Hi all

Looking for an Koi auto feeder, (alas my old AquaForte has stopped working after many years)

i am looking for a feeder that can be programmed to:
- send the pellets a short distance (old feeder had a plate, stopped the pellets when propelled)
- small amounts
- several feeds a days

Considering thr new AquaForte feeder , anyone had any experience of this product?
https://www.aqua-forte.com/product/aquaforte-automatic-fish-feeder/

I was thinking of EA feeder, but i have been advised that the minimum feed sends out a lot of pellets & this will just end up with lots of waste in the skimmer , as the pond circulates the water quickly

Look forward to reading your replies

Hi

'Just a suggestion, but if your skimmer is powered by a pump you could put a timer on it so that it is off whilst there is food in the pond, i.e. perhaps only on at night or at least off for parts of the day.

Or what about suspending a 300cm (or longer) Cylinder Air Stone horizontally under the skimmer to form an air curtain, and connect it to a small air pump then put the pump on a timer to keep the food out of the skimmer?

'Just me thinking outside of the box. I hope it's given you food for thought... no pun intended!

I use a Linn feeder which is very good quality but it was (a) expensive and (b) the times can't be programmed for the individual feeds i.e. they are all equally divided throughout the day, which sounds good but my fish don't feed as eagerly in a morning as they do in an evening. Cloverleaf feeders were excellent for being able to alter feed times, but are sadly no longer available.

Regards

Richard 4000 gallons. Equipment: EA Answer 325 in a 27" vortex to a Nexus 300 (with Eazy). 55w TMC UV, Aerated bottom drain. Unheated - Covered in winter. 12 Koi

Hi Richard

thanks for taking the time to reply

i do have a timer on my skimmer, and it is faulty (always resetting back to 00:00) and my experience of timers on the whole is that they cause me no end of problems ( 1 in the garage is also faulty) and the one in the house tripped out my electrics when on holiday... and the freezer defrosted !!

i have given up on timers lol, i just wished they were reliable.
we would all agree , feed small and often - and my Aquaforte gave me 8 feeds a day and it was small amounts. So there was usually some in the skimmer , (not much)

Hi again

I'm currently on fourteen feeds a day with my "Linn" feeder and the fish are loving it despite the relatively lousy weather we are having for the time of year. I've not tested it to see if it will go any higher than that but I think it probably would if required.

I'm surprised by your comments about your timers, I'm assuming that you are referring to digital timers as opposed the mechanical type that use the little pins/pegs that you press in to set the times? I use both types and have never had any problems with either, but I would imagine the mechanical ones are more reliable unless the pins/pegs wear out.

If I was to build another pond I personally wouldn't build in a skimmer again, I've blanked mine off, as I have an overflow that drops directly into a drain which I can leave open or blank off, and as I have a constant trickle feed of water it can act as skimmer as and when required. I do realise this may become a problem if the water authorities decide to cap how much water each property can use in the future, but for now it works for me.

Regards

Richard 4000 gallons. Equipment: EA Answer 325 in a 27" vortex to a Nexus 300 (with Eazy). 55w TMC UV, Aerated bottom drain. Unheated - Covered in winter. 12 Koi