Automatic fish feeder - which to buy recommendations

[euroreefer]

I going away on vacation looking for automatic fish feeders . I am sure I will get mixed feelings on this , but trying to get any info or advice from reefers who have used or are currently using them . Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Avast Plank is the one I see a lot of people using
InD aF4 is also another option. This one feeds your tank frozen food. Met the owner at RAP, and this is an incredible product.

 

[exnisstech]

The plank is liked a lot but TBH for the price is should be able to be programmed without needing a controller or timer. Even my $30 feeders from Bezos are programmable. I have a plank but only use the feed tube part of it. They have a smaller version out now but I have no experience with it.

 

[BryanM]

Lots of people like the ehiem feeders. I use a hydros feeder.

People swear by that avast plank but I cannot get past the cost.

 

[SuzyKraken]

I don't have a specific brand to suggest, but I prefer one that has separate chambers for each feeding vs one that just rolls and drops whatever can fit thru a slot. This is the one I use.

 

[Idech]

Eheim will last you a very long time.

 

[BeanAnimal]

The plank is liked a lot but TBH for the price is should be able to be programmed without needing a controller or timer. Even my $30 feeders from Bezos are programmable. I have a plank but only use the feed tube part of it. They have a smaller version out now but I have no experience with it.

I don't have an issue with it not having a timer, in fact I think it is a value-add

You can control it with whatever you want and are not be stuck within some vendors idea of how it should operate.

A $10 digital timer, or a full fledged aquarium controller can be used. Most other "fish feeders" with built in timers are not very flexible, including the AF4 frozen food feeder.

 

[TX_REEF]

I use these and enjoy them. Makes travel/vacations less stressful for sure. The re-chargeable batteries on the 2nd and 3rd items last for well over 2 weeks without charging.

plank for re-hydrating freeze-dried food: https://www.avastmarine.com/product...Wd68y78OifNIei8tk9U7ygO3w_fko2rC8BWJcMjvFGlCd
feeder for flake/pellets: https://amzn.to/3PL281I
exact portion feeder for flake/pellets: https://amzn.to/4uWW45A

 

[MizzouMark]

I have used the Apex AFS feeder, the Eheim Everyday Fish feeder and the Avast Marine The Plank feeder for both small tanks (40 and 75 gal) and large tanks (225 and 360 gal). The Plank worked the best for all sizes of tanks using a variety of foods (pellets, freeze dried, Reef Jerky and mixed food). I define "best" as consistently delivering the desired amount of food repeatedly for up to a week without requiring intervention. I could get all of the feeders to work if I was using them to feed during the day and I would feed the fish at night (and fix any apparent feeder problems). However, if I was gone for a week only The Plank met those requirements. The other two feeders either fed too much or too little or plugged up. The Plank costs significantly more than the other two but I believe it is worth the extra cost.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Eheims are great, but they run like $80 now! Used to be in the $25-30 range.

The hydros auto feeder is basically just an Eheim that you can control via wifi or the new version connects to a drive port I think.

 

[Chuck_e]

Been using this for 2 years now. Can program up to 4 separate feeds/day. Easy, reliable, and inexpensive...

 

[christinna77]

Plank. I love mine. I load it up with like 10 different kinds of dry food and nothing ever floats, not even freeze dried food. I let it soak for around 30 minutes before turning on the pump to disperse it.

I've been monitoring how much food it dispenses and it never fails or suddenly starts dispensing less. Yes, I have to clean the chamber and the pump about once a month because it can get pretty gross inside, but that's really it. I don't trust any other feeder and I'm patiently waiting for Manta's R1 release.