Anyone heard of the Robosnail?

[daisy002]

If you haven't checked it out, you should definitely google it. My BF got me one for Valentine's Day (what a PERFECT gift), but it still hasn't been shipped yet. I didn't know if anyone else has heard of it, ordered it, or gotten one...

[asylumdown]

interesting, do you know the thickness of glass it can tolerate? I can't find it on their website.

[TL1000RSquid]

Kinda cool, I'll be impressed when they make one that can do the sides too.

[Jenzifer]

I think its a cool concept but I would not use it.

1) it goes back and fourth in a straight line..i don't know if you ever used a mag float but if you go in only one motion you will just leave streaks of algae on the glass and not get everything. it needs to go in a circular motion.

2) it doesn't look like it can go around corners onto other panes of glass

3) if you ever get a piece of sand stuck in there, it will just keep scratching your glass until you realize it.

[Playa-1]

I will not be ordering one. It's a cool concept in theory but in reality it's probably going to be a robo tank scratcher.

[EasyEd77]

What if there is a real snail in the way of a robosnail? Seems like the time saved not using a manual magnet will be spent righting your CUC upside down in the sand.

[TL1000RSquid]

I was wondering that too, roomba's have a sensor that sometimes works to avoid smashing into things at full speed, any sensors on this?

[cordell]

That's pretty cool alright...

My first thought is: what keeps it from going too low and digging into the sand? Does it have some sort of sensor that can detect the sand before it actually gets into it, trapping sand on the inside pad?

Maybe if you let it clean the glass every day, the "straight lines only" problem is avoided, since the algae is very thin after only one day.

Does it recharge itself while docked? Didn't notice this info on the website.

People with rimless aquariums... Can it sense when it is at the max height of the tank without running off the tank?

Hope the snails on the glass see it coming! Maybe put a backup buzzer on the inside part?

[Jeff000]

Originally Posted by EasyEd77

What if there is a real snail in the way of a robosnail? Seems like the time saved not using a manual magnet will be spent righting your CUC upside down in the sand.

Don't buy snails that can't self right. I had bought a few, but they didn't last long, I don't work around a snail, just smash it off the glass. The ones that couldn't right themselves became food for something else and I made a note to never buy those again.

[EasyEd77]

Originally Posted by Jeff000

Don't buy snails that can't self right. I had bought a few, but they didn't last long, I don't work around a snail, just smash it off the glass. The ones that couldn't right themselves became food for something else and I made a note to never buy those again.

I have astrea snails and Mexican Turbos for over a year that still do a great job. I also, have plenty of black footed trochus snails that can right themselves but still choose to go around them with the magnet. It just not that difficult to get the spot you missed after they have moved. To each his own I guess.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by cordell

That's pretty cool alright...

My first thought is: what keeps it from going too low and digging into the sand? Does it have some sort of sensor that can detect the sand before it actually gets into it, trapping sand on the inside pad?

Maybe if you let it clean the glass every day, the "straight lines only" problem is avoided, since the algae is very thin after only one day.

Does it recharge itself while docked? Didn't notice this info on the website.

People with rimless aquariums... Can it sense when it is at the max height of the tank without running off the tank?

Hope the snails on the glass see it coming! Maybe put a backup buzzer on the inside part?

I can't answer all of those, but I did see it written somewhere that it does re-charge itself when it's docked. They also specify that you have to tell it the depth that your sand is at, and the device won't go below that level. Since you'll probably want to leave a healthy safety buffer, that would indicate to me that there will always be an uncleaned layer around the bottom rim of your tank. I also saw it mentioned that it could sense corners, so maybe it can sense the top of a rimless tank as well?

[daisy002]

I don't know all the answers to these questions... But I hope this thing is shipped soon. I'll be able to answer a few of them then, lol. I know that you get 2 cleaner things, and one dock so that one can charge and one can be used. I don't know if it would scratch the glass or not. If you can program it not to get to your sand level that shouldn't be an issue. I didn't know if anyone else had one, or if they had any experience with one.

[plunderisley]

Still waiting for them to get released. I would love one for my tank.

[mcgyvr]

how lazy do you have to be....

[EllieSuz]

I can clean a lot of algae by hand for $300 and that's just the introductory price. The regular retail price will be $349.00. I watched the video and it looks like there are some motions that would prevent the "straight line" problem, and it seems to recognize the sand before it gets too close. I think it looks like a great product for anyone who has the money.

[Mmiller40gt]

Wow! 300$. Ill stick with manual cleaning

[James77]

Pretty silly IMO, even if it does not have the potential pitfalls listed above.

I spend maybe 60 seconds once or twice a week using a mag cleamer to wipe the panes down.Yet the site claims I will gain hours of not cleaning my tank

[SWKustoms]

Great concept except in the video it goes into the sand bed which leads me to believe it will end up scratching the tank. They also have a bumper on the edge of the tank in the end of the video. Give it a few years till they get the concept to fully work.

[Snausy]

I don't know how many of you skeptics have big tanks but I can tell you that the workload DRAMATICALLY increased when I went from my 100g to my 300g. Heck many of you only have itty bitty 60g or less tanks. You can clean those by hand in two minutes or less with a scraper. $300.00 would seem dumb to me too if I had a small tank.

8ft of 31" high on top of a 40" stand is a different matter entirely. It's real work and if you don't stay on top of it with a tigershark everyday(what I use) it gets ugly and way out of hand. If you wait a week(it happens) it turns into a half an hour job standing up on a footstool/ladder with a long scraper trying to get to the very bottom. No fun!

So, if this robosnail thing can do a "decent" job on my tank everyday to keep the algae at bay, I'd be ELATED. It's like when I found out about ATO for the first time and stopped having to worry about it every single day.

I also have a predator tank where every fish in there loves to eat snails. I constantly have to keep buying 20-50 new snails every couple months just to try and keep the tank clean. My fish can't eat the robosnail!

Another thing you guys aren't considering but many of us have a bare-bottom tanks so it running into sand isn't an issue. This thing would kick butt in my tank. Just change the pad on the outside every day or two is all. NOVUS for any issues.

I have 3/4" acrylic though so that could be an issue. Only the tigershark has been strong enough to make a difference so far for me.

Seriously though, if this thing works well or later revisions of it are working well I'm all over it. Would save me quite a bit of work. Christmas is coming soon I need to start hinting to the wife! muhahahah

[Buzz1329]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

how lazy do you have to be....

Incredibly? I can't believe anyone would buy this thing.

[Snausy]

If somebody gave it to you as a gift, would you use it?

[James77]

You offering?

[azjohnny]

With my 180 I spend about 5 mins, 10 mins tops once a week cleaning the tank panels. You must have some algae issues if you have to clean them everyday