Automatic Feeders

[death]

hi everyone im goin away in 4 weeks and will be out of my home for a week my worry is feeding ive heard of people getting automatic feeders? has anyone used these?if so what brand do you reccomend?or will the fish be ok without food for a week? any tips will be much appriciated thanks joe

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I've never used one although thats partly because of all the bad feedback i always hear about them- generally they don't seem to be able to measure out food very accurately, and either end up dumping a huge quantity of food in the fish tank killing them all, or ends up feeding next to nothing or even nothing at all.
Generally speaking most fish can go for a week without food, although it really depends on the fish- larger adult fish are generally much more capable of going without food for longer periods of time than small or young/growing fish.
Do you have any friends, family or trustworthy neighbors who can keep an eye on your fish while you are gone?

 

[death]

unfortuneatly i dont have any family where i live hence the wee break to see my daughter whose 500 miles away and my mrs dont trust her family in the home alone lol so i shall try the week without the feeder and cross my fingers.... ..................though the night before i leave i shall feed the fish and do water changes as per usual i think

 

[blfoster]

A week is fine, even two would probably be ok.

 

[Rediahs]

Augh...

Your avatar is really... disturbing....

 

[death]

A week is fine, even two would probably be ok.

ok thanks for that i feel more relaxed now that the fish should be ok

lol my avatar?

 

[scubadoo]

As stated above, should be fine for a week.

if you wanted to read up on automatic feeders tho' the practicalfishkeeping website has a review of about 8 or so different feeders.

I think that their two best buy options were the Interpet Mixo (£40) and the Fishmate F14 (£25).

We've just been away recently too, but we got a neighbour to drop in every 2 days or so & I'd pre measured a small feed just to keep them going.

Last thing you want to do is overfeed the night b4 you go away or while you're away cos you cant do any water changes if it all gets messy.

 

[death]

As stated above, should be fine for a week.

if you wanted to read up on automatic feeders tho' the practicalfishkeeping website has a review of about 8 or so different feeders.

I think that their two best buy options were the Interpet Mixo (£40) and the Fishmate F14 (£25).

We've just been away recently too, but we got a neighbour to drop in every 2 days or so & I'd pre measured a small feed just to keep them going.

Last thing you want to do is overfeed the night b4 you go away or while you're away cos you cant do any water changes if it all gets messy.

THANKS FOR THE INFO

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

I've started a similar thread in the past:

check this out and see if it helps:

Automatic feeders

 

[Nook29]

I once bought a block type thing, which dissolved in the water over time, releasing layers of food into the water that the fish could then eat.

No fish died, all were fine when I got back.

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

I once bought a block type thing, which dissolved in the water over time, releasing layers of food into the water that the fish could then eat.

No fish died, all were fine when I got back.

Ive heard that they make the water go cloudy Did it do that to yours?

 

[Nook29]

I once bought a block type thing, which dissolved in the water over time, releasing layers of food into the water that the fish could then eat.

No fish died, all were fine when I got back.

Ive heard that they make the water go cloudy Did it do that to yours?

It does at the time, but it soon settles. The reason it does that is because it breaks down into a very fine powder, but it eventually settles. A water change when you get back will be a good idea.

 

[blfoster]

Those things never worked well for me. They've never disolved fast enough. It may be that I haven't had enough water fllowing around them, though.

 

[sheree]

i've wondered about getting an auto feeder as well as i'm going away for 2 weeks next year but up to now not many people seem to like them so i might just get the brother in law to pop in from time to time.

i usually go away for a week at a time,and put in one of those blocks which have been quite good for me...never losing a fish....i also use tetra holiday sticks which i tend to throw in the tank for the little ones and they are not as messy as the blocks (i prefer these).

If i go away for a few days, i tend to leave them with no problems.