Is the Plank that much better than the Eheim auto feeder?

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It costs near five time as much. Is it that much better?

 

[Joe's Coral Reef]

I prefer the f14. You can feed an exact amount each day. Simple.
https://a.co/d/5puqEaX

 

[edsbeaker]

It costs near five time as much. Is it that much better?

In my opinion, it really comes down to what you intend to feed. I’ve had both, the eheim is a decent feeder, but I prefer the plank for a couple of reasons.

The Eheim feeder revolves and has an opening to allow the food to drop into the tank each time the port makes a full turn. If you are using flake food, or freeze dried and the feeder drops it that type of food just floats since it hasn’t been hydrated. If you prefer using a mixture of pellets, flakes and freeze dried, all having different sizes, that will cause a different issue. To accommodate the larger sized flakes or freeze dried you will need to slide open the feeding port to allow the larger food to get through, which will end up dropping a ton of smaller food, more than you probably want to drop in.

I also found that this feeder was a bit unreliable regarding uniform amounts of food being dropped into the tank at each feeding. It works best if you choose to fill it with one type of food only.

The way the plank works makes it much more versatile. The food is pushed out with an auger, so all sizes of food can be simultaneously fed at each feeding. It also has a long tube with a small sicce pump that mixes that food in the water to hydrate the flake and freeze dried and it then released from the bottom of the tube and out into the display tank without just floating into the overflow. This, allows you to feed all types of food of different sizes, textures, and even freeze dried mixed together.

I prefer having a mix of many different foods to feed the various sizes and feedings habits of my different fish. So, for me, The Plank was well worth the money.

 

[FrugalReeferJon]

I prefer the f14. You can feed an exact amount each day. Simple.
https://a.co/d/5puqEaX

Never seen this before, very nice.

 

[dangles]

@edsbeaker nailed it. It’s infinitely tunable (duration/frequency). I can dial in the amount of food extremely precisely.

I’ll also add that having the food distributed mid-water-column is a nice feature too. I don’t have to worry about food getting sucked down the overflow before the fish can get to it (I don’t want to have to shut off my return pump with every feeding). I have an MP40 nearby too which really distributes the food even more. My chromis and anthias love it.

There’s an expansion chamber for it as well for extended absences (I have no experience with it though).

 

[dangles]

@edsbeaker nailed it. It’s infinitely tunable (duration/frequency). I can dial in the amount of food extremely precisely.

I’ll also add that having the food distributed mid-water-column is a nice feature too. I don’t have to worry about food getting sucked down the overflow before the fish can get to it (I don’t want to have to shut off my return pump with every feeding). I have an MP40 nearby too which really distributes the food. My chromis and anthias love it.

There’s an expansion chamber for it as well for extended absences (I have no experience with it though).

This is what I feed:

Rotifers 0.05 oz
Pacific krill 0.3 oz
Brine shrimp 0.1 oz
Copepods 0.2 oz
Calanus 0.2 oz
Mysis shrimp 0.3 oz
Pellets (NLS Algae Max) 0.3 oz
TDO ChromaBoost (Med) 0.15 oz

All freeze dried (obviously). I wouldn’t be able to do that with any other feeder.

 

[edsbeaker]

This is what I feed:

Rotifers 0.05 oz
Pacific krill 0.3 oz
Brine shrimp 0.1 oz
Copepods 0.2 oz
Calanus 0.2 oz
Mysis shrimp 0.3 oz
Pellets (NLS Algae Max) 0.3 oz
TDO ChromaBoost (Med) 0.15 oz

All freeze dried (obviously). I wouldn’t be able to do that with any other feeder.

I’m similar feeding TDO pellets, both small and medium, freeze dried mysis, freeze dried Krill, and some “cool mix” flakes that have some of these same foods plus spirulina and kelp and Brine shrimp.

 

[C_AWOL]

I haven't used the avast before but i like my eheim and hydros ones (basically a wifi eheim if you have the controller) just fine. Don't consider the neptune one though cause its basically like a v8 engine in your home when it feeds.

 

[FishTruck]

The Eheims work well, have no wires to deal with but fall in to the tank (if you just balance them on the eurobrace) and have less capacity. You can feed up to 8 x per day with multiple volume settings (four maybe?) per feeding.

Using your own timer, you have more flexibility with the Plank - if 8 feedings per day are not enough. I think it will handle more types of food too.

I like them both... and have one of each on each end of my tank.

The Eheim knock offs on Amazon are lighter (they will seriously fall into the tank if you load them up with pellets) and don't have many programming options. One of them just died on me... looking back, I purchased it in 2018! Not bad and I am getting better at not knocking them into the tank!

 

[Amstar]

+ 1 on the plank. With the short time I have had it, I like the fact that I can use my own mix of various freeze dried items and the tube/pump rehydrates them. I have the outlet right in front of a stream from a powerhead and the fish love it. I also like the fact that it takes a few minutes for all of the food to rehydrate in the tube so it gives multiple fish time to eat.

I will feel so much better using the plank when I than other feeders when I have to travel

 

[JoJosReef]

In my opinion, it really comes down to what you intend to feed. I’ve had both, the eheim is a decent feeder, but I prefer the plank for a couple of reasons.

