Koi Pond Auto Feeder review (All pond solutions SFF-1)
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- Auto feeders for koi ponds are a useful addition for anyone who wishes to increase the number of feeds they are able to give their koi during the day (or night) when they are unable to feed them manually. They are also useful to keep your koi fed whilst you are away on holiday or working away from home.
In this video I choose a budget level feeder based on reviews, specs, cost etc and put it through its paces. The findings are quite surprising to say the least.
I will be giving the feeder away in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled during the video as there may be a sneaky clue in there which you will need to know to enter the competition to win it.
Check out my website at www.dazzlekoi.com/
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Love watching your videos, absolutely amazing and in-depth content I’m new to koi keeping only my second year and I’ve learnt so much from your channel
Thanks buddy, keep up the great work 👍🏼
Thanks Tom, I really appreciate that, makes it all worthwhile to hear comments like yours 👍🍻👍🍻👍
Like the sky said, thanks for the advice. Because and my daughter is quite sad about
Great review very honest, probs saved a few people a few quid. Cheers daz 👍
Thanks Richard. Hopefully going to try another one soon. Either the aqua forte or the P7000 next I think.
Another very helpful video 👍
Cheers Stephen, hopefully I can find a better option. Looking at a couple of other models to try next 👍👍
Many thanks very helpful Daz
Thanks Terence, much appreciated 🍻
Good review matey thanks 👍👍👍
Thanks Andrew 🍻
Wow 35g is a massive amount... Always helpful as ever... Thanks
Way too much for me mate. So frustrating !!!
After being away recently for 7 weeks I was relying on a family member to feed my fish which wasn’t always convenient. Plus they don’t quite have the same sort of love that we as fish keepers have … So I’ve recently started looking at Auto feeders. I looked at this particular feeder, however I have to agree with you and most of the comments that the feeding quantities are way to much … So many thanks to you for the info 🍻👍
No problem Miranda, and thanks for your kind words 🍺🍻🍺
I did a review on the P7000 feeder after this one and that worked much better for my needs. Might be worth looking at that if you are still in the market for a feeder.
❤ thank goodness you did this
sea world😂😂 geeza is straight up learnt alot from this man being new to the hobby keep up the good content
Thanks mate, I appreciate that 🍻🍻🍻
Very informative and good reviews well done
Cheers Dave 👍👍
Thanks for that this is just what i need . Im doing 7 feeds a day at 70g , just needed to see what the feeder was like before buying one .
Hi Mark, if you are happy with the minimum feed its a cracking option. It does seem very well put together.
I'll buy it off you Daz. Good review, even though not for your pond. Take care & stay safe.
Hi mate and thank you. I'm going to give it away now as I 've already said I would in the vid but thanks for the kind offer. I'll do a quick video to give it away so you might be able to win it for free 🍻🍻👍👍🍻🍻
Yes, she said about her fish died. So I just need an advice for future fish that we're going to have
Great job. Might have gone for one of those but clearly need some development
Yeah its so disappointing because everything else about it seems great. i think I'm going to try the P7000 next but I've heard that may have similar issues.
appreciate your honesty Darren, this wouldn't be the feeder for me haha
No problem mate. I've looked at the fishmate p7000 since and that one was much better in terms of feed size. Still using it now and its going great 👍👍
Best video for me yet... I was thinking about one of these but haven't for this exact reason so you just saved me my disappointment... I'm wondering if you can diy some thing for the funnel so food flows through a bit slower? For me that's way too much food... great video as always 😁
Thanks Dan. I think it would lead to blockages if you tried to restrict the outlet in some way. I think a slower motor or better time with smaller increments is needed.
I'm going to keep trying until I find one that works though 👍
Wow thanks for the video Daz, I nearly bought that feeder. Glad I didn't now. I went with the Aquaforte feeder and I think its brilliant. Take care and keep up the good work 👍
JMac 🐟😎👍🏼
Hi mate, can I ask what the minimum feed size is on that one?
@@DazzleKoi I would say about a medium sized handful with 5mm pellets and its very consistent. I will weigh it out tomorrow afternoon and give you the exact amount 🐟😎👍🏼
That would be really useful if you could mate, nice one 👍👍👍
@@DazzleKoi 12 grams minimum Daz 👍🏼 sorry for the delay.
