Any automatic feeder recommendations?
- Thread starter gmdcdvm
- Start date
kinetic
Supporting Member
This one: https://www.avastmarine.com/collections/avast-built/products/autofeeder
I've tried eheim, neptune feeder, and a few others, but the avast plank is by far the absolute best.
Eheim: the one I had was battery powered, and tended to fall over sometimes. Also kind of loud. Can't control the dispensing amount that well.
Neptune: THE LOUDEST THING IN THE WORLD. Also the smallest setting would still dump a ton of food. Got clogged quite a bit. I was using mostly TDS pellets.
Avast Plank: completely silent. You can feed throughout the day as much or as little as you want. Holds plenty of food. Ultimate control of how much you feed. I use Avast's reef jerky (mostly freeze dried foods for corals/fish) and TDS pellets. If you feed freeze dried foods, like their Reef Jerky, it's naturally buoyant or whatever, so it stays. in the water column when it's rehydrated in their little swirling tube. This can even be done in your sump's return chamber, so you can keep your feeder out of sight! I'm going to be mounting mine in my return chamber of my sump in the new tank.
Avast Plank works best with a controller (like Neptune) because you can really tune it to the seconds.
I've tried eheim, neptune feeder, and a few others, but the avast plank is by far the absolute best.
Eheim: the one I had was battery powered, and tended to fall over sometimes. Also kind of loud. Can't control the dispensing amount that well.
Neptune: THE LOUDEST THING IN THE WORLD. Also the smallest setting would still dump a ton of food. Got clogged quite a bit. I was using mostly TDS pellets.
Avast Plank: completely silent. You can feed throughout the day as much or as little as you want. Holds plenty of food. Ultimate control of how much you feed. I use Avast's reef jerky (mostly freeze dried foods for corals/fish) and TDS pellets. If you feed freeze dried foods, like their Reef Jerky, it's naturally buoyant or whatever, so it stays. in the water column when it's rehydrated in their little swirling tube. This can even be done in your sump's return chamber, so you can keep your feeder out of sight! I'm going to be mounting mine in my return chamber of my sump in the new tank.
Avast Plank works best with a controller (like Neptune) because you can really tune it to the seconds.
Interesting. Can you elaborate on what seems to make it more reliable and controllable? Is it the attachment point or the motor or...?
I'm wondering because a feeder seems like a simple device so I'm wondering what they did different
The avast is just a motor with an electrical plug. The motor runs an auger. So you can run it as long or as short as you want to get the amount you want. It's not a number of spins of an inaccurate canister.
kinetic
Supporting Member
The auger is the key to it all. It also keeps all the food pushed to the front constantly, so it's very consistent. I like how simple yet elegant it is. Also, it's completely silent. If you have automatic feeders, you know how loud they can get.
I just purchased an avast plank myself this week. The neptune AFS is driving me insane with its inconsistency in food delivery from almost nothing delivered to blatto-tank filled with pellets everywhere.
@kinetic -how do you put it in the return chamber? Once it comes out of the tube it Just gets sucked into the return pump and sucked into the dt. Now I am really piqued on this.
kinetic
Supporting Member
I haven’t done it yet, but lots of people do this in their return chambers. Yes it gets sucked up by the return pump!
musclebenz
Supporting Member
I have the Neptune feeder setup for vacation feeding and it's been solid for me. As other have mention some of the pellets gets drawn into the overflow, but I have place the feeder the further away to help prevent this. I also have a webcam setup so I can see the feeding happening to make sure everything is working.
I’ll have to check that out. Pretty cramped in my sump due to the rollermat but perhaps I can reconfigure a thing or two.
newfly
Supporting Member
I have been very happy with Hydros feeder. I think it’s just a rebrand eheim. Since I’m on hydros ecosystems, the having the feeder that link with rest of the devices awesome. I can turn off the pump (and stay off for 10mins) everytime the feeder activate.
I’m sure Neptune have similar functionality.
