New Avast Marine Auto feeder

[ctenophore]

New Plank accessory alert!
A few customers were asking about a light shield to prevent algae growing in the mixing chamber. So I made a little hemispherical cover we're now calling the Cannonball

Here it is in action, from requester and early tester Trevor:


They're in stock on the website now, but you can get one for free (with free shipping too!) if you sign up for our new Reef Jerky subscription service. Get fresh food auto delivered as often as you need, and it's one less thing to forget
I added some guidelines on feeding time and how long a Plank full of food will last on the Plank support page. Of course, if any questions, just hit us up at [email protected].

More accessories to come soon, stay tuned...

 

[malfist]

Hey Justin!

Could you tell me about that setup you got with the screen? Would love to duplicate that at home.

 

[ctenophore]

Hey Justin!

Could you tell me about that setup you got with the screen? Would love to duplicate that at home.

That is a screen top that has a corner cutout kit installed. It's not my tank (rather, our customer Trevor's, and appears to be a CADE) Here's an example: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/diy-aquarium-screen-top-universal-cut-out-kit-red-sea.html
There are many kinds of screen top kits, some are specific to tank mfg's (like Red Sea).

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Hey Justin!

Could you tell me about that setup you got with the screen? Would love to duplicate that at home.

Its the red sea custom lid with a zig zag attachment.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I am happy with the cannon ball. was installed in seconds . Easy removal for easy maintenance. A+

 

[aaron186]

I just got mine setup but tank is still cycling. I’m working on apex programming. Do you guys feel it’s is necessary to turn pumps and power heads off with this feeder? Does the feeding tube prevent food from going down the overflow?

 

[Tcook]

I just got mine setup but tank is still cycling. I’m working on apex programming. Do you guys feel it’s is necessary to turn pumps and power heads off with this feeder? Does the feeding tube prevent food from going down the overflow?

I don’t turn anything off. Nothing reaches the surface after coming out. The fish become trained to wait at the end of the tube. Some members set the plank over their return pump intake to “spray” through the water column. This may be a good approach if you have a few timid fish that don’t want to contest the “crowd “ at the end of the tube.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I just got mine setup but tank is still cycling. I’m working on apex programming. Do you guys feel it’s is necessary to turn pumps and power heads off with this feeder? Does the feeding tube prevent food from going down the overflow?

I used to cycle it. Unfortunately, this caused two problems.

1. It caused excess stain on the pump and i went a few (older versions)
2. By cycling, food would not get fully hydrated and it would accumulate in the downspout..sometimes plugging it.

I leave it on 24 7 now.

 

[Tcook]

I used to cycle it. Unfortunately, this caused two problems.

1. It caused excess stain on the pump and i went a few (older versions)
2. By cycling, food would not get fully hydrated and it would accumulate in the downspout..sometimes plugging it.

I leave it on 24 7 now.

I agree. No need yo turn main pumps off but keep avast pump on 24/7. Leaving it on also makes it easy to trough in a frozen cube of mysis when ever i want

 

[aaron186]

I used to cycle it. Unfortunately, this caused two problems.

1. It caused excess stain on the pump and i went a few (older versions)
2. By cycling, food would not get fully hydrated and it would accumulate in the downspout..sometimes plugging it.

I leave it on 24 7 now.

Yea I planned on keeping the small pump in the feeder on 24/7. I was referring to turning off the power heads and the return pumps when the feeds occur

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Yea I planned on keeping the small pump in the feeder on 24/7. I was referring to turning off the power heads and the return pumps when the feeds occur

I have an MP10 underneath it that broadcasts it. My more aggressive fish usually get most of it. I try to blow some out so that the shier fish get a shot at it.

 

[KStatefan]

I leave one power head running that is right below the feeder.

 

[PranK]

I'm stunned they still dont ship outside US/Canada.

 

[Jgoal55]

I am happy with the cannon ball. was installed in seconds . Easy removal for easy maintenance. A+

Just ordered mine!

I agree. No need yo turn main pumps off but keep avast pump on 24/7. Leaving it on also makes it easy to trough in a frozen cube of mysis when ever i want

Wow. Never even thought about dropping frozen into the tube. So smart! And also, how’d I not think of this?!?

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Just ordered mine!



Wow. Never even thought about dropping frozen into the tube. So smart! And also, how’d I not think of this?!?

Neither did i. SUch a cool way of broadcase feeding that. I did it over the weekend..was a great method. Thanks for the tip

 

[Jgoal55]

Perfect! Very smart idea. Thx @ctenophore!

 

[ctenophore]

I'm stunned they still dont ship outside US/Canada.

I'd really like to revisit this soon. We had a lot of problems with lost or damaged packages during covid; it got really out of control and led to poor customer experience. So we stopped all international shipping. Right now, we advise international customers to use a freight forwarding service. There are plenty of worldwide reefers who have done this for the Plank, as at least those are small (cheaper to ship) and not as fragile in shipping as larger acrylic products.

Perfect! Very smart idea. Thx @ctenophore!

Thank you!

As an update to the cannonball, I have heard a few reports of food getting spilled over the top if it is pushed all the way up against the keg's acrylic front plate. I kept a thin gap on mine, as I was always concerned that humidity inside could potentially become an issue. So I haven't had that buildup but I can see where it might happen. I'm going to revise the model a bit to account for this, so if the little gap doesn't work for you, please contact us at [email protected] and I'll make sure you get the revised version.

 

[Jgoal55]

As an update to the cannonball, I have heard a few reports of food getting spilled over the top if it is pushed all the way up against the keg's acrylic front plate. I kept a thin gap on mine, as I was always concerned that humidity inside could potentially become an issue. So I haven't had that buildup but I can see where it might happen. I'm going to revise the model a bit to account for this, so if the little gap doesn't work for you, please contact us at [email protected] and I'll make sure you get the revised version.

Thank you! I can’t say I’ve noticed this at all, but I’ll keep an eye out and take your recommendation of leaving a gap. Didn’t think about humidity, but good call.

As always, appreciate your attention to customer satisfaction!

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I'd really like to revisit this soon. We had a lot of problems with lost or damaged packages during covid; it got really out of control and led to poor customer experience. So we stopped all international shipping. Right now, we advise international customers to use a freight forwarding service. There are plenty of worldwide reefers who have done this for the Plank, as at least those are small (cheaper to ship) and not as fragile in shipping as larger acrylic products.


Thank you!

As an update to the cannonball, I have heard a few reports of food getting spilled over the top if it is pushed all the way up against the keg's acrylic front plate. I kept a thin gap on mine, as I was always concerned that humidity inside could potentially become an issue. So I haven't had that buildup but I can see where it might happen. I'm going to revise the model a bit to account for this, so if the little gap doesn't work for you, please contact us at [email protected] and I'll make sure you get the revised version.

Thank you for being awesome!! I noticed the food spillage myself. Although annoying, i wasnt going to bother you guys over it..i love the fact that you are being proactive and getting in front of any negative customer experience. There is a reason you guys have my trust and you prove it over and over