Thats much better than this one then. I'm torn now between the aqua forte and the fishmate 😁
Thank very informative. Was just about to buy one but like you said way to much food. Thank you
Hi Neil, I hope to try some others out when I can afford it so hopefully I can find one that's suitable 🍻🍻
Hi, Great informative, unbiased video. I was wondering if the timer can be programmed to feed less frequently, for example once or twice a week. Any ideas anyone? Thanks again and keep up the good work 👍👍
Yes it’s true. I bought one also, the least amount dispense is actually too much especially for a few kois only. Many times my kois will end up overfed and stop eating all day. Also mine never last a year. It broke mainly due to rain, pellets will also clog the dispenser overtime.
Hi there, it sounds like you had a similar experience to me with it. Its a shame as it could have been very good with a few changes
So they started including a reducer ring to narrow the feed hole. However, it's still too much!!
I'll measure the feed from mine this week using saki medium, but I am also going to 3d print another reducer ring to try and get to 10g/second.
That's interesting. I wonder if they have had feedback from others with the same problem then. Is it something you can easily make to reduce it further?
I got the fish mate p7000 mate. It does tiny feeds in comparison to the one used in this video but can up the amount so I see it as perfect for you. Plus the shoot is covered so if it rains it won’t get wet and the food stick to it which could be a problem with the all pond solutions one. Only thing is with the fish mate it doesn’t skatter the food so I have sinking and floating food so the fish don’t fight for the food as much
Hi mate, thanks for the feedback, I've just ordered the P7000 to try. I'll make another review video on it but hopefully this one is better suited. It sounds promising 🍻🍻👍👍🍻🍻
I bought the same feeder last summer set it to 10 seconds to start with it was like a machine gun spitting out covered the pond with food so out came the net lol our lass did laugh. Been in my pond box ever since.
LOL, after seeing it in action I can imagine the mess that must have made.
Best place for it I reckon 😁
Good and honest review. May be it was designed for larger ponds.. you'll find another one. Danny's koi pond.seems to have a good one.
Thanks Lau, yes I'm looking at others now. I've got the Aqua Forte one and the P7000 on my list so far. There is an EA one but it looks to be the same as the all pond solutions one in this video so I wont be getting that one.
@@DazzleKoi I don't know if you follow other people's channel but Lee Hadfield has spoken about the EA one. He was explaining that the way the pellets are being thrown is too far and too wide for smaller ponds.
Hi Lau, yes I've seen that. From what I can tell this is the same feeder but re badged. I angled mine down slightly to prevent any risk of that happening or I guess you could add something to deflect it but you obviously shouldn't have to start modifying a new product.
I think it all comes back to the fact that the motor simply spins way to fast. If the motor was slowed down it wouldn't throw it as far and it would feed less per second, killing two birds with one stone.
Hi Buddy , great review like you say when designing this product what goes through their heads??? How's the shower going ? Any update video's on that coming up ? The fish look like they are certainly growing from the window view , keep safe !
Hi Mark, having worked in R&D and knowing how it works it absolutely baffles me that things like this happen. Basic market research at the start of the project would confirm how much they need to be able to dispense.
I've been asked a couple of times about an update ont he shower so I'll get to that soon. Basically though I'm really happy with it so far. I haven't seen any nitrate reading at all since I fitted it and ammonia and nitrite are also none existent although I do have the Pod and tempest on there to so its hard to say exactly how much bio the shower is doing. Fish are always active and hungry so all seems excellent.
I think you would ne happy with a fish mate auto feeder. Its in your price range and it has a multi feed option as well as individual feeds. Thank you for the review
Thanks Richard, I've added the fish mate one to my list. I'm between that and the aqua forte at the moment.
Cause of my pond
Thanks for the video, really informative. Thinking about the Velda Pro, what is the minimum amount of feed it can dispense and what is the shortest feed time?
Thanks
Hi Douglas, apologies but I honestly can't remember. I had them on bigger ponds with a lot of bigger fish so I don't think I ever tested the minimum amount. They work on a screw mechanism and have an excellent digital controller so I'm very confident that they can feed very small amounts on minimum though.
I'll have a dig around and see if I can find out 👍🍻👍
Hi Daz, you have the exact same thing as the EA auto feeder but for half the price and yours has a solar panel 👍. Exact same issues plus the min distance on mine is between 2 and 5 metres. I would hate to find out what the max distance would be. I’ve found minimal food in the storage compartment lowers the min feed amount, slightly. But then that defeats the objective.
In summary its a £140 garden gnome!
Ouch, yeah I did notice the two look very similar. Its so frustrating as it seems so easy to just put a different timer or a slower motor on it. I'm going to look at the aqua forte or the P7000 next I think.
Thankyou for info
No problem, how are things with you and your pond?
@@DazzleKoi water is clearing now with 55w uv and put sail over pond 🙂👍
Excellent !!
