My apologies if this has already been asked but my search didn't yield any results.
I'm wondering what food size can be used with the AFS. Specifically, I'd like to feed something like reef pearls (the small grain) or coral frenzy (the powder). My goal is to keep some NPS corals (gorgonians, etc.) and use the AFS multiple times per day to keep them fed. Is anyone doing this?
Hi I was just doing a search regarding the problem I have with my AFS & found your thread, looks like I'm the first to reply! I actually bought my AFS mainly for feeding my NPS corals several times a day so filled it with a mix of D-D's LPS, SPS & Filter Feeder dry powdered foods. For the first day or so everything work fine so I left it to do it's thing until a week later watched the feeder in action to check everything was working OK... it wasn't!
The food that drops down into the bottom chamber ready to drop down into the tank on the next revolution was clogged in place, which prevented further food from leaving. I cleaned this out & tested again, it worked once then clogged again. So I emptied the AFS cleaned & dried it thoroughly & put in some fresh food, it worked for about a day then same problem. I've tried a couple more times & now given up, not really what I was expecting at all for a £100 auto feeder! :-( So from my personal experience I'd say the AFS is no good for this purpose as it comes.
Having said that I would love to hear other peoples experiences using the AFS as it comes for dosing similar fine powdered coral foods, good or bad? Or has anyone modified it in any way to make it work with air pumps etc? I have tried a small mesh bag containing dry rice in the food chamber as suggested by another reefer to try & absorb some of the moisture that must be getting in but it didn't work, I thought about a Silica Gel sachet for a second but worried this may contaminate the food & couldn't find any info regarding this online yet.
My AFS dispenses 1mm pellets and small flake beautifully. I have a couple of very young clowns which had trouble eating the pellets. I ground some of each up in a mortar & pestle to powder and tried that. Same food, just ground finely. It clumped up badly. In fact, it clumped up even if I just gently picked up a pinch of it between fingertips. So I do not fault the AFS for not dispensing it properly. Instead, I now am using a mix of 1mm pellets and Sustainable Aquatics Hatchery Diet and that is working out well.
The product description on Neptune's web site says "the AFS was designed to feed almost any correctly-sized pellet or flake food." Take that FWIW.
Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.
I'd says thats a defo no for powdered food then, back to the drawing board for me!
Just curious since I do not have an AFS... Is the bin removable? Would it be as easy for Neptune Systems (or whoever their vendor is) to make a different bin (maybe one of the clock-style ones with compartments every "30min") and just swap it out?
The AFS works best with dry, pelletized foods. That said, our Crossover Diet food we developed is probably the perfect size at 2-3mm. We have tested down to 1mm pellets and they seem to work as well. We are testing right now a smaller pellet Crossover Diet recipe. The nice part about Crossover Diet is that the pellets work as a delivery vehicle for the powdered micro foods that it is coated with. Some fairly well-known people in the marine aquarium trade are having incredible results in tanks with gorgonias and wrasses using Crossover Diet.
So, pellets work best. Flakes of the right size work well. Powders on their own will clog. Moist foods like New Era will also most likely clog.
I love my feeder.. Except for 1 thing... It doesnt seem to drop consistent amounts of the crossover diet...
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Sorry to hear that. For the most part the AFS will drop about 3-6 pellets of CD at the lowest setting. About 24 +/-8 pellets on the next setting. It is not an exact science but, on smaller tanks, if you set it for the lowest setting and feed multiple times a day or with more than one drum rotation, you should average out pretty evenly.Originally Posted by Ep3n3wp
Yeah I have it on the lowest and set to feed 3 times a day with 2 rotations each time...
Plus I feed 2-3 times a week frozen.. So the afs is just if I forget lol...
Sending you a pm Terrance about the new food
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So dose anyone have any good ideas for feeding small particle coral food to their tank & incorporating the Apex unit to switch off Return pumps & Skimmers etc?
I had considered mixing food with RO water & using a dosing pump run by an EB6 outlet... I've not done the research but I'm guessing hydrated coral food may have quite a short shelf life in a warm aquarium cupboard so would need replacing often, possibly daily??? This would be to much chew on for me, I really need something that only needs maintaining weekly or better if pos.
Anyone got any ideas as I'm running out?
Cheers.
The recent posts made in this thread about a DIY feeder have been moved to a new thread in the DIY forum. http://forum.neptunesystems.com/show...832-DIY-Feeder
Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.
Terence, how's that smaller pellet coming?
AFS Sucks. Not exact for sure. For small pellets that fit through the smallest setting, you end up with a ton of food. I've fussed with this thing all day yesterday, trying two different sizes of pellets with varying degrees of failure. Once even the top popped off and I ended up with a full aquarium surface covered in food. The container is currently sitting on the floor (where the lid popped off yet again) in a pile of food where I left it in frustration!
This unit needs a serious update for fine tuning food amount.
And... it's noisy AF. Don't your engineers know the old equipment adage, noisy things fail sooner.
Last edited by SanClementeEric; 06-16-2016 at 06:54. Reason: Adding more info
Inclined to agree - I'll buy a case of beer for anyone who can open the food container to adjust the amount setting without dumping all the food everywhere. In the redesign, make it adjustable without opening the container!
I've never dumped food in the tank. Do I get to choose the type of beer I am getting?
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Inconceivable!I've never dumped food in the tank. Do I get to choose the type of beer I am getting?
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I hope you like tecate :-)
👍
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Can you add tape to the adjuster to even limit more amount of pellet from being dispense?
It wouldn't be very reliable and would likely create a big mess with tape. You want something a little more solid and don't want something sticky the same side as the food.
You might be an engineer if...You have no life and can prove it mathematically.
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