Artificial ponds are becoming increasingly popular. Aquariums are evolving and provide many opportunities for creativity. When populating your own aquarium, you must understand the full responsibility of caring for it. If you have fish, naturally you need to feed them. This is not a problem at all when you can give them food on time. But what if you need to leave for several days and have no one to leave the aquarium with? An automatic feeder is a way out of this situation.
You can purchase a special automatic fish feeder; consult us about the best option.
It will feed the inhabitants at a certain interval, which you set in the settings. However, you can build a feeder yourself, and you will save a lot of money, and it will work almost the same. Let's look at several similar examples of feeders that you can make with your own hands.
What is the use of feeders?
A fish feeder is a kind of discipline. Feeding will be associated with only one location. Thanks to this, you can improve the condition of the water in the aquarium, since the residues will settle in only one place, which allows them to be removed from the aquarium or collected by catfish. The catfish will not have to scour the entire ground in search of food; it will know exactly where to look for the treasured delicacy. The minimal distribution of food in the aquarium prevents rotting processes, which means the water stays clean longer.
A feeder for live food greatly simplifies the feeding process. The fact is that particles of such food are heavier than water and quickly sink down, so slow fish or those who do not know how to feed from the bottom do not have time to fully enjoy live food. Thanks to a properly selected feeder, particles are retained in it, which will allow the fish to slowly eat all the food offered.
Adviсe
- After purchase, test the power supply for 2-3 days. Identifying shortcomings and defects will protect the fish from overfeeding and water pollution.
- It's better to be on the safe side if you leave the fish too long. It is safer to entrust the power to an automatic device that needs to be controlled. Friends should come once a week.
- Instruct a friend to monitor the operation of the power supply with all the necessary contacts and instruct him where to go if the equipment fails.
- Homemade devices are best for short-term absences.
- If automatic feeders are used regularly, pay attention to the fish's diet. A poor diet consisting only of dry food is harmful to the health of pets. You can diversify your diet with live, frozen and plant-based foods.
- Cone feeders are convenient to use for feeding live and frozen food. Such samples are inexpensive.
- You don't always need to buy a fish feeder. Buy food that gradually dissolves in water for up to 7 days.
- When you leave the aquarium, be sure to also change the water, rinse the filter, and check other equipment.
A myth has developed around aquarium fish about their short memory. Indeed, fish are smart creatures that do not forget to eat and can remember the owner’s face. Therefore, the aquarist should not forget to feed the fish and make sure that they are fed constantly.
Sources
- https://aquariumguide.ru/freshwater-aquarium/maintenance/avtokormushka-dlya-ryb-svoimi-rukami.html
- https://moj-akvarium.ru/oborudovanie/avtokormushka-dlya-ryb
- https://fishgorod.ru/akvarium/oborudovanie/avtokormushka-dlya-ryb
- https://MyTigers.ru/domashnie/avtokormushka-dlya-akvariuma-svoimi-rukami-2.html
- https://ribnydomik.ru/oborudovanie/avtokormushka-dlya-akvariuma-plyusy-minusy-kak-vybrat
- https://LadysDog.ru/vodnyj-mir/avtokormushka-dlya-akvariuma-svoimi-rukami.html
- https://vyborok.com/rejting-luchshih-avtokormushek-dlya-ryb/
- https://obzorof.net/5-luchshih-avtokormushek-dlya-ryb/
- https://zoo-sarov.ru/mir-akvariuma/avtomaticheskaya-kormushka-dlya-ryb-svoimi-rukami.html
Automatic feeder: general principle of operation
The operating principle of the device is based on portioned feed supply per unit of time. The mechanics of most modern automatic feeders are, in principle, the same: a strictly dosed portion of food is poured into the water through a hole in the drum.
After food is served, the drum rotates and its compartment is refilled from the common chamber. The capacity of the feed compartment is adjusted using a special curtain, which can be moved in one direction or another until a characteristic click is heard.
In addition to drum-type devices, there are:
- Fully automated automatic feeders with feed supply during the opening of a special shutter (like curtains in old mechanical cameras).
- As well as auger devices , when the dose of feed is regulated by the number of turns of the worm shaft.
- disk samples on sale , where food for fish is served sequentially from compartments on the disk. At a certain time, the lower disk rotates and all the food from one compartment is poured into the aquarium. Next up is the next drive bay.
