Automatic Koi Feeders

Hello all. This summer I'm going to be away for a number of week-long trips.
I suspect my neighbors are getting tired of me asking them to feed my koi (9
fish in 3000 gal with bio & UV filters). I've looked at some koi feeders on
the web but they all seem so expensive. Has anyone figured out how to make
one? I'm thinking a pendulum-activated type would be easiest. Any advice or
plans would be very much appreciated.

~ Gary in Massachusetts

I have the same problem, i had a small automatic feeder, that i used for my
fish tank a while ago (you can get them on e-bay)
but when i installed it at the pond it got quickly destroyed by some animal,
i wonder if i can protect it by some large overturned
flower pot or something, I don;t know what animal did it but it seemed to be
strong as it ripped this plastic contraption compeletely apart.

Pawel

"GaryCam" wrote in message
...
Hello all. This summer I'm going to be away for a number of week-long
trips. I suspect my neighbors are getting tired of me asking them to feed
my koi (9 fish in 3000 gal with bio & UV filters). I've looked at some koi
feeders on the web but they all seem so expensive. Has anyone figured out
how to make one? I'm thinking a pendulum-activated type would be easiest.
Any advice or plans would be very much appreciated.

~ Gary in Massachusetts

Hello all. This summer I'm going to be away for a number of week-long trips.
I suspect my neighbors are getting tired of me asking them to feed my koi (9
fish in 3000 gal with bio & UV filters). I've looked at some koi feeders on
the web but they all seem so expensive. Has anyone figured out how to make
one? I'm thinking a pendulum-activated type would be easiest. Any advice or
plans would be very much appreciated.
~ Gary in Massachusetts

Hi Gary,

There is one call the Koi Cafe,
http://store.yahoo.com/pondmart-pond...s/koicafe.html . There is even
a cool one that is on demand, the fish pull on the string when hungry.
There are several problems though. When you're OOT you should have a pond
sitter anyway. The other, koi/fish food shouldn't set out in the sun for a
week or more before the fish eat it. It goes rancid pretty darn fast in
those conditions.

I don't know what your pond situation is, if like mine, I'd come home to
all the eatable plants gone if I didn't have someone here to feed them. Koi
can go for a week or more without being fed if the pond isn't too over
stocked. Bugs and worms are always falling in. I'd be more worried about
something going wrong with the filtration without a pond sitter.

I know there are pet sitters who will do it for a fee, but I'd double check
with your neighbors, maybe they like caring for your fish more than you
know? ;-) Kind of like grandkids, they get all the fun (feeding fish,
relaxing by pond) and you get all the pain (cost and maintenance). ;-)
~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~