Eheim Feeding Station

[MrSandman]

Saw this on Marine Depot and was curious if anyone has used it and if the Apex feeder will work with it without modification.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewItem.aspx?idProduct=EH40203

For anyone that has it can you share the dimensions of the platform?

[rwb500]

sorry to intrude without a helpful answer - but this sort of thing has limited uses because in most tanks, a few fish would learn to swim up inside the thing, and they would get fat while everyone else went hungry.

[Pife]

Looks like a complex feeding ring.

[MrSandman]

sorry to intrude without a helpful answer - but this sort of thing has limited uses because in most tanks, a few fish would learn to swim up inside the thing, and they would get fat while everyone else went hungry.


The intent here isn't really for the fish to swim up inside but rather allow the food to sink so it doesn't go down the overflow and waste away.

I'm also hoping that it's adjustable and maybe even small enough that fish wouldn't be able to swim up it.

[Mike31154]

Not sure about if it will work with an Apex feeder, but for $16 it's not a huge risk if you decide to buy one.

I have an Eheim feeder & ended up building my own rig a few years ago out of scrap acrylic pieces. The section extending into the water is not nearly as long as the one you linked to, but it is effective in holding stuff until it soaks up sufficient moisture to drop into the water column. And yes, my fish have become conditioned to start hanging around below it when feeding time is imminent. They also swim up into it to take flakes from the surface before they become water logged.

https://tsl4pa.blu.livefilestore.com/y2pBxJtiZ8_Xd69svapluTXYRGKmAwA-eO4gNb36tG2hHzzyX3XiiXHHHZOAPMBd79hyZMMt_v80FAv9JhTLqov14OkBa95OQHVlWlyU45EdHv90_iNmPYxyuMM_pMkJhMC/P1010781c.JPG?psid=1

https://tsl4pa.bl3302.livefilestore.com/y2pXq_Y03YvXkVFh_h9SYC07wgUCFqZdDv8f41ormh1zg4p_20G1paFYpEd5BK9TugZdx_lyk5EnbLpauQ2erVDe2zDbWtXvFaHv ub6ifbko5zD0FNLW8r8QKvqYiM2q9Sk/P1010784c.JPG?psid=1

https://tsl4pa.bl3302.livefilestore.com/y2p2bSoyIMLV8kScauRBN1ldzMNXsuPOS-NmYx4l2nAAGkIC5Bdj82kFDo2l2EXJg6jm7DLyKRZt75704DT3Rnx6XUDYxBgfD4DYSWagzOxwqm69ekc2x9HC9oKMuy4QYBm/P1010786c.JPG?psid=1

[rwb500]

The intent here isn't really for the fish to swim up inside but rather allow the food to sink so it doesn't go down the overflow and waste away.


I understand how it is designed to work. What I am saying is that fish often learn to recognize auto feeder patterns, and the small ones will learn to eat more than their share.

when i was 13 years old i rigged up some filters and an auto feeder so that the food would drop into a stream of water that then poured into the tank. this is the way to go if you are planning on long-term auto feeding. this is how public aquariums do it - they inject food into the plumbing.

[droth335]

I think it would work. We have home made contraptions that accomplish the same thing on our tanks and work great. Our tanks have a lot of flow so once they hit the water column they pretty much shoot across the tank. A couple of fish do make an attempt at hogging the food but it seems they really make most of it sink faster so their tank mates still get a cut.

[Typlus5]

I feed through my sump as I wouldn't like looking looking at that on the display. Food drops down the pump broadcasts throughout the tank.

http://i686.photobucket.com/albums/vv227/Typlus5/Reef%20Savvy/7FEBD706-432E-4FEE-A833-D009545D520E.jpg (http://s686.photobucket.com/user/Typlus5/media/Reef%20Savvy/7FEBD706-432E-4FEE-A833-D009545D520E.jpg.html)

[LinkinReef]

I have possibly the cheapest/most ghetto setup that works for me. I cut the top of a plastic cup and zip tied it to my screen net top. The food from my apex feeder drops inside the cup and stays there. Pretty much all the fish have learned to swim up to the cup and take pellets from there. I have pretty much zero pellets wasted as everything gets consumed.

311977

311978

[MrSandman]

I think it would work. We have home made contraptions that accomplish the same thing on our tanks and work great. Our tanks have a lot of flow so once they hit the water column they pretty much shoot across the tank. A couple of fish do make an attempt at hogging the food but it seems they really make most of it sink faster so their tank mates still get a cut.


I completely agree. That's how my tank is setup. I have a Vortech that is controlled by my Apex to run on low during a feed cycle and the feeder dumps right on top of it. Most of the food sinks but there is some that floats (even though it's advertised as sinking food). Given that my feeder is also next to my overflow I want to make sure the floaters don't go down it. I don't really care if the small fish get the floating food because like you said they help it sink faster that way.

For those that posted ideas I appreciate it. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. Ive been using an automatic feeder for over a decade. I've done the return pump trick in the past and while it works in putting the food into the water column, it also disperses it more than what I want and not everything is pumped through. Some of it settles on the pump or in the sumps return chamber. I want to target feed my fish. I feed 3 times a day and can't really afford to waste food as it will only cause other problems. I really just want to know the dimensions.

[MrSandman]

Found exactly what I needed here:

http://youtu.be/E-hthC7w4eA

[bambam918]

I would like to know how people are tapping into their return plumbing to feed the food. I don't want to feed through the return pump as it will slice the food up and some will get caught inside. I have seen it done but can't find the tread how they tapped into the plumbing.

[MrSandman]

I would like to know how people are tapping into their return plumbing to feed the food. I don't want to feed through the return pump as it will slice the food up and some will get caught inside. I have seen it done but can't find the tread how they tapped into the plumbing.


Only way I can think of that happening on the discharge side of the pump is with a Venturi valve.