Auto feeders.

[XNavyDiver]

I'm looking for recommendations on an auto feeder. Something you really trust. Going on vaca for the first time since starting this tank. I've got an Apex but I'm not married to their periferal equipment if it's substandard, so please suggest any feeder you have experience with. We're probably looking at a week away from home....

Thanks.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I'm looking for recommendations on an auto feeder. Something you really trust. Going on vaca for the first time since starting this tank. I've got an Apex but I'm not married to their periferal equipment if it's substandard, so please suggest any feeder you have experience with. We're probably looking at a week away from home....

Thanks.

I don't necessarily have experience with any auto-feeder but I have heard that pellets do better in them and that they shouldn't be trusted for longer than a week without being checked. Sort of like ATO's.

 

[kinetic]

Following along. I used to have an Eheim which worked poorly.

You should probably have a real human come over once in awhile to check up on everything even if you have an auto feeder.

 

[mckinleyw]

I would say eheim autofeeder that's what I use and no issues at all it runs off batteries and very dependable

 

[mckinleyw]

Following along. I used to have an Eheim which worked poorly.

You should probably have a real human come over once in awhile to check up on everything even if you have an auto feeder.

that sucks I ordered an eheim off of ebay and have been running it for almost 1 yr just gotta change battery once every 6 months myself.

 

[cmcoker]

I use the eheim as well, it sits on my light and dumps food in the top, above a pump. I only have a couple fish, and use the tiny pellets so I had to rig it a bit to only drop 6 to 8 pellets at a time. I just played with it dumping food into a bowl until I got it releasing the right number of pellets consistently.
It feeds 3 times a day for my wrasse and I feed various frozen food once in the evening.
Easy to program, no complaints here.

 

[Andy G]

I would go with Apex, having control is an important plus. My plan for my next vacation is to feed twice with feeder and have my neighbor help me feed frozen food at nights.

 

[HB Fisheye]

I use Eheim. I only use it when we're away for a few days so it's not used all the time. Haven't had any issues.

 

[Ryan115]

Previously had the Hydor, and I really wasnt that happy with it.
I have had the Eheim running everyday for about 2 years, and it has been great.
I would say to either regularly change the batteries, or force it to do a manual feed occasionally. I have noticed that when the batteries get low, it will have enough power to run the display (and look like things are fine) but not enough to spin the feeder.
I have also seen them hacked to be powered and run off of a controller.

 

[mcarroll]

Eheim and get their FeedingSTATION too....like a feeding ring, only better.

Counting my own system and others in the area I know, I'm aware of about 10 tanks that run these 24/7/365 so the tank's always being fed. Frozen and other higher-quality foods are also fed manually. In other words, they are used to stabilize feeding – not to feed more quantity. Great!

 

[Antics]

I recommend the Apex feeder. In my experience it's loud but reliable and has quite a number of options for how much to feed, though I always use the lowest two settings.

I enjoy the Apex because it's easy to program multiple rotations and when they should occur. You can also manually feed from Apex fusion if you desire. APEX will also let you log when the feeder turns on and off (although this functionality can work for other autofeeders, they must be connected via AC and not battery operated like the Eheim feeders I have experience with.)

As far as monitoring reliability, I use the Apex logs and in addition to that I connect to the cameras that watch my tank to see that the feeder is working while I am away.

 

[CodyRVA]

There's a lot more I would be concerned about if you're planning on leaving the tank alone for more than a few days...

 

[Reefltx]

Eheim has been pretty solid for me. I have my apex timed to turn off powerheads when it’s feeding time. My fish knows when the powerheads goes off they swim to the feeding ring. I feed 3x a day with pellets and frozen once before lights out almost daily.

 

[LJLKRL05]

I use the eheim as well, it sits on my light and dumps food in the top, above a pump. I only have a couple fish, and use the tiny pellets so I had to rig it a bit to only drop 6 to 8 pellets at a time. I just played with it dumping food into a bowl until I got it releasing the right number of pellets consistently.
It feeds 3 times a day for my wrasse and I feed various frozen food once in the evening.
Easy to program, no complaints here.

This is the same one I have. Works great. I use NLS pellets and taped the adjuster for the opening to make sure it stayed put. Did the same thing with dropping food in a cup until it was right.

 

[rkpetersen]

I have the Neptune AFS. It works fine. It's loud for sure, but I don't use it when I'm at home, only when I'm away; the rest of the time it remains plugged in but velcroed to the back of the tank, out of sight. I set it to the first or second lowest click on the adjuster, and use small to medium size pellets only. As mentioned, in addition to easily programmed feedings, you can do a manual feed from anywhere from the fusion app or website, and if you have a reefcam integrated into Fusion, even watch the feeding frenzy as it occurs. I've done this when out to dinner with my wife in other cities, often to the amusement of the waitstaff.

One thing I've seen people complain about with the AFS: The entire food cannister pulls out of the front to refill it, but the lid to the cannister is just snapped onto the front. If you go to pull it out and you're not careful, or if you don't snap it together properly when putting the filled cannister back on the device, you could wind up dumping it all into your tank. Personally I think you'd have to be pretty careless to have this happen, but it's definitely possible if you're not paying attention.

 

[XNavyDiver]

There's a lot more I would be concerned about if you're planning on leaving the tank alone for more than a few days...

Uh, yeah, I get that, but this thread is about my one concern that I currently don't have a contingency plan for.

 

[Radman73]

Eheim here as well. Worked like a champ when I set the tank up at the new house but we hadn't moved down yet. We're talking 2-3 weeks unattended.

 

[XNavyDiver]

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses. It looks like it's between ehiem and apex. I'm really not concerned about the noise of the apex as this is a vacation tool only. But I like the price of the ehiem better...

 

[drblakjak55]

Eheim for five years. Change battery once a year. Not greatest at flakes but grind them up. My second feeder has “Fish Mate” on the top. It is for flakes or anything dry, and reliable twice a day feeding. Put what you want into each of fourteen chambers. Seven days

 

[CodyRVA]

Uh, yeah, I get that, but this thread is about my one concern that I currently don't have a contingency plan for.

I understand the point of the OP, that being said; an auto feeder is superfluous when considering the plethora of other potential failures that are not being accounted for if we are to assume the system will have no human interaction for an extended period of time.