Confused by Fish Feeder - Help Please

**martonic** · 04-01-2008, 05:21 AM

Hi! We will be out of town for a few days so I purchased a Fish Mate F14 - which came without written instructions.

This battery-powered automatic fish feeder has two concentric clocks on it - the inner one says "set time". I set that one with the current time below the black arrow. One hour later, it had advanced by about 4 hours. What's up with that?

There were two inserts set in the clock (and two spares in the package). As I turn the clock, the feeding shelf begins moving several hours before one insert arrives, and then stops, and then starts about an hour after the other insert arrives at the black arrow (this, according to the outer clock).

This is all very confusing!

Can anyone help me understand this Fish Feeder?

**cocoa_pleco** · 04-01-2008, 05:23 AM

what company made it? i think i bought the same feeder a few years ago

also, feeders arent really necessary, fish can go for 1 month without food so a few days is nothing to them.

**martonic** · 04-01-2008, 05:48 AM

Originally Posted by cocoa_pleco

what company made it? i think i bought the same feeder a few years ago

also, feeders arent really necessary, fish can go for 1 month without food so a few days is nothing to them.

Hi - "Designed and manufactured by Pet Mate Ltd., England".

We have two tanks - one is a 55gal community tank that has 15 small neon tetras (as well as some peaceful larger fish including two rainbowfish) - can the neon tetras really go for a month without food?

**Lady Hobbs** · 04-01-2008, 05:52 AM

I sure wouldn't try it. I wouldn't try it with any fish. Too big a softie.

**martonic** · 04-01-2008, 05:56 AM

We could be away for a while - so I would sure like to understand the feeder.

**sailor** · 04-01-2008, 10:45 AM

Define a while please lol. If I go away for a week or less I don't worry about feeding. I don't trust those automatic feeders, afraid of a malfunction and getting a massive food dump in the tanks. If over a week I premeasure out food in dixie cups and have a friend come feed the fish every second day and ensure filters & heaters are still operating ok. I don't know about a month for smaller fish types like neons etc but mouth brooding cichlids go up to a month or more without eating when they are holding.