Feed timer alternative?

citymouse · Nov 13, 2018

Has anyone come up with a cheap way to attach a timer for feeding to a smaller tank?

I have a biocube 16, I unplug the filter and powerhead to feed and on several occasions have walked away and forgot to plug it back in! I started just feeding and waiting until they were done eating the plug it all back in, but that's not foolproof because I did it again and had no idea, more than 24 hrs later I notice they plugs are out! The water was cloudy, temps dropped to 72

ugh what a mess! I have an apex fusion on my big tank and this has spoiled me for sure! BUT I can't afford another smaller or even used apex right now.

I'm looking for a way to put these on a timer, either set a time for 15 min or push a button that sets it and it comes back on automatically. I clearly can't be trusted to plug the tank back in every time!

I have everything plugged into a power strip and no access to the wall outlet anymore, it's behind the very heavy furniture that the tank sits on top of!

davocean · Nov 13, 2018

Well, does not answer your question, but I've never once turned down flow at feeding time.
I do however squirt food w/ turkey baster, my fish are on it before it can go anywhere.

citymouse · Nov 14, 2018

davocean said:
Well, does not answer your question, but I've never once turned down flow at feeding time.
I do however squirt food w/ turkey baster, my fish are on it before it can go anywhere.

I feed mostly NLS, some sinks, some floats, the fish usually grab what's sinking but if it hits the ground too fast they ignore it. The stuff that's floating heads right towards the filter. The shrimp isn't picking up the slack on things that fall to the bottom. There's good flow in there with the powerhead and pump going.

On the QT I don't turn off the filter, it's just a hang on the back, doesn't affect too much.