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How Often Does Everyone Clean Their Avast Plank?

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dangalang

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I didn't want to thread jack @MarcosD Avast Plank post :p

How often does everyone clean their Avast Plank and how is everyone cleaning theirs?

I clean mine when I see the water in the chamber moving really slow (every 6-7 weeks maybe?), but I think I should be cleaning it more often or maybe change the settings to a larger number? I just do a deep scrubbing with RODI and bottle brushes.
 
Why are you seeing water in the chamber?
Or what is causing it.

I only clean the chamber if I really see clogging happening. I do clean the front (where food comes out) once a week.

Running it for longer periods of time (2 min) seems to reduce the clogging.
 
L/B Block said:
Why are you seeing water in the chamber?
Or what is causing it.

I only clean the chamber if I really see clogging happening. I do clean the front (where food comes out) once a week.

Running it for longer periods of time (2 min) seems to reduce the clogging.
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newfly said:
I think the ‘chamber’ means the feeding tube. I have to clean the feeding tube at least once a week if not twice
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Yeah sorry, I meant the mixing/circulation tube.
 
dangalang said:
I didn't want to thread jack @MarcosD Avast Plank post :p

How often does everyone clean their Avast Plank and how is everyone cleaning theirs?

I clean mine when I see the water in the chamber moving really slow (every 6-7 weeks maybe?), but I think I should be cleaning it more often or maybe change the settings to a larger number? I just do a deep scrubbing with RODI and bottle brushes.
Click to expand...
I see and do the same as you. And like you, I keep telling myself I should clean the tube and mixing pump more often. I set the tube opening to the highest setting to extend times between feeding. When my plank was new it would cause the dried mysis to come out too quickly (not fully rehydrated) on the highest setting, but after getting the newer flow setting plate from them it doesn’t anymore.
 
What is this flow setting plate you guys are speaking of? Is that the attachment on the pump underwater? I threw mine out long ago so I guess mine is running wide open?
 
newfly said:
The pie

The bottom cap of the feeding tube. That’s where the pump seat.
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Ah yeah I threw that in the trash a long time ago. Don't you just want as much flow as possible? Like @JVU says even just to extend the time between cleanings. I also want as much food entering the water column at once as possible because otherwise the fastest and most aggressive pigs just sit in front of the tube and snatch each piece as they come out one by one.
 
I clean the feeding tube every 8 weeks, which seems to be the maximum time for me. I have not cleaned the drum yet as it seems to be a bit more annoying to do, and it still looks fine, but will need to do at one point. For those who have not thrown away the flimsy opening dial, at which number do you keep it? I think I have mine at either 4 or 5.
 
derek_SR said:
Ah yeah I threw that in the trash a long time ago. Don't you just want as much flow as possible? Like @JVU says even just to extend the time between cleanings. I also want as much food entering the water column at once as possible because otherwise the fastest and most aggressive pigs just sit in front of the tube and snatch each piece as they come out one by one.
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What’s holding the pump in place? Just the pump wire ?
 
I have mine dumping directly into the sump, with a power head that turns on for a bit after that dumping to help with mixing. No tube. Don't use the pump that came with it.

I therefore never clean anything. Well, except for the one time I had water spray everywhere in my sump and into the Avast and needed to clean it.
 
derek_SR said:
Ah yeah I threw that in the trash a long time ago. Don't you just want as much flow as possible? Like @JVU says even just to extend the time between cleanings. I also want as much food entering the water column at once as possible because otherwise the fastest and most aggressive pigs just sit in front of the tube and snatch each piece as they come out one by one.
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I’ll def try that. Tired of the tube gunking up
 
derek_SR said:
Ah yeah I threw that in the trash a long time ago. Don't you just want as much flow as possible? Like @JVU says even just to extend the time between cleanings. I also want as much food entering the water column at once as possible because otherwise the fastest and most aggressive pigs just sit in front of the tube and snatch each piece as they come out one by one.
Click to expand...
I agree in general, but when I first got my first Plank the flow was too high on the most open setting, and un-rehydrated mysis would get out and then float over the overflow, defeating the point of the tube. When I set to a lower setting it would rehydrate, then come out.

But in the nearly 2 years since then, the mixing pump or something doesn’t work as well so even on the most open setting the mysis mixes enough. I could probably take off the dial at this point and would be easier to keep from clogging.
 
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