# Automatic Feeder advice



## dreville (Feb 15, 2008)

I'm planning to test an autofeeder out for a few months before going on vaca.

I've looked at the Eheim 3581 which has a single barrel and the 3582 which has twin barrel. I think the 3582 has a spiral feeding mechanism which I heard is good.

I would need something that I can set to feed in 2-3 day intervals to minimize waste.

Has anyone had any experiences with autofeeders? What would you recommend?

Thank you.

Andre


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

3 days? Much better to send a SMALL amount of food 4x a day. That's what the EHEIM does best. That will minimize not only waste, but rotting. A big dump every 3 days is just asking for trouble. Plus these feeders are most reliable when you ask for a small amount, frequently.

The problem I have with the EHEIM 3581 is that it dumps pellets or sends in almost nothing.

I have made a modification to prevent that:










I also have several of the cheap "Daily Double" pennplax feeders, which tend to gum up with certain foods, but when used to deliver nearly their minimum amount of pellets (obviously useful only in lightly stocked tanks), seem to work reliably for at least 1-2 weeks if you're careful. But if you crank them all the way up to their maximum dosage, they are flaky and unreliable.

No feeder works well with an random-size mix of large and small flakes. So either pulverize your flakes, or switch two weeks before you go away, to a small round flake like the Tetra Pro (for my community and loach tanks), or pellets (I use the NLS for my cichlids)

You should never fill the hopper more than half full on any auto-feeder.

W


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## dreville (Feb 15, 2008)

Thanks so much for your reply, KhuliLoachFan.

Hehe, probably not 3 days, I don't want to be a torturer. =) It's a 20G only and it mostly has plecos. 

Some folks at CanadaPleco said that 2 days should be ok. I'm just worried about accidents. I would most likely do every other day. But I would not do a huge dump of food. If it's possible, I would probably set it to feed a couple of times during feeding day.

Thanks for the diagram as well! I'll have to see what the innards of the eheim to know what you're talking about.

Have you ever used the 3582?


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

If my tank had lots of plecos, I would use the EHEIM, with the smallest (5mm approx) algae wafers. You could try breaking up the larger algae wafers for your guys.

I have found that my plecos love frogbit (that floating weed that most people consider a nuisance). When I go away, my pleco tanks are getting a heaping helping of it, from all the other tanks. That's fresh greens for your pleco, while you're away.

I would be tempted to leave a slice of cucumber in there too, for my pleco, one I know he can finish off before it goes nasty. Testing your "away team" plan before you go away is key. Watch the auto-feeders for a week. See how long cuke slices take to get eaten in your tank. Etc.

W


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