You'll get ups and downs with water quality for about 12 months usually with a new pond. Mine has gone terrible at the moment, I can hardly see them. Blanket weed dying off and I've got that nasty black slime on the walls now that's constantly coming away.
Just got to ride it out I think
@@DazzleKoi I've just ordered a p7000 feeder read up seems good
Let me know how it goes, maybe I could review one of those next 👍👍
I've tried several similar, all rubbish as far as I'm concerned, not enough feeding times, too much food in the smallest feed. Got fed up wasting money on them and went for the Aqua Forte in the end, the one with 24 feeds a day, minimum feed 1 second, maximum 100 seconds, a bit more expensive at £150, needs mains electricity but an absolutely fantastic bit of kit, you can set feeds almost down to 1 gram, ideal for my grow on tank. I also have the Superfish version on my main pond, again 24 feeds a day if you want but amount of food is set by an option of 1 to 10 rather than seconds, on 1 it chucks out roughly 16 grams, and each increment is another 16 grams, which is fine for me, 18 fish ranging from 35cm to 75cm.
Hi mate, it sounds like the budget versions are going to be a waste of time. I was torn between the cheap aqua forte and the P7000 to try next. Then I decided to spend a bit more (£100) on the fishmate one as that sounded great but then I found some reviews on that and they where awful.
I've now gone back to the P7000 again so I've ordered that this morning. I've seen the multiple feeds option so I'm keen to give that a go.
Would be interested to see if it can be modified by half blocking the hole inside the tank with a washer or something like that. Obviously should have been designed properly in the first place, but maybe could be made to work?
Just an idea for a follow up anyway, enjoyed the video Daz 👍
Hi Sam, I think maybe you would get blockages if you reduced the hole size but it may work. As you, it really should have been designed better in the first place though. From discussions I believe the best option would be a motor that spins a bit slower. This would address the food amount problem and also reduce how far the food is fired to.
I'm going to look at the aqua forte or the P7000 next and give this one away. I've not go the motivation to try to modify it but whoever wins it may fancy a go.
thanks for the video. just wish it shipped to the US
Ahhh, its a shame you cant get it over in the US because if you can live with the minimum feed its a great quality unit for the price.
Hi great video again, I've just bought one for my pond. Think it should be fine for mines. So in theory I could set this to feed 6 feeds, 6am - 2am then the cycle would start at 6am again? Chris
Hi Chris, yes mate, it repeats the programmed feed times every day. Its a really solid, well built, quality bit of kit, its just let down by the minimum feed amount. If you can live with that I think it will serve you well.
I have been made aware of a mod that you can do to reduce the minimum feed amount. Its basically adding a small resister in the live supply to the motor to slow it down.
Great video again 😏
Is there any way of Restricting the whole the feed goes through
Thanks Terence 👍👍
Hi Terence, it doesn't appear so, its like a vein type system the rotates and the feed drops in to it as it turns. It may be possible to reduce the size of the compartments in the rotating section but I think that might just lead to blockages.
@@DazzleKoi just ordered one and I have a play with it see if I can change it
Nice one Terence, keep us updated on how you get on with it 👍👍
Another really useful video. Is there any chance you would be able to do a follow up on this for an alternative feeder please. I’m looking for one myself and as u found with this feeder that would be way too much for my pond also. And thank you for the recommendation on the tempest. I’m also flushing that daily and the stuff it takes out is amazing. This has also made me think, I put the tempest on before my pressure filter. Would that mean I will have to clean my pressure filter less I’m going to check tomorrow as I usually clean that once a week. Thanks again for great informative content
Hi mate, in theory you COULD clean your pressure filter less but I would honestly recommend cleaning a pressure filter as much as possible as they can harbor bacteria if left. Do you still need it now with the tempest?
And yes, definitely, I'm going to try either the aqua forte one or the P7000 next. I'll keep going until I find one that works 👍👍
@@DazzleKoi well I was going to keep hold of the pressure filter till next year when I will be making my pond deeper, adding a bottom drain, skimmer and adding a new additional filter. Thinking about the easy pod complete.
Sounds good mate. I would keep up the regularity of the cleaning of the pressure filter then so you don't get bacteria breeding inside 👍👍
@@DazzleKoi will do mate, thank you for your advice. 👍🏻
I’m thinking you could reduce the size of the hole on the inside of the tank. To slow the feed down inside and reduce the amount dispensed. By placing a sheet of Mylar in the empty tank wit a smaller centered hole. Could heat the Mylar to help it conform to the shape of the tank.
