automatic fish feeders

[Paul W]

Do these work successfully - can the food go stale?

[BErney1014]

>Do these work successfully - can the food go stale?

They work, probably better for the fish too. A side note, in a study of some
sort it was found goldfish can tell time. They were fed on a timed feeder and
would start to hang out an hour before and leave and hour later.
The feeder gives a steady rate that can be very good for the fishes metabolism.
I studied the system for my own fish and found the results were better than
anything previous; no illness and max growth. The food doesn't go bad, I used
Azoo feeders.

[[email protected]]

they are unnecessary. a couple small feedings per day and the fish with grow fine.
the best growth for fish is before sexual maturity in their first couple of years.
people who raise GF in PONDS "power feed" them, but there isnt the accumulation of
ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. If you cannot keep nitrates below 20 ppm then there
is no point in trying to feed em continuously either.
yes, the humidity of the water gets into the feeder and high quality food is a
perfect media for molds.... molds produce toxins that can make fish really sick, even
kill them. if feeders are going to be used make sure the food is mostly
carbohydrates and heavy on the preservatives. Ingrid

(Paul W) wrote:

>Do these work successfully - can the food go stale?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Geezer From Freezer]

wrote:
>
> they are unnecessary. a couple small feedings per day and the fish with grow fine.
> the best growth for fish is before sexual maturity in their first couple of years.
> people who raise GF in PONDS "power feed" them, but there isnt the accumulation of
> ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. If you cannot keep nitrates below 20 ppm then there
> is no point in trying to feed em continuously either.
> yes, the humidity of the water gets into the feeder and high quality food is a
> perfect media for molds.... molds produce toxins that can make fish really sick, even
> kill them. if feeders are going to be used make sure the food is mostly
> carbohydrates and heavy on the preservatives. Ingrid


Ingrid, what about for a week or two whilst someone is away - are they good for
that?

[[email protected]]

It is better for any GF to not be fed while people are on vacation. they will be
healthier on return, the water will be cleaner. Any 3+ inch GF can manage 2 weeks
easily. Lowering the temp of the water thereby lowering metabolism helps. My koi
make it outside for 5 months with no food at 40oF or so. Ingrid

Geezer From Freezer > wrote:
>Ingrid, what about for a week or two whilst someone is away - are they good for
>that?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Kodiak]

Wow, 5 months and no food at 40degF. Do you lose any over the winter?
Are smaller fish less likely to survive a cold winter than larger one?
What about a fish that's never been exposed to cold, all of the sudden
you put him in an outdoor pond for the first time in 8 years. Do you
think he could manage as well as the others?
....Kodiak

> wrote in message
...
> It is better for any GF to not be fed while people are on vacation. they
will be
> healthier on return, the water will be cleaner. Any 3+ inch GF can manage
2 weeks
> easily. Lowering the temp of the water thereby lowering metabolism helps.
My koi
> make it outside for 5 months with no food at 40oF or so. Ingrid
>
> Geezer From Freezer > wrote:
> >Ingrid, what about for a week or two whilst someone is away - are they
good for
> >that?
>
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/
> www.drsolo.com
> Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
> compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
> endorsements or recommendations I make.

[[email protected]]

no, I dont lose koi. I have lost GF over winter outside. I dont recommend fancy GF
for outdoor ponds in our area. warmer zones, yes, they can do fine.
smaller is relative, the 5 inch koi did fine over winter.
A koi would do fine, wouldnt be able to keep a koi inside for 8 years in a tank
tho... well unless it was humongous. Ingrid

"Kodiak" > wrote:
>Wow, 5 months and no food at 40degF. Do you lose any over the winter?
>Are smaller fish less likely to survive a cold winter than larger one?
>What about a fish that's never been exposed to cold, all of the sudden
>you put him in an outdoor pond for the first time in 8 years. Do you
>think he could manage as well as the others?
>...Kodiak


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Tom La Bron]

Kodiak,

This why you see different food for ponds fish. I have kept Ornamental
Goldfish like Orandas, Demekins, Ranchus and Fantails outside in ponds over
the winter, but they must be conditioned for it. The fish can remain unfed
for so long because of the buildup of tissue fat in the fish, which is
promoted by a diet of wheat germ and carbohydrates in the fall. The draw
back of keeping fish outside with really long tails is that because fish
glide close to the bottom of the pond and their tails drag on the bottom and
their tails are fed on by bacteria that is still active in the cold water.
The fish are fine, but in the Spring their tails look like hell and although
they will grow back they go through the spawning season with tails that may
draw attention by the spawning fish which will make them even more ragged.
Veiltails are not good kept in water below 50 degrees, so those fish should
not be left outside where water temperatures get below 50 degrees. My ponds
are hovering around 38 degrees at present.

In the Spring when temps rise above 55 degrees and remain there you start
slowly feeding high protein foods. Some people have problems during this
time with parasites so you should be watchful so you can feed an antibiotic
feed in case a colony starts. Personally I don't have these problems.
Feeding foods in the spring that are higher in protein though is only
necessary if you want your fish to spawn. If spawning it not in your pond
description regular feeds are appropriate.

HTH
Tom L.L.
--------------
"Kodiak" > wrote in message
...
> Wow, 5 months and no food at 40degF. Do you lose any over the winter?
> Are smaller fish less likely to survive a cold winter than larger one?
> What about a fish that's never been exposed to cold, all of the sudden
> you put him in an outdoor pond for the first time in 8 years. Do you
> think he could manage as well as the others?
> ...Kodiak
>
> > wrote in message
> ...
> > It is better for any GF to not be fed while people are on vacation.
they
> will be
> > healthier on return, the water will be cleaner. Any 3+ inch GF can
manage
> 2 weeks
> > easily. Lowering the temp of the water thereby lowering metabolism
helps.
> My koi
> > make it outside for 5 months with no food at 40oF or so. Ingrid
> >
> > Geezer From Freezer > wrote:
> > >Ingrid, what about for a week or two whilst someone is away - are they
> good for
> > >that?
> >
> >
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
> > http://puregold.aquaria.net/
> > www.drsolo.com
> > Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
> > compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
> > endorsements or recommendations I make.
>
>

[Tom La Bron]

Paul W,

If you are feeding your fish with a feeder you only put enough food in it to
be used in a one or two day time period.

Auto feeders are really not necessary unless you are using it for specific
purpose. For casual feeding, three times a day are more than sufficient.

If you want rapid grow of baby fish then feeders are great but here again
you must do it systematically and most people don't want to bother. I have
grown 1 1/2 inch fish to 6 inches in two months, so it can be done, but it
take a lot a work on the owners part and a good feeder. Like Bruce, I use
the Azoo feeders and I had fish go from pea sized to 4 to 5 inches last
year.

HTH

Tom L.L.
"Paul W" > wrote in message
om...
> Do these work successfully - can the food go stale?