Avast Plank feeder inconsistency fix?

[northernreefin]

Hey yall,

Curious if anyone has a solution. Customer service for avast just keeps asking for more and more videos, with no solutions given. So far I’ve sent them videos in sump, out of sump, before manually stirring, and after. They are friendly and responsive, but I want answers and repeatedly removing from sump just to video it working fine after shaking up doesn’t fix it.

Heres my issue:
Works for a week then stops pushing out food almost entirely. If I manually stir it, works great again for another week.

I only run reef jerky from it and have switched out the batch that was in there. Per their request though it looked fine.

I’m thinking of adding to or lengthening the zip tie stirrers so I don’t need to keep manually stirring. Anyone try this already?

 

[Naturalreef]

Hey yall,

Curious if anyone has a solution. Customer service for avast just keeps asking for more and more videos, with no solutions given. So far I’ve sent them videos in sump, out of sump, before manually stirring, and after. They are friendly and responsive, but I want answers and repeatedly removing from sump just to video it working fine after shaking up doesn’t fix it.

Heres my issue:
Works for a week then stops pushing out food almost entirely. If I manually stir it, works great again for another week.

I only run reef jerky from it and have switched out the batch that was in there. Per their request though it looked fine.

I’m thinking of adding to or lengthening the zip tie stirrers so I don’t need to keep manually stirring. Anyone try this already?

I wonder if moisture is getting into the food area and creating voids so the food doesn’t dispense correctly? Do you see the auger moving? Is it pushed in all the way?

Which plank do you have? There is the regular and a mini version.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I would imagine that you have a moisture related issue.

 

[VintageReefer]

Mines inconsistent also. I have not found a fix and stopped using it

 

[BeanAnimal]

Mines inconsistent also. I have not found a fix and stopped using it

Off - I don't have any issues that I know of.

Auger feeds are fairly basic. There is not much to go wrong other than tunneling, where the material bridges over, or fluffing where the auger runs so fast that it throws material out of the way instead of conveying it.

In some cases parts of the auger can compact material unevenly, but that is not a failure to convey. So inconsistent vs not feeding at all are two distinctions.

 

[northernreefin]

Appreciate the replies guys, the food when examined does not appear to be moist in any way. The humidity is low as we are in another cold snap, and the sump isn’t much better. I have a regular, not a mini.
The stuff is so light and fluffy I theorize that if its not knocked by the stirrers it doesn’t get caught by the auger. When I give it a manual stir, the lines created by the stirrers are leveled and the stirrers can interact with the food again. Curious if anyone has modified with more stirrers to accomplish that same activity without having to do weekly stirs.

 

[northernreefin]

I wonder if moisture is getting into the food area and creating voids so the food doesn’t dispense correctly? Do you see the auger moving? Is it pushed in all the way?

Which plank do you have? There is the regular and a mini version.

Yes I see the auger moving, it’s the regular. It still will release food after a week, it’s just barely any. Stir and its back to normal. Usually run for 55s 3x daily.

 

[Tcook]

I know you want to use that food but maybe try something uniform like TDO small snd see if you have the same issue.

 

[areefer01]

I like, love, the plank. I am not a fan of their food. I've only tried the sample pack that came with the kit but what I used of it, I was not a huge fan. Having said that I feed heavy so my Plank runs 5 times a day at 2 minute intervals.

I pilfered a recipe from a member here, @KStatefan , and added in a couple of pellets. I take a scoupe of each freeze dried, then add in the pellets, into a zip lock bag, shake it up a bit to mix, then pour it into the plank. Prior to the first use I set the plank on a paper plate and ran it through the automated schedule to see the portion size. Once I got the amount, time, right I installed it. It runs perfectly fine in my installation.

Food is a mix of:

• freeze dried rotifiers
• freeze dried krill pacifica
• freeze dried copepods
• cool green flake
• freeze dried arctic copepods
• freeze dried brine shrimp
• saki-hikari carnivore
• saki-hikari herbivore
• TDO - x-small, small

Plank install is on top of tank, furthest corner from overflow. The plank powerhead in the chamber is always on. The hoper is controlled by the Apex.

 

[northernreefin]

I know you want to use that food but maybe try something uniform like TDO small snd see if you have the same issue.

From reading the forum, the plank is designed for the reef jerky, and it’s operation is worse with pellets.

 

[northernreefin]

I like, love, the plank. I am not a fan of their food. I've only tried the sample pack that came with the kit but what I used of it, I was not a huge fan. Having said that I feed heavy so my Plank runs 5 times a day at 2 minute intervals.

