Thoughts on automatic feeders?

[Endlersendlers]

I agree that you can overfeed fish and that would not be good for their health. An automatic feeder and a human can each under or overfeed or give appropriate amounts. I would not advise that you can never overfeed fish if it is an appropriate diet and noticed this was said in the same post as also saying they will eat as much as they can out of instinct, not trusting in their next meal. A person doing something for many years does not prove no harm and those fish don’t live well and to their full life expectancy, whether the human keeps track and realizes it or not. Many people do things wrong for many years and, in this case, create more work for themselves with increased water changes. Glad they do them, but that is only addressing one side effect of over feeding and not the digestive issues. Feeding five times a day until they are losing interest is over feeding and something usually seen when trying to force weight gain for consumption (food fish), not for well being or longevity. We have digressed from the original question but misinformation needed to be addressed.

 

[Ichthys]

those fish don’t live well and to their full life expectancy,

This has no bearing in fact whatsoever. I can assure you they very much do.

 

[Endlersendlers]

This has no bearing in fact whatsoever. I can assure you they very much do.

Twotank just gave us an abstract to back it up. Here are several more sources that talk of how it causes harm. I couldn’t find a single source that you cannot overfeed fish. Byron has given us much information on this over the years as well. Please share your factual bearing that you cannot overfeed fish so that we may be educated if that is the case.

“According to multiple studies, overfeeding has been linked to various health issues, including poor digestion, fatty liver, fin rot, and many others. For example, fatty liver is a hepatitis-like condition that primarily affects croackers, cichlids, and other meat-eating fishes. Other resulting effects include fin rot, which affects the fish’s fins and body over time. Overfeeding contributes to problems with the delicate swim bladder (Swim bladder disease), Intestinal blockage, etc.” from https://aquariumbreeder.com/the-dangers-of-overfeeding-your-fish-shrimp-etc/

Aquarium Fish Health: Overfeeding Fish: A Common Problem and Possible Solutions

Overfeeding fish is so easy to do. First, we forget how small they are: our appetites are much bigger than their stomachs! Second, feeding is one of the only ways we can interact with the fish, so we tend to do it too often.

www.liveaquaria.com

Signs to Look Out For: Identifying Overfeeding in Fish - Aquarium Pharm

As a pet owner, it is essential to take care of your fish's feeding habits to ensure their health and well-being. Overfeeding can lead to many health problems

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10 Signs You Are Overfeeding Your Fish

Proper feeding aquarium fish is a blend of art and science. Feeding our aquarium fish is one of the most fun activities of aquarium keeping. But the fact is, over-feeding causes nothing but problems in the aquarium. In this post we help you to learn if you are overfeeding your fish and what you...

www.fishtankworld.com

 

[Ichthys]

We’re talking about different things. I’m talking about appropriate foods for the species. I have never ever said that fish can’t be overfed. They can be.

 

[sharkweek178]

Something someone posted here once that really stuck with me. They said that you are more likely to hurt your fish by overfeeding them than you are by underfeeding them.

 

[Endlersendlers]

We’re talking about different things. I’m talking about appropriate foods for the species. I have never ever said that fish can’t be overfed. They can be.

Actually, you did.

I’ve fed my fish about half a dozen times a day for 50 years. I fill them up (almost) every time. If the food is appropriate for the species, you can’t overfeed.

 

[Ichthys]

Actually, you did.

Nope. Read the post you’ve quoted.

 

[Endlersendlers]

Nope. Read the post you’ve quoted.

I reread it but came away with the same impression, that you can’t overfeed as long as it’s appropriate food, and that you may need more water changes to maintain water quality.

 

[raylove]

I use auto feeders when I go on holiday, though until recently I hadn't found one that was particularly reliable. I had previously come home to find the feeder clogged due to moisture or, on one occasion, stuck in position so feeding had ceased a week before I got home.
However, last year I purchased the latest Eheim feeder, and this works very much better than previous models. When 'at rest' the opening is at the top so moisture ingress is less likely. Also, when it is time to feed, the drum rotates in one quick revolution - previous models rotated slowly over about 20 minutes. This means that the amount dispensed is a little more predicable, and in addition, during the rotation, a small fan operates to refresh the air inside the tub to further reduce the liklihood of excessive moisture. I still set it to dispense the minimum on the basis that even if that is far less than I would normally feed, it's still a lot better than no food at all. I use flake but if I had bottom feeders I would mix in some sinking granules too (my 'bottom feeders' are all active fish that come up to catch flakes so isn't currently an issue for me).
In February I went away for 6 weeks weeks so an auto feeder was essential. It worked a treat - no clogging and no fish losses, all in perfect health!
I did have someone call in at the half way point to check everything was working OK and they also changed about 20% of the water at that point. The plants were very overgrown but looked a little sickly due to lack of ferts, so I threw out most of them however, once I started up with the ferts again they recovered.
In summary, I wouldn't use auto feeder routinely nor would I bother for 3-4 day breaks. However, for longer breaks I certainly recommend the Eheim - there may well be other good ones but I never found one that I could be totally confident with.

 

[Mikeyboy123]

I found this to be good. 14 individual slots so you can precisely measure how much in each slot and you can use different foods in one slot or different foods in different slots. https/www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BRCWP16K?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Seems better than the rotating barrel types - I've never used them as I've just never had confidence in them delivering the right amount of food.

Had no issues with condensation.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Automatic feeders have been debated by hobbyist's since they came along. Some swear by them, some swear at them. I'll confess to have mixed feelings about them. In general fish are preprogrammed to feed whenever food is available. In the wild, the availability of food may be few and far between depending on the environment.
By in large, it might be said that we tend to feed fish way too much and they would likely be healthier, and live longer with less food. After fasting tanks of fish for 4 or more days in preparation for bagging and auctions, I notice that they fish seemed just fined. So I began experimenting. I switched from twice daily feeding to once a day....and now I tend to feed once a day, every other day. Less food = less waste = higher quality water!!!
Now automatic feeders just might be great for fry tanks, but as mentioned, any use of automatic feeders may too easily foul the water if too much food is delivered and not consumed in a timely manner.
If you're planning a trip greater than 2 weeks and have no trustworthy friends to feed a pinch of food every few days, you might assume the risk and consider an automatic feeder. But if you do, set up an monitor well in advance and deliver small amounts of food only once daily.