There comes a time in every reef fanatic’s life where little things like work and vacation travel get in the way of enjoying the hobby. While being away for just a week, I have gone through everything from little disasters, such as algae blooms, to the horror of losing a whole system. Rather than accept problems as inevitable every time I travel, I’ve set out to automate as much of my system as possible.
请允许我介绍一下自己！
我绝不是专业的水族馆，也不是在这个行业中谋生，但是作为一名专业系统工程师，我已经将许多工程实践应用于礁石水族馆，在我看来，这感觉就像是一个数百万美元的系统。
I have been in the saltwater aquarium hobby for over 25 years. I worked at a local pet store chain growing up and ran its first saltwater system when the base technology encompassed only undergravel filters, wet-dry systems, and air-driven skimmers with wooden air diffusers. Today, technology has advanced quite a bit with respect to filtering methods, lighting, and water chemistry.
这些进步使我能够多年来尝试许多不同的解决方案，并开发自动化系统，使我能够在一次旅途中减轻损失两到三周。（不幸的是，家庭中没有其他人愿意以我的方式来维持我的水族馆！）但是，当我们探索这些解决方案时，请记住，自动化绝不是替代良好的养殖。
Overview
In this series, I will walk you through the proper project-planning mindset and various areas that can be automated. The solutions can be popular, inexpensive DIY versions of commercially available packages. Essentially, this will be a presentation of my efforts through the years to fully automate my system in order to minimize losses.
六个“ ps”礁自动化
Success with any project, including the automation of a reef aquarium, requires a solid understanding of the following six “Ps”:
1. PRIOR
Before attempting anything, ask yourself whether this is truly something you are willing to commit time and money to for long-term success. How much are you willing and able to commit to this venture? Do you have the necessary knowledge? If not, have you done your research or identified resources that can help you? This step will save you time, money, and aggravation.
2. PROPER
尽管有许多可能的方法可以完成某件事，但几乎总是有最好的方法。确定解决设计任务的适当工具和方法最终将产生更好的结果，并确信它是第一次正确完成的。
3. PLANNING
你的目标是什么？约束？资源？这是您将想法放在纸上或计算机上的地方。进行研究以获取最优惠的价格，并了解每件硬件如何支持您的系统和您选择的牲畜。例如，如果您想保留仅鱼类系统，您不需要高端照明。物种特异性或纯软，LPS或SPS系统通常比真正的混合礁更简单，因为您可以专注于这些生物的特定需求，而不是试图开发可以容纳所有物体的系统。
Start out with您的系统将居住的房间。Does it have the proper access to power, and how much is needed? Will active ventilation be required? What is the desired look you want to achieve? Next, consider the aquarium system itself and how basic or automated you’d like it to be.
4.预防
确定所选路径的所有故障模式，并了解如何在计划中避免它们。正如桑杰·乔希（Sanjay Joshi）强调的那样，一切都与“冗余”有关。例如，最好有两个半动力heaters比一个“右”加热器。备用污水泵，溢出，排水管，浮子开关等也是如此。
5.贫穷
This “P” has two angles. First, avoid doing things poorly. Doing so may seem to save time and money, but it usually results in disappointing outcomes. Second, don’t spend too much at once or you’ll end up poor and full of regrets!
6. PERFORMANCE
Your level of long-term success will be determined by all the previous steps. Each time I travel, I experiment with my system to see what holes are left that need to be addressed. Always test your system or simulate it before going on a long trip. But I reiterate: Automation is by no means a substitute for good tank husbandry!
概括
Now that we’ve adopted the attitude to do things correctly the first time, we can advance to areas where automation can be your best friend or backup reefer. These small investments will provide you with more time to enjoy your hobby and help your system flourish. In the next installment, we’ll discuss various functions, price options, choices, and the proper timing to enable them.
阅读本系列中的其他分期付款：
