I can definitely see how we might become too reliant on technology.
Then again, I work in I.T., specifically focused on visibility, control, and systems automation at speed and scale in extremely large environments (50k to 1m+ endpoints), including SCADA / OT / HMI for manufacturing and energy. While reefing isn't quite the same as running a refinery or pharmaceutical plant, the stakes (though smaller in scale) aren't entirely different.
Automation can be critically important, but also risky if not properly designed, managed, and, perhaps most crucially, maintained. It can also be just as important sometimes
not to automate, when it isn't truly beneficial or necessary, or at least to ensure that manual checks of/against the automation systems are done on a very regular basis.
Take automated water changes, for instance, a fairly common goal for a lot of reefers: they remove significant potential for human error - like dropping siphons into sandbeds, accidentally disturbing rockwork or livestock, or removing more water than intended due to distraction. Automation can provide consistency and repeatability, which typically leads to better stability... a big deal in this hobby, just like in many others. Not to mention, it's just that much more likely to actually happen on a regular basis if all you have to do is push a button.
On the other hand, automation can breed a false confidence that everything is "set it and forget it." All automation requires regular observation and upkeep. If you get lax about testing your salt mix regularly, inspecting pumps, heaters, and float switches (or don't keep backup equipment handy), eventually you'll encounter problems. Unfortunately, many reef setups lack sufficient redundancy and fail-safe measures. Not to mention that stability and consisency often have an "out of sight, out of mind" effect, and a nasty habit of resulting in complacency.
While digital systems feel reliable, especially around safety-critical components, they must always have backups... ideally a secondary system of a different design, and even a tertiary backup where possible -
especially gauging and measurement systems. That's why most ATO setups (should) have both electronic sensors and secondary mechanical float switches - and these still need to be inspected and tested from time to time. Similarly, I've been advised repeatedly not to fully rely on Neptune or similar systems for automated dosing purely from real-time measurements - I'm sure plenty of people here do it succesfully, but I can also see where it could go horribly wrong.
In the end, automation can be key to spending more time enjoying our tanks and less time working on them. Still, we shouldn't rely on it excessively: we must maintain both our systems and our skills. It's easy to notice when your lights fail to turn on automatically, but are you regularly checking gate valves and emergency drains for clogs, heaters for malfunction, or pH/temp probes for drift? Do you have a checklist and schdule? A whiteboard or notepad and calendar for your tank(s)?
Like any mechanical or digital system, automation can significantly streamline tasks and reduce effort, but only if you understand its limits and maintain it properly. Whether dealing with
a literal bug in the system or an unforeseen issue in design, you must always have a plan for inevitable failure to truly reap the benefits. Especially when lives are at stake.
FWIW, the most advanced thing about my freshwater tanks is that most lights are on smart plugs (the built-in timers are either terrible or non-existent), plus an air pump with a built-in battery backup (because most of them run sponge filters). Those tanks are intentionally low-tech and designed for minimal maintenance, because it's totally doable in freshwater.
My reef tank, however, is considerably more advanced: I've got an Apex with an EB8 managing dual 150w heaters, along with ORP, temperature, pH, and SG probes; an ATO with secondary float-switch backup; lights and a pump with built-in timers and Bluetooth app control; plus an automatic fire extinguisher in the stand housing the Apex and EB8, and a manual extinguisher nearby (just in case), and I only expect that to expand over time with dosing pumps and automated water changes. Plus there's significant truth to "what can be measured, can be managed," and real-time visibility and control is where I make my living: a reef can really benefit from it, and automation helps ensure it gets done.
