best automatic feeder?

[johnfallon135]

i hear some are bad since they let in moister that clumps up the fish food but don't all of them do that since they have to open up to let the food out?

[ostrow]

i hear some are bad since they let in moister that clumps up the fish food but don't all of them do that since they have to open up to let the food out?

Not sure how the Apex one works. I only use them when traveling, and so use pellets which are fine. I find the Eheim to be the most reliable, most adjustable, and well I like it.

[bearpeidog]

I use the apex while on vacation. Integrated well with the controller and hasn't clumped (using flake food). I did have to make a little tube to hold the flakes until they sank. Became a nice little feeding station.

It's noisy but got the job done and no major issues I can think of. If you have an apex it's kind of a no brainer to go with it if you are a control freak :)

[Vinny Kreyling]

Eheim is one of the best.

[newbie2014]

Eheim is one of the best.

+1

I think you program it to dispense once or twice each time, and up to 4 times a day.

[Bent]

I've had my Eheim running on the same set of batts for dang near 8 months now. Hasn't skipped a beat.

[HippieSmell]

Check out Super Feeder ASF-1. I bought it but don't have it hooked up yet. It looks well built and has an actual grinder with vibrating hopper. That's something I haven't seen in hobby feeders. The plastic adapter prevents food from simply going down the overflow, too.

[johnfallon135]

I'd love to get the apex if it wasn't for the poor reviews on BRS..:(

[slief]

I'd love to get the apex if it wasn't for the poor reviews on BRS..:(

Don't listen to those reviews. First off, more often than not, people post reviews when they have an issue where as people that don't have an issue, don't both. Unfortunately that will skew statistics when it comes to those reviews. Most of the issues are user related. The removing the face and dumping food is 100% user related. If you pull the cover off without grasping the lip on the drum, you will dump food. If you grasp the face and the drum, you will never have an issue. Haste makes waste and in the case of people dumping their food, they just aren't paying enough attention when removing the drum to refill the feeder. I've had my AFS since the week it was released a few years ago and never once dumped food into my tank despite the feeder being in a lousy location on my light rack with the cover facing away from me. They are a bit noisy but the fish know when it's feeding time. For me, it's a supplemental feeder that feeds daily at noon. As such, I could care less about the noise even if I could hear it behind the access doors to my tank. I also trigger feeds manually when I am not home for my evening feelings. Like I said, I've had it years and it works great. Most here will tell you the same about the AFS.

I'd surmise that most of the other issues are related to firmware or the occasional random failure. Like I said, I've had mine for years now and it hasn't skipped a beat. I know plenty of others with it as well and none have had issues.

[johnfallon135]

the noise is only when the feeder is feeding right? so like a few seconds?

[johnfallon135]

oh my i just youtubed it, it is loud lol!

[shifty51008]

antother +1 for eheim, been running mine 3 years 4 times a day and still works like day 1, of course ive had to change the batteries in that time

[Webmanny]

I'm cheap so I stick to the right price for a good product. I have been using this feeder for the past 2 years without any issues or clumping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Times-Timer-LCD-Automatic-Manual-Aquarium-Tank-Pond-Fish-Food-Feeder-Feeding-/262487225792?hash=item3d1d7535c0:g:CuMAAOSwjXRXY1rZ

[scooter31707]

+1 for the Eheim. I have 2 and being going a year strong. I work 8-5, so I use 1 for a flake feeding and 1 for a pellet feeding while I am gone to work.

[tmc1313]

Another vote for Eheim.

[soulpatch]

I have both the eheim and the AFS. I use my apex unit mostly now since I dont have to worry about batteries and with the AFS is allows pumps to be shut off and such at exact same time. With the eheim I had to give a buffer to account for the clocks not being perfectly aligned.

I could not hear the eheim but can the AFS. Doesn't bother me to hear it for the 5 seconds or so a day.

[slief]

the noise is only when the feeder is feeding right? so like a few seconds?

oh my i just youtubed it, it is loud lol!

Yep.. As you saw on the video, it's only when it feeds. It lasts about 15 or 20 seconds. It's really not that bad though. I've heard the newer ones are quieter. I have one on my tank and my friend has one. I've never heard him complain and his didn't seem loud to me when I set it up. If nothing else, if you hear it, you know when to look at your tank to see the fish eat. They really do work well and the fact that it's controlled by the controller allows manual remote feeding from anywhere whenever you want. Plus its easy to program and you can control how much you feed at any given time. I've had other feeders and the Apex control makes this one the best and most convenient for my needs. Especially when I am not home to do my nightly feeding.

[d0ughb0y]

I'm cheap so I stick to the right price for a good product. I have been using this feeder for the past 2 years without any issues or clumping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Times-Timer-LCD-Automatic-Manual-Aquarium-Tank-Pond-Fish-Food-Feeder-Feeding-/262487225792?hash=item3d1d7535c0:g:CuMAAOSwjXRXY1rZ

This ^^.
works perfectly fine, and hackable so it can be controlled by any controller.
I've used it for at least 5 years now.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2327962

[jdraider75]

I have 2 apex auto feeders. I really like them. A bit noisy but only for a few seconds. I use mine to feed during the day when I am away and if I am out of town. Easy to setup and works great. I haven't had any problems.

[reefteaser]

Lifeguard Intellifeed in use for over a year now. I'm using small sinking pellets, fish get fed regularly whether I'm home or not. I have it synced with my wave pump to dispense during 15 minutes of "calm" through a programmable power supply (also a terrific thing to have). A little pricey, but very reliable and keeps the food dry.

[Webmanny]

This ^^.
works perfectly fine, and hackable so it can be controlled by any controller.
I've used it for at least 5 years now.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2327962

Curse you man. Now I have to hack mine too. Why do you put these ideas in my head? LOL

Great post. Thank you for sharing.