Nine day vacation: Automatic feeder or no?

[Corey]

I am currently a college student with a 20 gallon tank, containing 6 Danios, 3 small guppies, 2 Blue Rams, 6 dwarf (> an inch) corys and 1 Butterfly Pleco. I will be going home this Friday until next Sunday (9 days) for spring break. I purchased an automatic feeder that feeds twice a day, and I can adjust it to a reasonable amount, and put im freeze-dried bloodworms/flakes/shrimp pellets.

I have two options: I could use the automatic feeder, or visit them halfway through the week and feed them by hand.

With the feeder, I am worried that not everyone will get food, as my Danios chow it all down extremely quickly, and that it won't provide my Pleco with much substance (though I've never seen him eat anything anyway).
Coming mid-week and feeding them worries me because not eating at all for 4 or 5 days, eating a ton, then eating nothing for 4 or 5 days just doesn't seem healthy.

Any suggestions on which would be a better option? I suppose I could do both.
Thanks!

 

[Guest]

I have used the auto feeder before and found them to be not really all that good.One time and great the next. The thing was droping alot one time and the next not enough for 3 fish much less 12. The last time I went on a 11 day vaction to las vagas. I used them again, it worked great the secound go round.
What you could do is try now while your there for a couple of days and check and see how it dose on the droping of food and see if it's feding all the fish. Thats what I did. I learned just how much food it drop both times.

 

[SerLunchbox]

The auto feeder can work for you. The pleco does eat lots as he will probably eat at night. you could potentially do the mid week feeding. When i go on a 5 day vacation, i feed at the last possible moment and then i will feed when i return with nothing detrimental happening to the fish (my regular routine is once every 2 days).

I presonally don't like automatic feeders because you never know just how much food they are getting.

If you do feed mid week, then i would suggest that you don't overfeed them as that could be worse then the 4-5 days without food. The excess food can and will poison the water.