Automatic Feeder?

[LogJam]

I'll travel often for business, so I wanted an auto feeder so I wouldn't lose fish. However, if they really can go a week (really? a week?! wow!) then perhaps I don't need it.

I actually do have an auto feeder right now - the Penn Plax Daily Double Automatic Fish Feeder. But at $15 I wasn't sure if it was reliable. When I performed a test of the dispensed amount over paper, I wasn't sure if it was dispensing enough at even the highest setting. Being new to the hobby, perhaps that would be overfeeding anyway.

Good and helpful discussion...


Kind Regards,
LogJam

 

[daveedka]

LogJam,
I travel about 48 weeks each year, so suffice it to say I'm never home Monday through Friday. It is true that the fish will have no trouble going a week or longer without food. I have done it many times and never had a problem. If anything it makes tank cleaning easier.

However I do own and use several "Pentair Lifegaurd" auto feeders and like them very well. You can measure the amount fed, they will hold several tyes of food and you can set them to feed 1-4 times a day. the downside is that there are only 15 food slots so if you set it a 3 per day it only feeds for five days. They do make a bulk hopper that will automatically refill the feeder slots, and with 40 plus fish you might be O.K. I still like to hand measure every feeding though and haven't bought the bulk hopper to see how it works.

Since I have a couple of high production guppy tanks, the auto feeders help me with rapid fry growth and snail production. I would not say they are necessary, but handy nevertheless. I got mine from Big Als online.
BTW these are A/C units not battery powered.
Dave

 

[anonapersona]

Not just fish, but crab and lobster

Everyone, he said he has a crab and lobster to worry about.... and if they get hungry I suspect they'll eat fish, maybe after they beat each other up though.

Eheim is the most reliable, from all the reviews I've ever read. I bought one, then never set it up. Still, if I need it I've got it.