Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with automatic feeders in an aquaponics setup. I'm going away after Christmas and wanting to get something setup soon to keep the system going while we're away.

Many thanks,
Jonathan.

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Happy reading

My experience is that they're few and far between and you probably won't be able to get hold of a decent one before you have to go away anyway..

I've tried some cheap eBay rotary type feeders and found them to be unreliable. I currently use 2 x 10L Cloverleaf auto-feeders. Picked them up from Aussie Koi WA in Gnangara for $380 each. He usually keeps a couple in stock. and works from home. Best thing is they run on 240v so if there is a power failure the fish stop getting fed.

http://www.aussiekoiwa.com/shopshow.toy?catnid=55024

Cheers Muzza

Here's what you need... McGuyver style...
Grill rotisserie motor, cheap irrigation timer, thin floor mat or plastic matting

Attach matting to rotisserie rod,
Mount rod over edge of tank (to a 2 x 4 or something)
Load mat with food
Time how long you need the rotisserie motor to be on to wind the mat and drop enough food into the water
Set timer for that time each day

Cheapo belt feeder, probable $30 in materials but not super pretty.
Ohhh
Yeahhhhhh

woop woop

How long are you going away?
Is it less than a week?
How long till you go away?
How big is your system?
Are you going to have a neighbor check on things?

Automatic feeders are dangerous, please use with caution. Even the really good ones.

Why, because the automatic feeder can't tell if your fish are eating all their food and adjust their feeding in case of a problem. (change in weather/temperature, dead fish, clogged pump, whatever.......)

If you are only going away for a long weekend or even a week, I would probably say, let em go hungry or have a neighbor give em a feed once while you are gone.

There are auto pet feeders that can work that are program able right down to the second but they are costly and do not keep the feed sealed up air tight. I had issues with rodents trying to chew into them.

Belt feeders are available but most of them are designed to feed for just a day but what ryan describes might work if you can get a timer that will only run for a very short amount of time. I fear most easily accessible timers are going to run for a minute or more and that might be too much food for a day or you won't have enough space on the belt to feed for the whole time away.
Then again, while you are gone, feeding less, way less is a good idea!!!!
Few fish die of hunger and most fish are killed by over feeding.