrown corals, deal with pests and other things instead of hauling water and doing water changes, checking pumps to see if they are warm or clogged and other things tht automation does for me. Automation also alerts me to do the things tht are manual so I don’t forget when other life issues get in the way.

I’m not sure why people say not automating your tank = you are more in tuned with your tank. If watching my tank was my job then maybe I could get away without automation but since I have to work for a living automation helps me make sure my tank is always being observed.

 

[mitch91175]

Doesn't necessarily mean making anything easier.

Gadgets are gadgets. Because I have them doesn't mean I spend less time on my tanks even though I work 80 hours/ week. In fact I spend more.
Redundancies, control (ato, dosers etc). Just aide in keeping stability, they are just tools.

Light schedules, testing, controlled pumps for various flow....

One still needs to program these devices, calibration, double checking and testing for comparative data.

Edit* I do take lots of diving vacations... automation help.

Some just like gadgets, some don't.

Don't think you can really say it any better. Automation does not make reefing easier, they are tools just like a using a Salifert test kit is a tool. Doesn't matter which tool we use, they all help us have thriving reefs. Put all the tools you want on a reef. If you aren't in tune with your system, it can crash just like anything else (sometimes even faster). The same also can be said for not using anything. We all need something to help in our adventure to a thriving reef.

Definitely no need to bag on anyone for having/not having automation.

Automation that helps me:
Auto water change
Alkatronic
Trident
Apex
Smart Outlets
Calcium reactor

Something I'd like to automate:
NO3/PO4 testing (Reefbot )

 

[ca1ore]

I don’t think there’s any question, to me at least, that automation makes running a reef tank easier. ATO is easier than a manual top off; AWC is easier than a manual water change; and ATS is easier than a manual turf scrubber. Whether it makes your tank ‘better’ is the right question to ask. Again, for me, the answer is yes because I hate doing all those rote tasks. Save me time so I can look at my tank and judge whether anything appears amiss ....

 

[Iván Olalla]

I try to keep my hands out of the tank and let it do it's own thing, i dont chase numbers, i aim only for a range. In my case (8 gallon mixed reef in my office desk) some automation is a must:
-ato
-control of heather and chiller
-dosing (i consume 2.1 dkh on a daily basis)

In such a small volume bad things happen fast, and if i skip visiting the tank on a weekend without my automated chores it will go down fast.
I think of automation as a tool to keep stability and a failsafe, also i dont invest big bucks in automation gadgets, i use a dated Reefkeeper Lite in my pico reef and also have Reefkeeper controllers on the frag tank and home tank, since they're off the market they go for cheap in eBay and do wonders!

 

[drstardust]

As a primarily fish-only guy, the only factors I would care to automate are water changes and a lighting schedule. I currently don't have a reef (but that probably won't last long ), but if (more likely when) I set up another one I'd be all about that Apex (and Trident!)

 

[sghera64]

So, if I use a bunch of eBay solenoids and float switches, Radio Shack breadboards and SPST switches, resistors, LED's, some z-wave AC switches and WiFi cameras that "monitor", alert and perform hardwired tasks and conditional responses can I call it automation?

If so, then I guess I'm in the club (with the Model A of automation).