Automatic fish feeder

[7Enigma]

LOL. Why can't people keep their responses short and to the point...
If it was me and I had the money, I would buy th ef eeder at the pet store. It's our responsibility to give these creatures, our pets, the best chance they got to a healthy, long life. But, that's just my feeling.

The point is, inexpensive autofeeders can OVER feed the tank and can cause water quality conditions that can negatively impact the fish's health. Fasting for short periods of time (under 5 days IMO, but preferably under 3) very well might be the healthier avenue than using an autofeeder.

That said, if a week or more is required, feeding is needed, and if the OP cannot trust a friend/neighbor to help, an autofeeder is the only option. I would just get one now and test it for several days to make sure it isn't contaminating the water with a lot of food.

 

[JulieB]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to stick with the feeder I have for now... if it only drops a little bit of food, they'll still be OK. I've never seen it drop too much, just not enough sometimes. But as long as they're getting SOME food, they'll be fine.

And thanks, physicsdude. You sumed up the entire point of having animals, and our responsibility to give them the best life possible, in your last sentence.

 

[7Enigma]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to stick with the feeder I have for now... if it only drops a little bit of food, they'll still be OK. I've never seen it drop too much, just not enough sometimes. But as long as they're getting SOME food, they'll be fine.

And thanks, physicsdude. You sumed up the entire point of having animals, and our responsibility to give them the best life possible, in your last sentence.

Good to know you've got a feeder that feeds too little. The big thing with feeders is to make sure you have uniform-sized food. Things like flakes are tough since they bunch up and can be different sizes. Things like betta pellets, shrimp pellets, algae wafers are great since they are all basically the same size.