I’m sure Neptune have similar functionality.
Are the eheims annoying to get food out of, or just the timing issues? I ask because on the robo tank site he has instructions on how to run an eheim using a 5v power input and then you can just control it with whatever. It's effectively hot wired.
I've been thinking of trying that, but that assumes the rest of the device is good. I also have a 3d printer so I was thinking I could do something for the exhaust shoot people seem to tape over, but I don't really get what the full list of annoying things are.
I just can't bring myself to spend $200 on a feeder.
I've been thinking of trying that, but that assumes the rest of the device is good. I also have a 3d printer so I was thinking I could do something for the exhaust shoot people seem to tape over, but I don't really get what the full list of annoying things are.
I just can't bring myself to spend $200 on a feeder.
Klatzy
Guest
For the Eheim it has a sliding door to control the volume per feed. And it can very hard to get a small dose with flake food without needing to pre-crush the flakes (and they tended to stick to the walls) and you need a bunch of food to get sufficient volume for the device to work reliably. The feeder depends on the rotation of the food container and a small decline to get the food to drop. So it's best for pellet food that can roll. That's at least the problems I've run into but then I was trying to feed a 10 gallon or 24 gallon. If you could open the door more and tolerate larger doses those problems should be diminished with a larger tank.
You may or may not have problem fitting it onto a tank that has a thick rim (I'd need to measure it to see what the tolerance is).
The programming wasn't that hard and if you could wire it instead of using batteries that would take out another worry (battery failing).
You may or may not have problem fitting it onto a tank that has a thick rim (I'd need to measure it to see what the tolerance is).
The programming wasn't that hard and if you could wire it instead of using batteries that would take out another worry (battery failing).
Arvin R
Sponsor
For the eheim you can use tape to control the opening side better (stick a small piece of tape to itself where it covers the opening so the food doesn't get stuck to the tape). I have 3 for vacations and it's done well with flake (you have to fill up the chamber with a lot though) and definitely works better for pellets along with a floating feeder ring so they don't get sucked into the overflow before they can sink.
derek_SR
Supporting Member
I also have the Hydros (looks like basically the eheim that's hardwired and app-controllable) and agree with some of the problems here, though it's generally pretty good.
One big issue nobody has mentioned yet: A couple of my fat piggy fish can actually hear it start running, run to the feeding ring, and devour all of the pellets while they are still floating. It was amusing at first but it just means that only 2-3 of my fish benefit from the feedings...
Anyway the Avast looks like it solves all of these problems (including having to use an annoying floating feeding ring - another thing to clean and another magnet to drop behind your tank!). I just ordered one!! Thanks for the recommendation. @kinetic
One big issue nobody has mentioned yet: A couple of my fat piggy fish can actually hear it start running, run to the feeding ring, and devour all of the pellets while they are still floating. It was amusing at first but it just means that only 2-3 of my fish benefit from the feedings...
Anyway the Avast looks like it solves all of these problems (including having to use an annoying floating feeding ring - another thing to clean and another magnet to drop behind your tank!). I just ordered one!! Thanks for the recommendation. @kinetic
Da_Neefer
Guest
I’ve had 2 Avast feeders and the fish definitely figure out when the augur starts moving. The Anthias are first to the party. Used to have one that would sit in the mixing tube at feeding time.I also have the Hydros (looks like basically the eheim that's hardwired and app-controllable) and agree with some of the problems here, though it's generally pretty good.
One big issue nobody has mentioned yet: A couple of my fat piggy fish can actually hear it start running, run to the feeding ring, and devour all of the pellets while they are still floating. It was amusing at first but it just means that only 2-3 of my fish benefit from the feedings...
Anyway the Avast looks like it solves all of these problems (including having to use an annoying floating feeding ring - another thing to clean and another magnet to drop behind your tank!). I just ordered one!! Thanks for the recommendation. @kinetic
derek_SR
Supporting Member
Aw man, figured out any way around this?