But the main technological unit in all commercial automatic feeders is, of course, the electronic control unit.
Many devices can be powered by both household AC power and ordinary batteries.
Installation and operating principle
Fish feeders in the aquarium dispense food in portions. She falls asleep in the cell. From it, the food enters the compartment and is poured into the water through a special hole in the drum. After one portion has poured out, it turns and the compartment is filled with a new amount. The capacity of the compartment can be adjusted. This is done using a special curtain. It can be moved in different directions, and a characteristic click should be heard.
Attention! Most often, the device is attached using suction cups. But the installation location is important. It is necessary to choose one where the filtration and aeration system is used the least, so the loss of feed will be minimal.
How to make an automatic feeder for an aquarium?
The process of making an automatic feeder with your own hands is very simple and does not take much time. For work we will need the following materials:
- small analog clock with alarm;
- plastic transparent container;
- a transparent plastic tube with a diameter of about 7-8mm.
Now let's look at the instructions for making an automatic feeder for an aquarium with your own hands.
- We make a hole in a plastic container with a slightly smaller diameter than the diameter of the cutting and insert the tube. Then you won't have to use additional glue.
- The drum does not need to be fully loaded. It is enough to fill it two-thirds, then the food granules will not fall out all at once under their own weight. In addition, the clock hand can withstand a certain weight and should be loaded experimentally gradually, and we will attach the container to it.
- How does a do-it-yourself automatic fish feeder work?
- A container with food pellets is attached to the clock hand. Since the container makes two revolutions in 24 hours, granules will spill out of the hole in the tube twice a day. This is quite enough for feeding.
- The size of the hole in the tube of the self-made automatic feeder will determine the number of pellets that will fall out at a time. The larger it is, the more food will enter the aquarium.
- The automatic feeder for an aquarium with your own hands is ready and now you can safely use it in practice.
Choosing a place for the feeder in the aquarium
It is up to you to choose what you will use - an automatic fish feeder or a conventional one that requires manual manipulation. However, you should remember one rule: carefully choose the place where you will have it, preferably where there is no aeration system and heating devices. Ideally, it is advisable to turn off the aeration system during feeding so that the feed does not spread over the entire surface of the water. However, as you can imagine, if an automatic fish feeder is used, this item may not be feasible.
Feeder functions
Such designs are very useful when using live and dry food. It is they who prevent food from spreading over the entire surface of the water, ending up in hard-to-reach places where it will safely rot. In this regard, an automatic fish feeder is a real lifesaver. When using live food, the feeder is also very important. It allows you to keep heavy worms on the surface of the water, preventing them from getting lost under rocks at the bottom, where they are likely to rot.
In what cases can you not do without an automatic feeder?
A working aquarist always has to solve the problem of regularly feeding his pets. Being away from home all day, this can be quite problematic. When you go on vacation for half a month, you can’t take an aquarium with you either, so a lifesaver like an automatic feeder comes to the rescue.
Nowadays, as was done in the days of our grandparents, there is no need to “reinvent the wheel”, because given the demand for automatic feeders for aquariums, some manufacturers of pet products have adopted them. These devices have a variety of designs and are programmed for feeding hours and feed volume.
DIY options
At first glance, making an automatic feeder with your own hands is not easy. But it only seems so. If you use your imagination a little and understand the principle of supplying food at a strictly defined time, you can figure out that for this you need 2 main things: a table clock (an ordinary alarm clock) and a light box that will simultaneously play the role of a feed hopper and dispenser.
Such a box with a lid can be made, for example, from light transparent plastic. In the container (with the lid on), near one of the corners, you need to make a smooth hole through which the food will pour out.
Then the cover is removed, and a partition is glued into the body so that it separates the space with the hole from the main part. In appearance it resembles the entrance to a labyrinth when viewed from above.
A round hole is carefully cut in the center of the case to fit an improvised aft compartment onto the clock axis. Dry food is poured into the box in a vertical position to a level below the central hole.
There is a clock mechanism: it is the alarm clock itself with the glass removed. A homemade camera is placed on the hour axis and attached with thin tape to the hour hand. It is necessary to choose a position so that 2 times a day, at a certain time, the slot of the box is at the bottom.
The food will slowly fall out until the hour hand travels a certain path along the dial. All that remains is to secure the homemade automatic feeder near the edge of the aquarium lid, above the water.
How long will such a unit last?
