Last Updated on February 13, 2023 by Jakob
Getting the best automatic fish feeder for your aquarium is a great addition to any tank, and is a total lifesaver when you go on holiday!
An aquarium can be hard to maintain; you need to feed the fish morning and evening daily to keep them healthy. Life often gets in the way, and you have to leave the house in a rush, or you get home late, or you have to rely on the kids!
The fish often get neglected, but with the best automatic fish feeder you don’t have to worry about feeding them at all. You can relax and know that your aquarium fish will be fed regularly, so it’s one thing you don’t have to worry about!
IN THIS ARTICLE
Top 11 Best Automatic Fish Feeders Available Now
Benefits of Installing The Best Automatic Fish Feeder
When all is said and done, the most important thing in maintaining the health of your aquarium fish is actually feeding them regularly! I know I don’t like to skip a meal, and fish are the same.
With an automatic fish feeder you can simply relax and enjoy your tank and know that all your fish are happy swimming with full bellies. And when you go on holidays you don’t have to find someone or call in any favors to make sure your prized fish are fed.
That advantage is imminently obvious, but others are somewhat harder to spot. As in anything, before buying a new gadget it’s important to understand what you are buying. So what exactly are the advantages of having the best automatic fish feeder for your tank?
- All the settings are pre set, so you don’t have to worry about portioning the food, or the timings of the feedings. Depending on the model you choose you can choose to feed your fish up to four times a day. You can base this decision on the needs of whatever fish you keep.
- Once you have everything set up you will end up saving a lot of time and money. Installing the best automatic fish feeder for your tank saves you time having to feed your fish twice every day, so you can relax and just sit back to enjoy your aquarium. You will end up saving money on fish food as you will be cutting out a lot of waste.
- Having less wasted food is good not only for your pockets, but for the aquarium too. Feeding your fish too much will mean bits of food go uneaten and will fester in the tank, causing algal and bacteria growth and will make your water cloudy. Less wasted food will mean you avoid having food go bad in your aquarium and cause these unwanted issues.
- You will be able to set up your best automatic fish feeder with a container of food and portion it so that you can be sure that you don’t need to adjust it for one week, or two weeks, or however long you need. This means that when you go on holiday you can relax and know your fish will be fed on time and get the right amount every day.
How Do Automatic Fish Feeders Work?
An automatic fish feeder is either a battery operated or mains powered. Battery operated models mean you don’t need to worry about cords and electricity and water mixing, whilst mains powered models give you peace of mind as they will never stop running as long as there is power.
The automatic fish feeder will have a container that you fill with food. Some can handle all fish food types while others may struggle with certain types of food. Different models will have different sized food containers depending on the size of aquarium they cater for.
You will be able to program the feeder to release food at set times. Some models allow you to set specific times up to four times a day, while some others allow for a pre-set delay between feedings. You will also be able to control the portion sizes by controlling how much food leaves the container each time, or how many times the container rotates to release food.
Top 11 Best Automatic Fish Feeder Reviews
1. UStyle Aquarium Automatic Fish Feeder
This automatic fish feeder can hold many different types of food including flakes, pellets, powders, and strips. This allows you to not only use this to feed fish, but any other animal you may have such as turtles, newts, crick, ts, and frogs.
The large LCD display and buttons makes it easy to program the timings and quantities of food you need. Remember to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to set up for rotation times per turn, or you may have some issues with the functionality.
The food holder is transparent so it is very easy to see how much food there is left and when you should top up. The food holder is sealed and so stops moisture from entering and damaging and ruining the food.
The only flaws with this automatic fish feeder is that some users have said that it is a little confusing to program, so make sure you read (and keep!) the instructions properly. Others have said that the portioning sizes are a little skewed, so make sure to test before you use it and adjust the portions accordingly.
2. Proche Digital Automatic Fish Feeder
The large LCD display and large buttons make it very easy to program the automatic fish feeder to feed your fish up to four times a day. You can program the model to use up to two rotations of the food holder per feeding, so is easy to portion.