Hi Jimmy, its definitely something you could look at. I just worry it might block up if you reduced the hole size. Would definitely be good to hear from someone whos had a go though 👍👍
I think I could just about handle the main feed amount but that is the min!! I would also be interested to know if the solar can keep up with the daily use or will you need to charge it at some point, if so it not coming with a charger is a bit of a problem. Shame really because I am looking for a feeder at the mo.
Hi Dan, from what I've seen so far the solar is keeping it topped up fully while feeding the full 6 feeds a day (with no food in the hopper) but it has been really sunny here lately. The worry is that rechargeable batteries can die quite quickly and once that happens you may be stuck. I'll have to check if you can get at the batteries to change them.
I'll be giving it away soon so I'll make a little video about how to enter shortly 👍👍
Just got one and yep way too much food for my pond. I might pull it apart and cut the blades on the dispenser so it doesn’t catch as much food as it spins.
Its a shame as it seem well built and good value otherwise. I spoke with a guy who modified one (the EA version but I think its the same) with a capacitor and a bit of soldering but it seemed a bit of a faff to me so I didn't bother.
where can i download the manual from which you printed off in this video
Hi mate, I think its this one support.allpondsolutions.co.uk/helpdesk/attachments/2043082662066
We run the older style feeder which delivers about a 10 gram portion
Sounds good Paul, is that an older version of the all pond solutions feeder?
Hi we got it it off Facebook.
Think this is the same model
Automatic Pond Fish Feeder - Fully Programmable - All Pond Solutions
Cheers, sounds like what I need. I've actually ordered the P7000 now so I'll give that a go at the weekend and see how that one does 👍👍👍
It’s very similar to the evolution aqua one. The clock/timer are identical.
Yes I believe so mate. They are slightly different but as you say, very similar. The EA one has the same minimum flow problem as this one to. I'm aware of a fix now that slows the motor down but its a bit of messing about (and a small cost) to do it.
Mines slowed over time. Seems just about right on the 1sec setting👍 great in depth info on the vids👍
Cheers mate, much appreciated. I've reviewed the fishmate p7000 to which I found to be be better for my requirements but it isn't good quality compared to the all pond solutions or the EA ones. Hopefully get that vid up soon. It only does 3 feeds to which is a shame but it does have a weird multi feed option which you need an electronics degree to understand 😁😁
Hi is it possible to reduce the dispenser gate to reduce amount dispensed? Just curious
Hi Paul, I think it would be difficult to do and it may lead to blocking up. I reckon the best way is to somehow reduce the time or if not, reduce the speed of the motor. Although reducing the speed of the motor would reduce the range it can throw it I don think that's an issue.
Hi mate , always find they they block up , I like the koi cafe ones , that you can hang over the pond , but they are stupid money
Hi pal, yeah I remmember the koi cafe ones from back in the day, they where always highly though of. I used to use an on demand one to with good success. One that had a string with a bead that touched the surface of the water and the koi learned that when they where hungry they pull the bead and it dispensed food.
Worked great but there was always one Chag that just pulled the string all day for entertainment 😂
How many grams of food per day are you planning on feeding this summer?
Hi mate, that's a very good question. I don't really buy in to the idea of giving certain aged fish a certain percentage of their body weight a day or anything like that. I think there are way to many variables to calculate it with any accuracy and every single fish will be different as well as every single pond etc. I believe nitrate is massive in suppressing appetite and growth and clean fresh water is vital for appetite and wellbeing. As such I just try to give them the best water I possibly can and that results in them being active and hungry pretty much 24/7.
So basically I feed them as often as they are looking for food which is usually about an hour after their last feed, if I'm around of course and not at work or out somewhere. At the weekends it can easily be more than 10 feeds a day, during the week more like 5 or 6. With a feeder I'd be looking to up that a bit.
(Guy)
Why is it that always videos people never tell you the freaking price
I usually do to be honest, not sure why if I haven't in this video.
Hahaha Sea world.
Such a shame about the minimum feed. It might be possible to get at the electronics and tweak the motor run time with a delay of some form or even a resistor to physically half the motor speed. 0.5 sec would be ideal.
Hi Gary, yeah I think reducing the time would be the best option but if not then slowing the motor down would also work but I'm guessing that would then impact on the distance it throws it (although that wouldn't bother me). So frustrating
Any of us that have used Allpondsolutions will have been screaming at our screens!
APS are complete w@nkers!
Great vid 👌
LOL, thanks George, I take it you've had a bad experience with them as well?
Thanks for the vid, I wont be buying one.
Cheers mate, got a review of the P7000 coming up soon. Much better proposition in my opinion 🍻🍻