Drs. Fosters-Smith is running a special on automatic fish feeders. I have been planning on buying one since I plan on doing more travelling in the near future. I was wondering if anyone has experience with any of these units or can make any recommendations regarding these or other feeders. Some apparently require an air pump which is used to minimize moisture and food clumping. Is that an important feature to have?
Automatic feeders?
- Thread starter drbronx
- Start date
nwrogers
Got gorgs?
There is really only one feeder that I know of that is generally considered to be one of the best and has appeared in multiple tank of the month tanks. The Rondomatic 400...
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4430+4464&pcatid=4464
IMO this is not a place you want to skimp on. There are plenty of horror stories of cheap feeders dumping tons of food in a tank and causing all kinds of problems. I have the Rondomatic 400 and I would recommend it.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4430+4464&pcatid=4464
IMO this is not a place you want to skimp on. There are plenty of horror stories of cheap feeders dumping tons of food in a tank and causing all kinds of problems. I have the Rondomatic 400 and I would recommend it.
Newreeflady
New member
I have the Eheim feeder and it works OK. I would prefer the separate compartment thing, but that looks way too big for my purposes. I just use mine when on vacation- I have it dump flakes into a floating ring that allows them to sink w/o going over the overflow. It has a built in fan to keep humidity low.
-A
-A
GMaquarium
New member
I am using a bunch of Current USA Aquashef and nutra matic 2x feeder. Both cheap and work great
Thanks for the input folks. I think I will go with Nate's suggestion. Though a bit pricier, when I leave town, I don't want to have flashes of fish food dumping into my tank, turning it into a nitrate sewer. While I'm ordering, does anybody else local need some drygoods from Fosters-Smith? I'll probably order by Friday or so..
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
Nate- where does your feeder dump food? Do you have a feeder ring? What do you feed... flakes, pellets or other?
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
I have some experience with auto feeding reef aquaria
I have some experience with auto feeding reef aquaria
food dumped into (technically onto) aquarium water usually floats. (Except for sinking pellets). IME "regular" pellets and (especially) flake foods all float. In a reef aquarium this usually leads to most food getting washed over the surface skimming overflow before fishes can eat the food. A feeder ring is often used in freshwater aquariums to keep foods at the surface where dumped (directly below feeder) until either fishes eat the food or it become water logged and sinks. Problems with feeder rings can arise in reef aquariums because of high turnover/surface agition.
I have some experience with auto feeding reef aquaria
food dumped into (technically onto) aquarium water usually floats. (Except for sinking pellets). IME "regular" pellets and (especially) flake foods all float. In a reef aquarium this usually leads to most food getting washed over the surface skimming overflow before fishes can eat the food. A feeder ring is often used in freshwater aquariums to keep foods at the surface where dumped (directly below feeder) until either fishes eat the food or it become water logged and sinks. Problems with feeder rings can arise in reef aquariums because of high turnover/surface agition.
Newreeflady
New member
Feeding ring tricks:
I do not use the suction cup, but rather secure it at two points with fishing line so that it doesn't move much.
I also recommend siliconing the bottom of the ring where the styrofoam is so that it doesn't come out over time (my first one did.)
-A
I do not use the suction cup, but rather secure it at two points with fishing line so that it doesn't move much.
I also recommend siliconing the bottom of the ring where the styrofoam is so that it doesn't come out over time (my first one did.) -A
frankandmaura
New member
Doc...if you haven't ordered I think I would like one of those also.
Adam...do you mean you have your feeder dump into the sump? and then let the food go in to the tank via the return?
Adam...do you mean you have your feeder dump into the sump? and then let the food go in to the tank via the return?
OK Frank, I'll order you one as well. Adam needs Koi food as well.
Adam, doesn't your return pump, "chew" up the food? I may have to try that and see how it works.
Now what we need is a device that can feed frozen foods. I will have to get rid of my copperband butterfly and only maintain fish that can subsist, at least for a time on flake food.
Adam, doesn't your return pump, "chew" up the food? I may have to try that and see how it works.
Now what we need is a device that can feed frozen foods. I will have to get rid of my copperband butterfly and only maintain fish that can subsist, at least for a time on flake food.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
it's time to reference this thread:
IME return pump grinding up foods can be a good thing.
My el cheapo autofeeder (Nutramatic 2X been running for over a year on two AA batteries and sold at WalMart for less than $20!) dumps food down PVC pipe directly into my main pump intake. This causes food to spew into aquarium randomly. IME pellet foods (especially Spectrum) work the best in most cases. (I have Copperband, Kleins, Emperor, PBT, Achilles, etc.) Fish will learn time of day to expect food. (Makes for a great show if you're around.)
Piazzon12
New member
It does chew food up a little bit, but not that bad. The fish seem to like it. Whenever I put the huge flakes directly into the main tank, they don't see to like it as much and they end up stuck in the koralias.
I too use el cheapo feeders: a Nutramatic 2X and a Pen Plax daily double when I go on vacation. One for a mix of flakes, freeze dried cyclopeeze and freeze dried mysis in the sump, the other dumps pellets into the main tank. My pellets sink immediately so that's why I dont feed them in the sump
I too use el cheapo feeders: a Nutramatic 2X and a Pen Plax daily double when I go on vacation. One for a mix of flakes, freeze dried cyclopeeze and freeze dried mysis in the sump, the other dumps pellets into the main tank. My pellets sink immediately so that's why I dont feed them in the sump
Interesting methods you guys are using! I have been very uncreative in my feeding methodologies thus far. I wonder if my copperband would accept freeze dried mysis. I'm pretty sure I tried it without success. Has anyone had success feeding copperbands dried foods? I would absolutely love to keep mine. I have had him for close to three years and it is nice to have a aptasia free display. Furthermore, he is beautiful. After my Powder Blue, he is my favorite turd. You guys with the "cheapo" feeders: Aren't you afraid of the horrors that Nate described while you are away?
nwrogers
Got gorgs?
Well I don't have it set up anymore but when it was set up I used an upside down 2 liter bottle that I cut in half. The food dumped into the top and the bottle was ever so slightly submerged in the water (about 1/8"). The bottle was screwed into the canopy and the feeder was screwed in right above the bottle. I wish I had a picture of it while it was set up but I never took one. I bought it before my trip to Florida two years ago and haven't really used it since. I will set it up again if I ever go on a vacation over 3 days again
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