What auto feeder do you use?

[ajremington68]

Want some ideas of what you use
Expensive or inexpensive and some pros and cons of it please. Got summer coming up with lots of time out of the house with one being 3 weeks away and want to start getting locked in.

 

[Jakejtown]

Following!

 

[kindafun]

I use the Eheim 3581 for dry food. Very reliable and easy to use, about $30. It has different mounting options, or it can sit on a flat surface. No complaints other than I forget how to program it and have to look it up!

 

[tinyfellows]

I use an aquarium coop feeder it’s simple but reliable

 

[ajremington68]

I use the Eheim 3581 for dry food. Very reliable and easy to use, about $30. It has different mounting options, or it can sit on a flat surface. No complaints other than I forget how to program it and have to look it up!

How is the adjustability on amount of food? Also is a outlet fed, batter fed, or chargeable?

 

[Jasonak]

I use the Eheim and I have the neptune one they both seem pretty good. Both work good for pellet food and flake.

 

[ajremington68]

I use the Eheim and I have the neptune one they both seem pretty good. Both work good for pellet food and flake.

Similar in use just different in price I assume?

 

[SpyC]

Avast plank and love it. i use an apex to co trol it, but you can use any programable outlet.

 

[ajremington68]

Avast plank and love it. i use an apex to co trol it, but you can use any programable outlet.

How much did it run you? As well as how is the feeding hole sized? Seen some spit out a lot of pellets per feed

 

[Readywriter]

I got some cheap chinese piece of junk. Almost impossible to tell how often you have it set to dispense food. The dispensing door thing moves too easily so it needs to be reinforced with duct tape so it doesnt change inadvertently. When I set it up the first time I was laughing hysterical at how crappy it was. But after the duct tape engineering and testing how the programming works the thing never failed me.

 

[Gtinnel]

I use the Neptune AFS on one tank and the eheim on another tank when I go on vacation. If you have an apex and want to make everything programmable with it then the AFS is okay. For the money the eheim works great.
Also, if you go with the AFS be aware that when it runs it makes an awful sound.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Neptune AFS

 

[SpyC]

How much did it run you? As well as how is the feeding hole sized? Seen some spit out a lot of pellets per feed

I won it, but am so happy with it and the ability to feed small amounts multiple times a day that I would buy another one. I think it is $300. Unsure of the feeding hole size, but it uses a slowly rotatong hopper/gear to push food out. I use the reef jerky. My fish absolutely love it and know where to gather when the flow from the mixing pump kicks on.

 

[kindafun]

How is the adjustability on amount of food? Also is a outlet fed, batter fed, or chargeable?

It uses batteries and they last a long time. It is adjustable for number of times / day of feeding up to 4, and how much is dispensed each time. For dry food nothing more is needed. Here's a short video on programming and use.

Video

 

[ScottieB]

I don’t do apex(s) or anything for my fish-room. I do use aquarium coop feeders on all my tanks though. Easy to program, USB charged. It’s the only auto feeder you’ll ever need.

 

[Lps_lover12]

I have the eheim and like it a lot. Dont have any problems with it

 

[Jmp998]

Eheim has worked well for me in the past.

For me a feeder ring/defroster was very helpful to keep dry food from just going down the overflow. I put it near a powerhead so the food gets pulled down into the tank once it is rehydrated instead of just sitting in the ring and rotting.

Shop | Innovative Marine Products

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[Biokabe]

I've used multiple different feeders over the course of my reefing career.

If budget is a concern (and it always is), the Eheim mentioned above is definitely the best in that price level. It's reliable, it's simple, it's programmable and adjustable. It has its limits, but if you're feeding flakes or (especially) pellets it'll do the job and do it well.

If you have the budget to buy the best of the best, the Avast Plank is unmatched. The feeding/mixing tube regulates the actual release of your food into the aquarium, and it prevents a good chunk of the dispensed food from just going straight down the overflow. Additionally, since it allows the food to soak before being dispensed, it allows you to use freeze-dried food instead of limiting yourself to flakes and pellets.

The biggest drawback of the Plank, in addition to its cost, is the fact that you must have some external method - whether that be a timed outlet or an Apex or something similar - in order to control your feedings. The upside there is that your feeding schedule and length is customizable, but there's still some irritation in needing something external to control it.

I do not recommend Neptune's autofeeder. It's supposedly fine, but the one I got never worked properly and certainly didn't justify the price. In my experience, it exists to prove that Neptune could make a feeder, but it also proved that they shouldn't. Noisy, overcomplicated and unreliable, all to give you something that can be equaled with the much-cheaper Eheim feeder.

 

[JoJosReef]

My setup:

Build Thread - JoJo's IM 40L AIO - Please, step into my office

The planning for this tank looks good!! I can't wait to see it! Yes very well thought out and good stuff already to work with

www.reef2reef.com

I really want to get an Avast Plank!

 

[slingfox]

On my main tank I use the Eheim auto feeder with the feeding station accessory. Relatively economical and super reliable! On my QT tank I originally used a cheap auto feeder frkm Amazon. That was a huge mistake. What happened after a month of usage is the screen got fogged up due to the moisture from the tank which made the display very hard to read. After 2 months or so the food inside started to get wet and spoil due to moisture from the tank. I eventually had to replace that feeder with the Eheim feeder + feeding station which have been working on the QT tank without issue.