Corner cutout on IM tank for Avast Plank?

[IOnceWasLegend]

Never had to modify a tank lid before, but I'm trying to figure out what kit I'd need to make a corner cutout on an IM Nuvo 200. Any help's appreciated (or, if anyone has done it before/knows a guide, even better). Thanks!

 

[richiev]

Is it a standard screen mesh lid and you're trying to make a notch? I've 3d printed reverse angled corner pieces for that. However getting everything to stay stable with notches I found to be a huge pita. Everything wanted to twist, especially after trying to get the screen back tight.

Hopefully someone else will have a trick.

An alternative could be try and use a ton of double sided tape and try and stick the plank holder somehow to the tank. Maybe combined with a very low profile hook setup to get some extra support.

 

[Alexander1312]

Never had to modify a tank lid before, but I'm trying to figure out what kit I'd need to make a corner cutout on an IM Nuvo 200. Any help's appreciated (or, if anyone has done it before/knows a guide, even better). Thanks!

Cannot help but holding off buying a new lid until I decide that the plank is a good purchase. Curious if you have used it already and felt this is a good feeder? @L/B Block - you have one, but not too happy about it, I believe? Oh, just remember you @SepToob love yours though?

 

[L/B Block]

@Alexander1312 -it’s hard to know with the avast plank feeder-I think you really need to run it multiple times a day-which I don’t-when I do it runs properly. I mostly use the reef nutrition liquid foods now that are all dosed multiple times a day.

Also another issue particularly to our tank is that it sits between the lights -thereby “cooking” the food and it gets sticky around the dispenser, also there was algae build up in the tube. Avast has a small plastic piece that has helped with this issue. Also now I brush out the dispenser once a week as part of maintenance.

I think if you use as it supposed to be used -it will work well and keep it away from direct lighting.
Even with some of these issues I still like it much better than the Neptune AFS-which was really inconsistent in food dispersal -sometimes almost nothing to flooding the tank with pellets. Drove me nuts.

 

[bp123987]

Do you keep the liquid foods in a mini fridge or something?

 

[bp123987]

Ime making screens with anything but a rectangle is a disaster. Like rich noted above the tension distorts everything.

 

[L/B Block]

Do you keep the liquid foods in a mini fridge or something?

Yes- I have a mini fridge with doser inside hooked to a pump in a container of sw that flushes the line

 

[bp123987]

Yes- I have a mini fridge with doser inside hooked to a pump in a container of sw that flushes the line

How does the pump in a container of sw flush the line? Got a link to a thread on this, I don’t want to hijack

 

[L/B Block]

@bp123987 -I may have created a thread but I can’t find it so I will post the pic. In short there is a manifold where all the dosers push whatever food there is. There is a line that comes in from the sw reservoir that pushes everything through so that there is one line and nothing is left to “rot” inside.

It’s a little tight inside there. The device on the right is a large one way valve so it can’t siphon back. There is also a siphon break as well.

On the whole -at a minimum I only need to replace the mysis every 4 months -everything else 6-8 months depending.. I only dose on average 4 ml of each food per day -except the mysis -5 ml.

On hindsight -would prob make some design changes if I ever do this again but on the whole it works very well.

 

[derek_SR]

Cannot help but holding off buying a new lid until I decide that the plank is a good purchase. Curious if you have used it already and felt this is a good feeder? @L/B Block - you have one, but not too happy about it, I believe? Oh, just remember you @SepToob love yours though?

I really like the Avast Plank feeder and haven't had any of the issues that sounds like maybe @L/B Block has had. Mine has been running for over a year now, 2-4 times per day, every day. I haven't cleaned the actual machine a single time. I do take out the pump and tube every month or two for a deep clean.

The only thing I run through mine are TDO pellets so maybe that has something to do with my lack of issues. I can see how running the freeze dried stuff or flakes or something would cause problems over time with the auger maybe?

 

[L/B Block]

I really like the Avast Plank feeder and haven't had any of the issues that sounds like maybe @L/B Block has had. Mine has been running for over a year now, 2-4 times per day, every day. I haven't cleaned the actual machine a single time. I do take out the pump and tube every month or two for a deep clean.

The only thing I run through mine are TDO pellets so maybe that has something to do with my lack of issues. I can see how running the freeze dried stuff or flakes or something would cause problems over time with the auger maybe?

I think prior to the cover around the dispenser -combination of food “cooking” and hence sticking and not running it enough may be a source of a problem.

I may dump the freeze dried anyway and just use a combo of small pellets-

Question for @Thales -one thing I read and wondered -is whether you should refrain from freeze dried food anyway as it can expand in the stomach of the fish ? That the plank is hydrating the food should negate this issue I would think.


Sorry for the hijack of this thread.

 

[Thales]

I wouldn't worry about freeze dried food expanding, it gets saturated pretty quick. That said, I don't like freeze dried food for fish because I think it is kinda a mess and woujld rather use pellets or flake.

 

[L/B Block]

I wouldn't worry about freeze dried food expanding, it gets saturated pretty quick. That said, I don't like freeze dried food for fish because I think it is kinda a mess and woujld rather use pellets or flake.

Duly noted-thanks for the input!