If you so desire, there is a manual button so you can override the automatic feedings and do it yourself if you are home and like feeding the fish by hand. There is a control under the container which will allow you to do it manually.
This model is battery powered instead of being mains powered, which is helpful if your aquarium has limited mains sockets nearby. It is powered by two AAA batteries, which are included with the feeder, and the batteries should last for three months at a time depending on your usage of the feeder.
This automatic fish feeder has two installation methods, so you can choose which is best for your aquarium. You can either fix the feeder in place onto the tank cover using the double sided tape given, or you can affix it to the side of the aquarium using the holder.
3. Uniwood Digital Automatic Fish Feeder
This Uniwood automatic fish feeder is quite stylish and will be a good addition to your aquarium. It functions at a very quiet level and so you will not be distracted by it working. The design prevents moisture build up. The moisture resistant hopper will keep the fish food dry, so it won’t get wet, clammy, and jammed. The container will accommodate most types of fish food types including crumbles, flakes, or pellets. The battery operated design enables you to install it anywhere on your aquarium without needing to worry about mains power. Only two AA batteries are needed which will last for up to a year due to micro level power consumption. This Wieppo best automatic fish feeder by has three different installation options depending on the dimensions and placement of your aquarium. You can use the clamp to attach it to the side of your tank, or use the hook and loop to attach it to the back of the aquarium. These two are for if you do not have a cover on your aquarium, whilst the third, the base funnel, can be used if you have a cover. This automatic fish feeder model has an adjustable slide on the food container so you can adjust the food output. And with one rotation each feeding you won’t have to worry about overfeeding. The food containers can accommodate most food types including crumbles, powders, and pellets. There are two feeding container options, a 50- and 100ml container, so you can choose which is best depending on your aquarium size and how many fish you have. The moisture resistant hopper keeps the food nice and dry which prevents jamming. But it is recommended you don’t use larger flaked fish foods to further help prevent jamming. There are two power options; battery or USB. Depending on where your aquarium is and what is best for you you can choose to have the automatic fish feeding plugged into the mains via the USB or you can use two AA batteries, which aren’t included unfortunately. There is a large capacity lithium battery built in which can be recharged via a USB port. Depending on the settings you have on, this battery will last between 3 and 6 months on a full charge. This large rechargeable battery is something that will save you money in the long run! You can program this model to feed your fish up to four times a day, and you can set exact times for these feedings. You can also set the food container to rotate from one to three times, depending on how much food you need to be put into the tank. The food container is very large; it has a 200ml capacity. This is very useful for when you have to go on holiday, so you know there will be enough food in the container. The container is suitable for many different food types such as powders, strips, pellets, and flakes. You can also use it for any animal you keep in a tank like newts, frogs, and turtles. You can easily fill the food container by adding fish food via the top of the container, so you don’t have to take off the container. Be wary of not adding too much food at a time so you don’t have problems with damp. You can adjust the feeder spout easily to control the release of food. This best automatic fish feeder by Zarco is very easy to install and set up. You can program it to release food up to four times a day, and with one to three rotations each feeding to control portion sizes. You can also manually feed your fish if you wish, without disrupting the feeding cycle. The large 200 ml capacity food container is suitable for a large range of fish foods like granules, powders, and flakes. A larger food container is very useful if you are going on holiday. It will perfectly feed fish tanks up to 158 gallons. This automatic fish feeder model is powered by a large capacity lithium battery that will last from 3-6 months on a single charge depending on the settings you have. The battery will last 800 charging cycles before it starts to degenerate a little. This will give you basically limitless power that will save you money on individual batteries in the long haul. The only downside is that for smaller aquariums it may release too much food, as it is designed for larger tanks, with it’s large food container. This best automatic fish feeder by Torlam can hold approximately 21 days worth of food in the large 200ml food container, which is plenty if you take short vacations. You can easily add food to the container without having to take it out and fiddle around with it. This does save a lot of time! You can easily program the feeder to