I pilfered a recipe from a member here, @KStatefan , and added in a couple of pellets. I take a scoupe of each freeze dried, then add in the pellets, into a zip lock bag, shake it up a bit to mix, then pour it into the plank. Prior to the first use I set the plank on a paper plate and ran it through the automated schedule to see the portion size. Once I got the amount, time, right I installed it. It runs perfectly fine in my installation.

Food is a mix of:

• freeze dried rotifiers
• freeze dried krill pacifica
• freeze dried copepods
• cool green flake
• freeze dried arctic copepods
• freeze dried brine shrimp
• saki-hikari carnivore
• saki-hikari herbivore
• TDO - x-small, small

Plank install is on top of tank, furthest corner from overflow. The plank powerhead in the chamber is always on. The hoper is controlled by the Apex.

What was it about their food that you didn’t like? Were you having the same issue with consistent ammounts?

 

[BeanAnimal]

From reading the forum, the plank is designed for the reef jerky, and it’s operation is worse with pellets.

I don't have an issue with either. i have been using it for a year or two now.

I currently mix the Reef Jerky with Formula 1 flake, chopped up nori and TDO pellets.

 

[Tcook]

From reading the forum, the plank is designed for the reef jerky, and it’s operation is worse with pellets.

Well from using TDO for several years. No issues. Hope you get it figured out

 

[areefer01]

What was it about their food that you didn’t like? Were you having the same issue with consistent ammounts?

No issues with it. To me it seemed to fine or like powder and I was looking for a variety of sizes. I also wanted a different mix of food. I have a couple of large butterflies and gold lined rabbit mixed in with some anthias, damsels, and a couple small gobies. So the size and mix was important.

This just worked better for me.

 

[PitzBen]

I like, love, the plank. I am not a fan of their food. I've only tried the sample pack that came with the kit but what I used of it, I was not a huge fan. Having said that I feed heavy so my Plank runs 5 times a day at 2 minute intervals.

I pilfered a recipe from a member here, @KStatefan , and added in a couple of pellets. I take a scoupe of each freeze dried, then add in the pellets, into a zip lock bag, shake it up a bit to mix, then pour it into the plank. Prior to the first use I set the plank on a paper plate and ran it through the automated schedule to see the portion size. Once I got the amount, time, right I installed it. It runs perfectly fine in my installation.

Food is a mix of:

• freeze dried rotifiers
• freeze dried krill pacifica
• freeze dried copepods
• cool green flake
• freeze dried arctic copepods
• freeze dried brine shrimp
• saki-hikari carnivore
• saki-hikari herbivore
• TDO - x-small, small

Plank install is on top of tank, furthest corner from overflow. The plank powerhead in the chamber is always on. The hoper is controlled by the Apex.

Do you think the plank would be a great way to distribute coral dust, reef-roids, and powdered nori to feed the corals? Have you had any issues controlling nitrate and phosphate levels?

 

[areefer01]

Do you think the plank would be a great way to distribute coral dust, reef-roids, and powdered nori to feed the corals? Have you had any issues controlling nitrate and phosphate levels?

I have not tried to add any coral foods such as reef roids. I have used that manually in the past so know it is a fine powder. While I have not tested this I would think adding a pinch or tiny bit to the food mix I mentioned could work. It would be like adding salt or pepper to vegetables or similar. A very light coat not a soaking or full dispenser full if that makes sense. So it may, but it would have to be just a light coat. Not sure it would be the right tool to apply. I add in TDO pellets among a few others and it works.

Issues with nutrients? I run a high nutrient tank so it is not much of a concern for me. By high I mean 30 ppm nitrate and 1.0 or so phosphate in my mixed reef. The nice thing about the Plank is that you can take the auger / body off the mounted holder, place it over a paper towel or paper plate, and run through your feeding schedule. You can then visually see the portion that will be feed each time. Weight it if you want or look at the total amount across the schedule and see what it looks like. I have not noticed anything different with my nutrients based on using the plank if that makes sense.

The only thing I have experienced is that some of the freeze dried food I am using floats more than others and my Anthias treat the food like a trout and a fly. They surface skim striking it and splash water everywhere. I believe I can address this by adjusting the bottom dial/opening on the tube but not tried it yet.

 

[PitzBen]

My aim is to be able to go on holiday for two weeks and still meet the needs of both the corals and the fish during this period.

30 ppm of nitrate, wow! I was worried about my nitrate levels rising from 7 to 11 ppm and my phosphate levels from 0.07 to 0.13 after a week of using Plank. It helps me put things into perspective.

I like the idea of sprinkling Reef-Roids over the food mix; I hadn’t thought of that approach. Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll give it a go

When my nitrate is at zero, I use Reef-Roids to give the nitrate a boost and feed my corals. I couldn’t quite picture adding the same amount of Reef-Roids to the Plank as I do with other products, but sprinkling it on top – I’ll give that a go.

Thanks for the feedback