I thought this would be the solution to leaving my fish alone for a week. I tested the feeder for a week prior to leaving for vacation. Seeing that it worked properly I placed the feeder over the opening in my tank and left for vacation. The moisture that evaporates from the tank got into the feeder and made the flake food wet and unable to fall out the tube. Unfortunately all my fish died and I now know the reason no one has ever recommended this product to me before.
I bought this product because it is battery powered and inexpensive. Unfortunately, it required some tweaks before it became useful.
For the first month I used it exactly as intended with the uniformly small, round fish flakes. It has a basic quartz clock mechanism surrounded by plastic. This is the same clock mechanism that is used in do it yourself clock kits....quartz and made in Japan with a single AA battery. So it goes around once every 12 hours.
It suffers from one major problem...water moisture. When it is pointing down for roughly 4 out of the 12 hours, its orange tube consumes the water vapor that evaporates from the fish tank. The water is then channeled into the fish food where it builds up. After the first two weeks, the food was extra moist. By the third week the food was molding quickly. I repositioned it over the driest spot I could find and the mold began to proliferate after 4 weeks. Because the plastic unit is not sealed around the embedded square clock module, moisture had also seeped deep inside the mechanism, discovered when I went to check the battery.
I made two simple modifications that made this work like a charm:
(1) Open the black plastic housing that surrounds the clock module and seal the module with a bead of caulk. This will seal out the water from the module.
(2) Drill about 16 1/8th inch holes in the clear plastic cover, being careful not to drill through the orange tube. This will provide the necessary aeration to keep the food dry.
I've had it running now for over 6 months and the food is dry and the fish are happy. The manufacturer could have made these modifications for about 5 cents. Maybe they'll read this and improve their product.
One last note, be careful about removing the plastic lid to refill the food. The lid is held on by small plastic tabs that can easily break. Mine are still intact, but I'm extra careful.
Buy Daily Double II Feeder - 3 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in. x 4 in. Now
I have had one of these for over a year and my fish are thriving! This is a classroom tank and is even left for weeks at a time over the summer; the feeder has never failed me. I do leave the lid of the tank as closed as possible without interfering with the feeder to avoid moisture in the feeder. I am actually visiting this sit right now to buy another feeder to attach to a send, new tank for my classroom.
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I bought this for $11 and have been testing it for a week. The battery compartment is hopeless almost had to force the batteries in (and I did check to make sure I used the correct batteries). There is a tube inside the rotating drum which is probably driven by a typical clock mechanism. The tube has a cut-out that catches the fish food when it is at the 6 o'clock position and as it rotates to the 12 o'clock position, the food falls out of the other end of the tube into the water. This cut-out is far too small for typical flake food or 1/4" pellets. I had to chop the flakes into small bits so that the cut-out will collect the right amount of food.
Having done that I filled the drum with about a quarter full of food and put it the battery. Well, I hear ticking and put a tiny stick at the top of the drum to see if it actually rotates. Next morning, the stick is still there. Dead battery?? I try again with a brand new battery and hear ticking before I go away my marker is still there next morning.
I suppose the clock might be working but the mechanism that drives the drum is kaput.
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I bought my feeder a week before my week-long trip home to visit my family (I am a college student living in an apartment). I followed the instructions and planned on testing it for a week to make sure it would work before my trip. It worked one time (as in one feeding), and then stopped turning and clicking completely. Having limited access to transportation, and any additional funds for that matter, I was unable to buy another feeder and had to beg a friend to come over and feed my fish for 7 days straight.
Not only that, but I looked for a phone number on the packaging/instructions to call and take advantage of the warranty only (surprise, surprise) to find one not listed anywhere on the packaging/instructions. After finding the Penn Plex website, I called the customer service line. Evidently no one works there, as after 45 minutes I still was not able to speak to anyone. Apparently they just expect you to pay for shipping and send it back to them without any contact whatsoever.
Not only do I suggest never buying this product, but I suggest never buying any Penn Plex product as they apparently neither invest time in the quality of their product or their customer service. I bought a slightly more expensive feeder later that I have had no problems with and has more features, don't waste your time with this thing.
I ordered this my first aquarium. First, it came with no light. The description says it comes with a light bulb. I have called the manufacturer, and will update after I talked to them. Second, it didn't say this is was only for one fish. I wish it has said that in the description. Thirdly, it looked really cheap..but I guess what did I expect for $15. Well, I did expect a light in it.
