I want one but not sure how I would get it to work with my lid. I dont really want to cut a hole in the netting.
Haha, When I watched the sound comparison video, my first impression "well this sucks, why is it only showing and can only hear the APEX AFS??" I had to watch the video twice. The AVAST feeder is so darn silent in the video, you actually have to focus on where the food is being released to see it work.
AVAST, So does this take 2 power outlets spaces to work?
As Dan said, only one needs to be controlled, and that doesn't have to be an expensive EB832 slot. A simple wifi timer will work. The little DC pump in the mixing chamber draws next to no power, so I leave it always on.
1. Tanks with enclosures above have naturally high humidity within that space, if using dehydrated foods, given enough time I'd imagine the dehydrated mixture becoming partially hydrated leading to a slimy mess up there especially in the auger area. I am sure this would take time but am curious if it's two weeks or two months. Any ideas? It's pretty warm and moist up there!
2. How often do you imagine needing to clean the plank cylinder that enters the water? The video mentions feeders eventually growing in there, rough guess on that time frame?
3. Just clarifying the unit will constantly dispense food as long as the keg power unit is being supplied power, in other words whenever the keg outlet is on its dispensing food, and using the timer to turn off that outlet is how we turn it off?
Great product btw I'm a customer for sure!
My setup is out in the garage and in my glass solarium (two tanks), so both are effectively outside. Humidity can be really high- winter/summer 95%+. (Spring and fall are really nice, though!) Sometimes, a little will cake up, but I've found that it will fall into the mixer pretty regularly. It never creates a slimy mess though, even on the outside. The only time I could see it becoming a problem is if you have active splashing on the feeder. i.e., air bubbles popping, creating heavy salt creep that nobody will have long-term anyway.
2. I clean out mine every few months. I use the brush to clean in place most of the time, just poking it through the drain. A full cleanout gets a run through a vinegar/acid bath to take off coralline algae from the outside of the tube. That really depends on the system, as does the rate of little tube worms growing inside. I suppose that also depends on what you're feeding- coral food is going to grow tube worms faster than mysis shrimp, for example.
3. Correct on the power. The keg unit is simple- plug it in, and it runs. With so many control options out there, we didn't feel the need to make it more complex with buttons and a built-in control timer.
Isn't it difficult to find Anthias that eat dry food though?
I've found that they can wean onto frozen/freeze dried from live. Some species are certainly trickier than others, but many of the common ones will quickly take to freeze dried calanoids. The fish get fantastic color from the bright orange/red copepods.