The Eheim feeder revolves and has an opening to allow the food to drop into the tank each time the port makes a full turn. If you are using flake food, or freeze dried and the feeder drops it that type of food just floats since it hasn’t been hydrated. If you prefer using a mixture of pellets, flakes and freeze dried, all having different sizes, that will cause a different issue. To accommodate the larger sized flakes or freeze dried you will need to slide open the feeding port to allow the larger food to get through, which will end up dropping a ton of smaller food, more than you probably want to drop in.

I also found that this feeder was a bit unreliable regarding uniform amounts of food being dropped into the tank at each feeding. It works best if you choose to fill it with one type of food only.

The way the plank works makes it much more versatile. The food is pushed out with an auger, so all sizes of food can be simultaneously fed at each feeding. It also has a long tube with a small sicce pump that mixes that food in the water to hydrate the flake and freeze dried and it then released from the bottom of the tube and out into the display tank without just floating into the overflow. This, allows you to feed all types of food of different sizes, textures, and even freeze dried mixed together.

I prefer having a mix of many different foods to feed the various sizes and feedings habits of my different fish. So, for me, The Plank was well worth the money.

@edsbeaker nailed it. It’s infinitely tunable (duration/frequency). I can dial in the amount of food extremely precisely.

I’ll also add that having the food distributed mid-water-column is a nice feature too. I don’t have to worry about food getting sucked down the overflow before the fish can get to it (I don’t want to have to shut off my return pump with every feeding). I have an MP40 nearby too which really distributes the food even more. My chromis and anthias love it.

There’s an expansion chamber for it as well for extended absences (I have no experience with it though).

This is what I feed:

Rotifers 0.05 oz
Pacific krill 0.3 oz
Brine shrimp 0.1 oz
Copepods 0.2 oz
Calanus 0.2 oz
Mysis shrimp 0.3 oz
Pellets (NLS Algae Max) 0.3 oz
TDO ChromaBoost (Med) 0.15 oz

All freeze dried (obviously). I wouldn’t be able to do that with any other feeder.

Agree with all of these. I do feel that the larger freeze dried pieces, such as mysis, get pushed to the top of the pile while the pellets and powder food settle at the bottom, so after a few rounds you are disproportionately dispensing the pellets/powder and leaving the larger, lighter foods.

Does anyone else observe this? I am using a mixe of Avast Reef Jerkey and TDO pellets small.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I have used the Eheims in the past and liked them. They do fine on the glass brace across the middle of my 120.

I don’t think the avast will fit on the display (blocked by canopy and wall behind the tank) and I’d have to use it on my sump.

 

[Amstar]

FWIW, I have used the Eheims in the past and liked them. They do fine on the glass brace across the middle of my 120.

I don’t think the avast will fit on the display (blocked by canopy and wall behind the tank) and I’d have to use it on my sump.

that is a valid concern. it does stick up pretty high from the rim of the tank and sticks over the back of the tank as well - I've seen others say they have used their plank via their sump and return pump -

 

[KrisReef]

It costs near five time as much. Is it that much better?

The Eheim is reliable but the Plank's constant. (6.62607015×10−34 J·s )

Otherwise, I don't know the answer.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The Eheim is reliable but the Plank's constant. (6.62607015×10−34 J·s )

Otherwise, I don't know the answer.

Nice. Lol

 

[areefer01]

This is what I feed:

Rotifers 0.05 oz
Pacific krill 0.3 oz
Brine shrimp 0.1 oz
Copepods 0.2 oz
Calanus 0.2 oz
Mysis shrimp 0.3 oz
Pellets (NLS Algae Max) 0.3 oz
TDO ChromaBoost (Med) 0.15 oz

All freeze dried (obviously). I wouldn’t be able to do that with any other feeder.

Nice list and similar although I use the Apex auto feeder and hourly between 0830 and 1800. This is going to be a dumb question but not sure I understand what you mean by freeze dried here. I know about the plank but the list above is all from different pouches and/or containers.

I am obviously missing something.

 

[mjszos]

The plank is great, but wildly overpriced.

That being said, the variety of dry foods I feed makes it the best solution (that I’ve found) for equal distribution of the food.

 

[beesnreefs]

This is what I feed:

Rotifers 0.05 oz
Pacific krill 0.3 oz
Brine shrimp 0.1 oz
Copepods 0.2 oz
Calanus 0.2 oz
Mysis shrimp 0.3 oz
Pellets (NLS Algae Max) 0.3 oz
TDO ChromaBoost (Med) 0.15 oz

All freeze dried (obviously). I wouldn’t be able to do that with any other feeder.

Love that mix. Where do get all the freeze dried feeds?

 

[Tony Thompson]

I have used these for a couple of years now, I have them on both my tanks as I am often away abroad for a month or two at a time, they have never failed me. Very cheap USB powered and internal battery. Only good for pellets though.

Amazon product ASIN B0BRCWP16K
Amazon product ASIN B0BRCWP16K

 

[Tcook]

FWIW, I have used the Eheims in the past and liked them. They do fine on the glass brace across the middle of my 120.

I don’t think the avast will fit on the display (blocked by canopy and wall behind the tank) and I’d have to use it on my sump.

This is s great location to use the plank. You can set the feed tube right above your return pump intake. This is where I would place it if my tank wasn’t an in-wall tank. I have 2 planks and love them.