Feeder conundrum

[Robinlikescories]

I went holiday recently. Instead of putting a feeding block in the the tank which always kills one of the fish, my dad got an automatic feeder. It puts too much in the tank but we settled it up anyway. Came back a week later and one of my cories went all mouldy and died😭😭😭😭. Can you put something like gravel in the feeder to pad the food out?

[Odd Duck]

It depends on what style of dispenser you have.  This is what most people do with the cylindrical, horizontally rotating feeders.

Use a very uniform food like a pelleted food that will feed smoothly.  Make sure to pick one that your fish will eat that is appropriate for the species of fish you have.  Close the feeder door as much as possible while still allowing food out in close to the right amount.  Then apply tape across part of the opening until the amount of food dispensed is correct.  The tape also helps keep the sliding door in the correct place.

Keep in mind that sometimes it’s better not to feed the fish at all rather than risk over feeding and polluting the tank.  If you can’t dispense the right amount of food, your fish are nearly always much better off not being fed at all.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Odd Duck

[Robinlikescories]

We have a horizontal one. A German one I believe.

[AndEEss]

Just buy an adjustable feeder. Throw your current one away, immediately, if it is not adjustable.

Or, get something like a Fishmate F14, which allows you to dictate exactly how much will be dumped into the tank every day.