Automating Lights And Food Please Help

[blendingshadow]

Hey,

I have run into a pickle of a situation. I have a 450L well planted tank and I am now heading into the busy part of my work year which will find me starting early and finishing late. ie, out of the flat at 730am and home by 9pm.

This wouldn't be everyday but most days in the week. I thought it wouldn't be fair to keep them if I couldn't look after them properly, feeding and lighting wise.

Is there a way to automate the lights coming on and feeding the fish? What would you need?

Or am I kidding myself and try to re home the fish?

Thanks for you help

 

[fluttermoth]

Timers for the lights are easy to get; they go into the socket and you plug the lights into them. I wouldn't recommend automatic feeders; they can be problematic. Why don't you time the lights to still be on when you come home and feed them then?

 

[Cazgar]

The fish won't mind what time of day they get fed.
You can pick up timer plugs quite cheaply for the lights, so just set it to be on when you're home

 

[blendingshadow]

That sounds like an idea. What kind of timer / socket should I be looking for when it comes to the lights?

What's the best way to change the feeding pattern of the tank? They get fed late ish in the morning now and if I am to feed them when i get home it won't be until 9pm.

 

[Gilli]

They will be fine! If you go away on holiday you can leave them for a week without being fed so a few hours difference in their feeding pattern will not upset them!

You just need a timer that will go into a plug socket - they are called light socket timers which you then plug into the mains and your aquarium light then plugs into that. You can then set it to come on and off different times - most of them have a full weeks settings. You can pick them up for a few pounds on ebay or from most electrical stores. When I went away for 10 days I set mine to come for 8 hours and then switch off every day for my plants. I got a friend to pop in and feed the fish twice in that time just to keep them going and she didnt have to bother with the lights!

 

[Cazgar]

Any kind of timer plug will do the job. You can get them from any of the discount stores, or Argos, Tesco etc.
The fish really won't care what time they're fed