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automatic feeders


jimmilfish

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I use automatic feeders that cost around $50 each from on-line stores similiar style to the Eheim ones but less expensive (just checked the sponsors and that particular one isn't available anymore).

First time I was away for 5 weeks and had a house sitter keeping an eye on it - no problems.

Next time I was away for 3 weeks with no one watching the feeder - no problems.

The auto feeders work better if you use a pellet type food, flakes tend to get a absorb moisture and get clump together.

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I've used the Eheim auto feeder for about 12 month before it failed.

As the above poster wrote, it's not really good with flake foods as the flakes do absorb moisture, it's also harder to adjust the amount of food that keeps put out on every rotation. Flakes are different sizes pellets aren't.

The air fan in the eheim unit it's help either, flake food still got wet.

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Anyone able to suggest a brand and model?

I've got a 3-week leave coming up and I think my secretary would get 'sympathetic' and overfeed my livestock.

Obviously, buying a couple of units and pre-testing before committing one's livestock to a machine's care would be a reasonably sane path to choose, imho. :)

Cheers - OziOscar.

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G'day Ozi,

I have eleven tanks and eleven Eheim auto feeders, most of them around five years old. I've been away for up to six weeks at a time (twice) and regular two to four week absences and never had a failure.

The food chamber will hold enough food for two weeks on a 4 x 18 x 18 tank with average stock levels. Obviously tank size and number of fish will dictate how much to feed and therefore how quickly the food will run out, but two weeks is certainly doable.

My son refills my feeders whilst I'm away and for a six week absence he only has to do it twice. It's certainly a lot less hassle than I go through when he goes away and leaves me his dog!

As others have stated, flake absorbs moisture and gunks up the feeder outlet fairly quickly. NLS, Hikari Gold 'Baby' and similar small pellets work best.

Eheim only make one model and you should be able to get one for around $100.

Cheers,

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