dispense food up to four times a day, and you can either have a single, double, or triple feeding depending on your needs. The moisture resistant food container will ensure your fish food stays in perfect condition. As with most other models this will cater for most food types such as flakes, pellets, and powders. The large lithium battery allows for three to six months continuous use when at full charge, and is easily charged up via a USB connection. Having a rechargeable large battery will be a lifesaver in the long term! You can program this model to feed your fish up to twice a day, and you can adjust the portion sizes that your fish will receive by adjusting the slider on the food container. The container will rotate once per feeding. You can also switch to manual mode if you want to feed your fish yourself. This is less of a choice than other models, but feeding fish twice a day is the norm, so unless you have fish that require it otherwise it should be fine. It is very easy to install; you can either affix it to the side of your aquarium using the holder, or use the double sided sticker to glue it to your tanks top. You can decide which will be best based on how your aquarium is. You can use most dry fish foods in the container such as flakes, strips, pellets, and granules. To avoid damp from ruining the food place as high as you can above the aquarium. It is powered by two AA batteries, which unfortunately aren’t included, so stock up! This may get annoying, changing the batteries regularly may be a pain and over a long period be more expensive. This automatic fish feeder by Mylivell is another on the cheaper side, but again does everything required of an auto feeder, and has some great features. It is most useful if you have a smaller aquarium. It takes two AA batteries to power the feeder, which aren’t included. You can program this model to feed your fish up to twice a day, and there is also an option to manually feed your fish. You can also easily adjust the portion sizes according to your needs easily. Depending on your aquarium and how many fish you have (or how greedy they are!) you can either use a 50g or 100g food container. The 100g container is very useful if you are going away for a bit longer and need more backup! The design of these containers prevents moisture from seeping in and ruining the food or getting the mechanisms jammed. You can use most fish food types including crumbles, flakes, or pellets, however be wary with smaller foods as it may dispense a little too much. The Eheim Automatic Fish Feeder Unit has some great features which make it quite a unique model. It will be a great purchase if you decide to buy this model. You also get a three year guarantee from the company, so you know you are getting a quality product. The food container has a 100ml volume and can hold up to 6 weeks worth of food depending on how often you program the feeder to operate. The drum is transparent so you can easily see how much food you have left. Most types of food will be fine for this feeder. A major plus point for this feeder is the integrated fan and ventilation system. This will keep the food dry, and will actively take moisture out of the food container if any happens to get in there. There are many arguments that can be made to say this model is the best automatic fish feeder available, the only downside is that it is battery powered by two AA batteries. Having to buy batteries is a bit of a pain and isn’t the best for the environment. There is a 2 stage battery indicator which tells you of low power levels which is very useful. If ever there was the best automatic fish feeder of the future available today the HDE WiFi Enabled Automatic Fish Feeder is it! With all the features of a regular automatic fish feeder, the major point of difference with this model is that it is controlled via an app! The feeder is very easy to install and comes with either a clamp for installation of the side of an open aquarium or double sided tape for installation on the top of a closed aquarium. It is powered by a micro USB cable which attaches to the mains, so you don’t have to worry about batteries and it running out of power. You can use most types of dried fish foods in the container such as pellets, flakes, and granules. There are a number of different styles of feeder in this 11 best automatic fish feeder reviews article. Depending on the size of your aquarium, where it is in your house, and if there are mains sockets available any one of these feeders could be perfect for you. As for our recommendation, if you want to be techy and ahead of the curve, then go for the HDE WiFi Enabled Automatic Fish Feeder. It is a reasonable price, and gives you total control of the feeding of your fish straight from your phone. It also runs on a rechargeable battery that lasts for 3-6 months on a full charge. The Torlam Moisture-Proof Automatic Fish Feeder is also a great option. It has a large food container of 200ml which should allow for 6 weeks of continuous feeding. It also has a rechargeable battery which should last between 3 and 6 months on a full charge. Both of these models cater for most types of dry fish food. There are a number of factors you should take into consideration whilst looking at which automatic fish feeder to purchase. The