How to Build an Automatic Fish Feeder
When it comes to keeping your aquarium fish healthy and happy, offering them a high-quality diet is incredibly important. If you do not provide a healthy diet for your fish, they may suffer from malnutrition and they are more likely to become stressed. Fish that are stressed have a higher risk for developing diseases, so a high-quality diet is essential for your fish.
Most fish do not require a large amount of food – in fact, fish benefit from not being fed every day. If you go away on vacation, however, your fish might have to go several days without food and that might not be good for them. To ensure that your fish get the food they need when you aren’t able to feed them, you might consider installing an automatic fish feeder. Automatic fish feeders can be expensive, depending which model you choose, so think about making your own DIY automatic feeder. You will find instructions for building an automatic feeder below.
Pros and Cons of Automatic Feeders
Automatic fish feeders can make the task of keeping a regular feeding schedule for your fish easy – it is also a great option if you have to go out of town for an extended period of time and you want to make sure your fish get fed. As is true for all aquarium equipment, however, automatic feeders have their pros and cons. You will find a list of pros and cons associated with automatic fish feeders below:
Pros for Automatic Feeders:
- Eliminates the risk of forgetting or missing a feeding
- Allows you to feed your fish when you are away from home
- Can be attached to an automatic timer for scheduled feeding
- Some models can accommodate a variety of food types
- Many feeders can be programmed for multiple feedings a day
Cons for Automatic Feeders:
- Some models have limited space – may only be enough to feed for a few days
- Live and fresh foods may spoil before feeding if left in the feeder too long
- Automatic feeding may lead to laziness and neglect of the tank
- High-quality automatic feeders can be expensive
Making Your Own Automatic Fish Feeder
If you think that an automatic fish feeder is the right choice for you, you have the option to purchase one or to make one yourself. Making your own automatic feeder might take a little bit of work but it could save you some money if you already have most of the required materials on hand. Below you will find a list of required materials as well as step-by-step instructions for building the feeder:
Required Materials
- Empty plastic bottle
- Plastic milk bottle cap
- Wooden matches (3)
- Superglue
- Cell phone or pager (with vibrate function)
Step-by-Step Instructions
This DIY automatic fish feeder is fairly simple to make and it can be inexpensive as long as you already have the materials on hand. The downside of this type of feeder is that it really only works with pellet and granule fish food and you cannot control accurately how much food the feeder dispenses at one time. The best use for this feeder is as a back-up in case you cannot get home to feed your fish and you are going to be gone for several days. Aquarium fish can last for several days without feeding and, in fact, it is better to feed them less than to feed them too much. If you have to go away from home for several days you can use this feeder to feed your fish once during your absence or, if you are gone for a week or more, every other day or so.
Popular Automatic Fish Feeders
If you like the idea of an automatic fish feeder but you want something a little more accurate and programmable, you may need to buy a fish feeder. Below you will find a list of popular automatic fish feeder models to consider: