Automatic Feeding

[IFbettas]

Does anyone here use automatic feeders on a daily basis? With my schedule I usually only feed my fish twice a day, but many of the fish I'm keeping would benefit from more frequent feedings. I have an Eheim programmable auto feeder that is pretty nice, and it can feed up to 4 times per day. My biggest concern is whether the fish will eat the food or not when it is just dumped in and they are not expecting it. BTW, I would be using a mix of NLS and Formula 2 pellets. Any thoughts?

 

[Blownsvt]

i know what you mean. I have 2 different auto feeder but i think sometimes the fish dont see it go in and a bunch of it hits the bottom before it gets to them. What i like to do it have it drop it in right by a power head so that i gets caught in the current and at least gets pusshed around the tank rather than going straight to the bottom. Of course i doo see most of my fish grab pellets out of the sand anyway at times.

 

[Juice It]

I use one as well and it works great but I have mine drop into one of those floating feeding stations that are suctioned to the tank because without it much of the food will get sucked to the skimmer if it doesn't sink quick enough. If you watch the fish they know when it drops and speed to the food!

 

[IFbettas]

So will the fish eventually remember at what time the food is dropped?

 

[Juice It]

I doubt they know what time its coming but I think they feel the vibration of the feeder turning and speed to it quickly.

 

[David Jr.]

Are there any auto feeders that can be used with frozen foods? It would be great to just put a cube in each morning and have it dump portions of it in every hour. Somebody could make a killing off of that. I have yet to see one.

 

[inktomi]

I would also love to have an automatic feeder that can feed portioned frozen (and then thawed) food.

I suspect that we could build one with a small pump and a valve that converts the pump from a closed loop to going into the tank... then put the whole thing into something that keeps the water almost at freezing - and just add some frozen food in the morning.

Trouble is.. that's a lot of work.. =\

 

[IFbettas]

I just watched the feeder feed a few minutes ago and it worked surprisingly well. All of the fish got a few pellets and the pellets floated around in the current long enough for the fish to realize that there was food. This should help keep some of my tangs and wrasses fatter.

A feeder made for frozen food would be awesome. How quickly does frozen food spoil when heated up to room temperature in water? If using a small frozen food like cyclop-eeze or baby brine shrimp then it might be possible to use a dosing pump to drip it into the tank. That would be great for anthias and other planktivores.

 

[MaLi]

I have an Eheim feeder driven by my ReefController. I feed twice a day (Spectrum) and 1 min. before feeding the controller stops the return pump and the wavemaker. Fish they learned and you should see their frenzy swimming at the surface awaiting food.

hope it helps,
Marian

 

[805reef]

what is the feeder you have driven by your reefcontroller?

 

[ryshark]

I'd like to get a feeder for my Anthias, but the problem is that they don't eat Spectrum Pellets and the cyclopeeze and flakes just float and eventually go into the overflow. Any suggestions?

 

[LouZ]

Anybody have any solutions????

 

[805reef]

i bought a super feeder and it comes with a plastic funnel type, so the food (flakes/pellets) get dispensed into the funnel, and the funnel goes into the water so the flakes get soaked and go into the water column rather the just float on the surface and go into the overflow. ive had it for a few weeks now and love it.

 

[LakeGirl]

+1 on using controller to initiate feed cycle (power down pumps) & auto feeder. Fish learn that pumps off means look for food.

I would also like to use an auto feeder. However, my primary concern is that my tank is covered (jumpers in the tank).

Has anyone modified a glass cover to allow for feeding? Suggestions?

 

[ryshark]

i bought a super feeder and it comes with a plastic funnel type, so the food (flakes/pellets) get dispensed into the funnel, and the funnel goes into the water so the flakes get soaked and go into the water column rather the just float on the surface and go into the overflow. ive had it for a few weeks now and love it.

This sounds like a good idea, I'm going to look into it. thanks.

 

[IFbettas]

Has anyone modified a glass cover to allow for feeding? Suggestions?

If you take a piece of the glass out the fish will find the opening eventually, especially if you are dealing with smart jumpers (wrasses). Make a screen top to replace the glass. It allows for better oxygen levels, still keeps the fish in, and allows food to fall through it. As an added benefit it keeps the feeder from falling into the tank (had that happen before).

 

[ryshark]

If you take a piece of the glass out the fish will find the opening eventually, especially if you are dealing with smart jumpers (wrasses). Make a screen top to replace the glass. It allows for better oxygen levels, still keeps the fish in, and allows food to fall through it. As an added benefit it keeps the feeder from falling into the tank (had that happen before).

"smart jumpers" that sounds funny. I guess that would be called an oxymoron because they don't look too smart all dried up on the carpet.

 

[Conesus_Kid]

I have a funnel with a tube leading to the return line in my sump. The output from my carbon reactor empties into the funnel, much like one of the "miniature toilets" that you spit into at the dentist's office.

My automatic feeder is filled with a mix of pellets and freeze dried Cyclopeeze, and dumps into the funnel. The food is then pumped to the display tank through the return lines.

The nice thing about it is that by the time the pellets hit the display, they're saturated, so they never go into the overflow. You can tell that the feeder has triggered when all of the fish start darting around the display like crazy!

 

[CoralMonkey]

What kind of funnel are you guys talking about? Just the plastic ones sold at auto stores?

 

[sanchoy]

Auto-feeders are a must for anthias fish. they eat like crazy.. I set one up for mine, they love the machine.. The male anthias lyretail hangs around it all the time, guarding it.