size of the food container should be a primary concern. As common sense would have it, if you have a small aquarium you should get an automatic fish feeder with a small container, and a large aquarium would require a big food container. If the container is too small you will run out of food quickly, and will have to keep refilling. If you are going away on holiday for a longer period this may cause an issue! Similarly if the food container is too big for the size of your aquarium you may find that it releases too much food per feeding and overfeeds your fish. This can be as bad as underfeeding, and can lead to unhealthy fish and a build up of algae and bacteria in the water. It is better to feed your fish smaller amounts more regularly throughout the day. Whilst this is not a be all or end all, it is generally more healthy to have the smaller more regular feedings. Considering this it is better to have an automatic fish feeder which can dispense food more often throughout the day. But consider this in relation to the other aspects as well. Having a battery indicator may not seem like it will be important at all, but it can actually be a bit of a life saver. It will show you how close you are to running out of power, and when you need to recharge or replace batteries. You only need to run out of power once whilst away on vacation to know how useful this is! You should also consider if purchasing the best automatic fish feeder for your tank will be worthwhile. If you work from home for instance and like feeding your fish and walking them swim and eat then there’s not much point! However if you have a busy working life or are planning a vacation then one will be perfect for you so you can worry about one less thing. A common problem that can occur with automatic fish feeders is the food getting moist and either clumping so it causes dispense problems or spoiling. Many feeders are moisture resistant, or are sealed to prevent moisture from entering. The Eheim Automatic Fish Feeder Unit even has an integrated fan and ventilation system which keeps the food dry and actually actively draws moisture out of the food container. The first thing you should do before setting up and getting going using your new automatic fish feeder is to inspect it for damage. There shouldn’t be any, but especially with the cheaper models you never know if something has become cracked in transit. The useful thing about buying through amazon is that you can just send it right back if there is an issue and a new one will be sent to you, so don’t worry too much if you do find a problem, it’s just a bit of a pain. Once you’ve checked for damage then either connect the feeder to the mains, connect the battery to start charging, or insert the required batteries. Once you’re powered up you can start to play around with the LCD screen. Read the instructions which will tell you how to set up the feeder correctly to dispense food at the times you need. Before you put food into the container give it a good clean out and then let it dry thoroughly. This step is important, as the feeder has just been in the post, so you want to ensure it is clean before you use it to feed your fish. Make sure it is bone dry before putting food into it, as moisture and cause the food to clump up and block the dispense, or cause the food to go mouldy. Next is to adjust the amount of food your fish will receive each feeding. Lots of automatic fish feeder models will have an adjustable hole on the food container which you can make smaller or bigger depending on how much food you want released. There is a little trial and error involved normally in getting the perfect amount of food each feeding time. In general it is recommended to release the amount of food that can be eaten in about 10-15 seconds. Play around with it a little and make sure you don’t under or overfeed your fish! If you can try and install your automatic fish feeder on the opposite side of your tank to your filter inlet. The last thing you want is for the food to go straight into the aquarium filter and clog it up! HOB filters are most likely to have this issue as their intakes are nearer the surface than canister filters. If you decide that having the best automatic fish feeder will be beneficial to your aquarium (which most likely it will be!) then any on this list will serve you and your fish well. We know how important your fish are to you, so any of these feeders will give you peace of mind when it comes to giving your fish their well deserved food! These units can work for most larger and nano saltwater fish, as well as freshwater fish, so they are most likely suitable for whatever aquarium you have. If you like the sound of having the best automatic fish feeder, you should also check out our article on the best auto top off systems, which also save you a ton of hassle.
4. Wieppo Automatic Fish Feeder
5. Topbry Digital Automatic Fish Feeder for Aquarium
6. Zacro Automatic Fish Feeder
7. Torlam Moisture-Proof Automatic Fish Feeder
8. Lychee Automatic Fish Feeder for Aquariums
9. Mylivell Timer Automatic Fish Feeder
10. Eheim Automatic Fish Feeder Unit
11. HDE WiFi Enabled Automatic Fish Feeder
What is Our Recommendation?
How Should You Choose an Automatic Fish Feeder?
How Do You Setup an Automatic Fish Feeder?
Conclusion
