I never arranged to have my fish fed when I was away from home. I don’t worry about grown fish because they can easily handle several weeks fasting, considering that incubating mouthbrooders and pleco stop feeding for up to a month. But small fry have no reserve and I lost them many times to just a few day without feeding. So I searched for time release food for fry to prevent future loss on my vacations.
I found many DIY ideas on time release food based on electro mechanical timer devices, and one based on vibrating cell phone in YouTube, but none are appropriate for small fry which eat only tiny quantity daily. There are commercial time release feeding blocks available based on slow dissolving calcium sulphate imbedded food that last for 3 and 7 days. The 7 day block is too large quantity for my tiny fry, and placing say four 3-day block won’t quadruple the time to 12 days.
I came up with an idea to time release commercial 3-day blocks without resorting to electromechanical devices that are more appropriate for quantity release for grown fish. My idea is based on gravity release using cut pool foam noodle, inserting time release blocks to the donut hole, and superglueing toothpicks at the end as blockers to slowly dissolve and drop the 3-day blocks, as self explained in the attached pictures.
I have already experimented it once in my last week long absence and it worked as designed, except that the left over blocks have acquired foul smell due to moisture wicking up. On my next trial, I will place some dry sand in between blocks in the hope to break the wicking effect Interestingly, my fish didn't seem to mind and eagerly fed on the foul smell blocks I dropped in like fermented cheese.
I found many DIY ideas on time release food based on electro mechanical timer devices, and one based on vibrating cell phone in YouTube, but none are appropriate for small fry which eat only tiny quantity daily. There are commercial time release feeding blocks available based on slow dissolving calcium sulphate imbedded food that last for 3 and 7 days. The 7 day block is too large quantity for my tiny fry, and placing say four 3-day block won’t quadruple the time to 12 days.
I came up with an idea to time release commercial 3-day blocks without resorting to electromechanical devices that are more appropriate for quantity release for grown fish. My idea is based on gravity release using cut pool foam noodle, inserting time release blocks to the donut hole, and superglueing toothpicks at the end as blockers to slowly dissolve and drop the 3-day blocks, as self explained in the attached pictures.
I have already experimented it once in my last week long absence and it worked as designed, except that the left over blocks have acquired foul smell due to moisture wicking up. On my next trial, I will place some dry sand in between blocks in the hope to break the wicking effect Interestingly, my fish didn't seem to mind and eagerly fed on the foul smell blocks I dropped in like fermented cheese.
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