It’s hard to say for sure, but enough time to go to the country for a couple of days or to visit friends for the weekend
It is important that the box is not very heavy, and that the batteries for the alarm clock are new. By the way, instead of a plastic box as a container for food, some home craftsmen use a large round pencil sharpener
Bottle and smartphone
You can try one more option. Very funny, but extremely simple.
A plastic bottle is cut in half and the top half of the bottle is turned over with the cork facing down. The cork must be unscrewed and attached to the neck of the bottle so that there is a small gap between it and the neck.
A little small dry food is poured into the bottle; It doesn’t matter if some small part of it spills out first. Soon this process will stop by itself. A mobile phone with the “Vibration” mode set is placed inside the bottle directly into the food.
You need to install a homemade feeder on a tripod above the water and make a call to the phone number. It begins to vibrate, and the vibration causes the food to fall out in exactly the same dose as the duration of the telephone operation.
An original solution, isn't it? Surprisingly, it works!
Naturally, each such option should be tested in field tests.
Undoubtedly, when you have to leave home often and for a long time, it is better to purchase a branded electronic automatic feeder and entrust it with the process of feeding your favorite fish. If such absences are episodic, short-lived, and you don’t want to spend money on expensive equipment, homemade devices will not leave animals without food.
Video about creating a simple automatic fish feeder using your phone:
Brief overview of commercial samples
Like all other aquarium accessories, automatic feeders from various manufacturers are quite widely represented in the retail chain. They vary in size, container capacity, design and, of course, price. Moreover, the cost depends mainly on the degree of automation: the more electronics there are in the feeder, the more expensive it is.
Model Eheim TWIN
The German company Eheim produces expensive, luxury equipment for aquariums, and the samples of automatic fish feeders presented by this company are no exception.
Has 2 feed compartments with a total capacity of 160 ml. Each compartment operates independently, serving different types of food at different times. However, you can program the feeding process in any way you like.
To prevent the formation of product lumps due to moisture, the device is equipped with a mini-fan that automatically dries the food in the compartments.
The model is powered by 4 AA batteries, which are included in the delivery set; their resource is enough for about 4 months of work. Of course, the price of Eheim TWIN is not small - about 7 thousand rubles for a 600-gram device.
Hagen
Another German company, Hagen, has taken the path of reducing the size of its equipment.
Thus, the electronic model Hagen Nutramatix weighs only 140 g, and its hopper holds much less feed - only 14 g.
This sample is well suited for feeding fry, since it can deliver doses of even the smallest dry food 2 times a day at a programmed time. The device runs on 2 batteries.
Juwel
A budget version of automatic feeders is offered by the company Juwel (Germany).
The drum-type model weighs 300 g, runs on 2 batteries, does not require labor-intensive maintenance and provides twice the feed per day.
You can install the device anywhere, the main thing is to cut a corresponding hole in the lid of the aquarium.
The volume of the hopper for this sample is 100 g, and many aquarists believe that this device is almost ideal in conditions of long-term absence.
FERPLAST CHEF
The Italians are not lagging behind German manufacturers.
The FERPLAST CHEF automatic feeder (screw type) accurately doses food, can serve it 3 times a day, protects food from humid air and operates for quite a long time on 2 batteries.
In short, the variety of branded automatic fish feeders allows you to choose exactly the option that is needed at a given time. But you can make this device yourself.
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Criteria for selecting purchased models
The first thing that fish farmers pay attention to is the cost of the feeder. It is known that automated models have the highest price, but despite the large expenses, the payback is considered quick.
When purchasing equipment for feeding pond fish, you should pay attention to the following indicators:
- ease of installation, especially for beginners - the feeder must be universal so that it can be installed in the place where you need it, and not where provided by the manufacturer;
- ease of use – ease of pouring food, cleaning, etc.;
- if you purchase a machine, carefully read the programming system - it should be clear to you specifically;
- quality is the most important factor, so the structure must be sealed (so that moisture does not penetrate into the bunker), durable, and made of stainless metals;
- a wide range of setting modes – feeding differs in different seasons;
- number of ponds - if there are several of them, then it is advisable to buy a mobile model, otherwise you will need several stationary ones, and this will cost 3-4 times more;
- volume of the reservoir - for a huge pond it is better to purchase a mobile floating option.
To avoid mistakes in quality indicators, make purchases in specialized stores and from time-tested manufacturers.
