Is there an Automatic Feeder that doesn't have bad review after bad review?

[diverrad]

I have the apex feeder. Yea it makes some Noise no big deal. My problem is using pellet foods it either dispenses 1 or 2 on the smallest settings or 20 on the next smallest.

 

[arking_mark]

Love my Plank Feeder, but it does need a timer.

 

[PupChow]

I have used the Avast Plank for awhile now and it has grown on me even with the highr price, as it has been consistently reliable and the whole unit could be disassembled for cleaning. Only issue I ever had was with it jamming one time when I added too many different types of dry food, the odd combo of freeze dried mysis, calanus, and different size of pellets jammed the motor - my fault. Price is still up there though but I would buy it again for that flexibility in feeding time & amount. You do need a timer to run this.

The good old battery powered eheim also worked perfectly for me for years. The feed door is a bit large for pellets so I used electric tape to make the door a little smaller to compensate. Also worked fine and I pair it with a feeding ring to make sure the food does not get sucked into the overflow box. One recommendation I heard is to have it feed right in front of the return pump's intake in the sump so the food would get dispersed underwater.

If I just need an auto-feeder once in awhile and I don't have picker eaters, I would just get the Eheim or even two and call it a day. If I have more sensitive fish that appreciate certain type of food or want finer control, the Plank is nice.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My Apex has been flawless as is the eheim battery unit.
The new Avast is very promising

 

[JCOLE]

I have the Apex AFS and it is awesome. I only use it when on vacation. Just plug it in and set my Feeding VO to Auto and it is ready. I do agree it is loud when it dispenses food but it lasts for about 20 seconds. Again, I am not at home when it's working so it doesn't bother me.

Only issue I have with it is the mounting setup. It is made to clamp onto the rim of the tank, which most are. I have a canopy and had to rig up a mounting system. I just now leave the canopy open when on vacation and mount the feeder to the rim. If you have a canopy and dont want to leave open then you might have to make something as well.

All in all for the price and function it is a great feeder.

 

[elysics]

I can recommend the Rondomatic, it has individual chambers and can't feed more per dose than you put in a chamber, even works with some powdered foods

Not super cheap though

 

[Crevalle]

I have 4eheim feeders from my freshwater days. I’m not crazy about them but they work well enough for a weeks vacation a few times a year.

 

[wsoldier]

I just ordered this Fish Mate to give it a go.

 

[reefinatl]

Oh and i forgot to mention, but pair it with a feeding ring, so the food doesnt get sucked right in to your overflow.

I have my eheim setup over the sump return pump. That makes for some excitement. They drop and get sucked in over a period of time so it's not one blast of pellets. TDO Chromaboost

 

[driftin]

I really like the Avast system. I bought it prior to a vacation, set it up for a week or two in advance and left it set up after getting home again. It gives supplemental feedings over the course of the day and my fish are loving it. Not a single issue yet.

 

[DowntownJosh]

I have my eheim setup over the sump return pump. That makes for some excitement. They drop and get sucked in over a period of time so it's not one blast of pellets. TDO Chromaboost

thats a good idea, I use the same pellets!

 

[rockdiver]

I have iLONDA got off amazon.
It is usb and wifi you can set as many feedings as you want up. Every hour if you want. Can feed remotely with a press of a button.
Purchased the cup that attaches to it so the food does not just go down the overflow.
I have it next to a powerhead and it pushes the food thruout the tank.
Work flawlessly.
Best and cheapest thing I ever bought for the tank lol.
It is identical to the eheim I think from the pictures I seen but it is wifi and usb powered

 

[o2manyfish]

If you have a big tank look at 'superfeeder' at superfeeder.com - It's bullet proof. Allows you to mix pellets, flakes and powders, control how much is fed each time and feed as many times a day as you want.

I've installed about 35 of these and never had an issue.

Dave B

 

[Biokabe]

I've used the Apex AFS, the Fish Mat F14, the Eheim feeder, and now the Avast Plank.

Far and away, the Plank is the best one. It's not even close. It's a beast and requires an external timer of some type, but if you can mount it properly and can use it, it's fantastic. Well worth the money.

The F14 has been my next favorite. It has its limits and is much more work to refill than most of the others, but it's accurate and dependable. Because of the annoyance of refilling it, I consider it more of a vacation tool than a daily feeder.

The Eheim feeder is next on my list. It's honestly not bad, with the limits of the feeding chute being the most problematic. If I wanted something to use daily and didn't want to shell out $200 for the Plank, I'd take the Eheim and be reasonably happy.

All the way at the bottom is the Apex AFS, which I consider one of the worst purchases I've ever made for my tank. It's loud. It has the same problem with the feeding chute as the Eheim. It's loud. The mechanism is very finicky. It's loud. It never worked for me out of the box, having developed issues with retracting the drum after a feeding that could never be resolved. It's loud. And if you have any problems with the $100 paperweight you just bought, Apex expects YOU to pay to ship it back to them to look at and maybe fix, after you pay them another $50 to fix the thing that never worked. And I have I mentioned that it's loud? It's like a rabid bat being run over by a rusty locomotive. I would personally NEVER recommend the AFS to anyone. Others have had good luck with that, but I obviously didn't. =)

 

[JCM]

I'm surprised to hear bad reviews about the Eheim. Its a simple design and mine worked flawlessly for years. I'd bet most issues with it are user error. Setting the correct amount to feed took some work but once it's set, you're good.

 

[Jedi1199]

I am using this one on both my tanks...

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I use it for daily feedings, as my work schedule keeps me away from home as much as 18 hours a day. So far, so good. One thing, Make sure you read the programming directions!! I accidently had mine set to feed 3 full doses of food at every feeding!! so I was actually feeding 15 doses per day :-(

 

[mdb_talon]

Only good one i habe found is my wife. She may crab about doing it a little, but not broke down yet.