GregT's attaching an auto feeder to a RSM250

GregT

Active Member
Hoping i get some feedback so posting this as a new thread instead of my main thread.

In anticipation of a holiday, I'm going to try temporarily attaching this autofeeder from eheim instead of relying on someone to feed the tank and hoping they do not overfeed! 
There's also a manual function so you can ask someone to hit the button to feed a measured amount :)

To attach the feeder to my tank I need to cut two small slots with my Dremel partway through the inside of the plastic rim surrounding the tank glass that the 'foot' will engage and then slot down into.
I'm wondering if this will affect the integrity of the tank though??? I.e. Does the plastic rim actually strengthen the glass tank or is it solely decorative?

Below - the plastic rim with the glass support that the bottom of the autofeeder will rest on.


How the autofeeder will sit - theres about a 2mm slot required so it sits securely


Top of auto feeder rotates to empty measured amount of dry food into the tank.
 

NJ Reefer

Active Member
PREMIUM
Greg, rather than making any cuts in the tank, I made a shelf out of acrylic. The shelf rests on the front lip, as well as the two sides. I cut a hole in the middle and secured the feeder with strong velcro (like those used on EzPass units). I used this during my two week vacation over the summer and it worked very well. My biggest concern was evaporation, but my 12 gallon ATO reservoir was just enough.

 

NJ Reefer

Active Member
PREMIUM
Sure. So to begin with, the shelf is roughly 35.75 inches at its widest by 6 inches deep by 1/4 inch thick. The hole I cut is 1.625 inches wide by 3.125 inches deep. The hole dimensions I would think would be dependent on the feeder you have and the size of the door/opening. I had to adjust mine several times by trial and error to make certain "all" of the food went through the hole.

I cut the hole in the center of the platform, but if I were to redo it, I would skew more to one side. After two weeks, there was a bit of a sag in the shelf. You could potentially avoid this by using a thicker piece of acrylic, or maybe moving the feeder toward a side.

Lastly, as you can see from the picture, I had to kind of sculpt the sides so that it would still have some support on the ends, but allow the hinges of the hood to settle in. Again, this was a bit of trial and error until it fit right.

Hope this helps.
 

GregT

Active Member
Sure. So to begin with, the shelf is roughly 35.75 inches at its widest by 6 inches deep by 1/4 inch thick. The hole I cut is 1.625 inches wide by 3.125 inches deep. The hole dimensions I would think would be dependent on the feeder you have and the size of the door/opening. I had to adjust mine several times by trial and error to make certain "all" of the food went through the hole.

I cut the hole in the center of the platform, but if I were to redo it, I would skew more to one side. After two weeks, there was a bit of a sag in the shelf. You could potentially avoid this by using a thicker piece of acrylic, or maybe moving the feeder toward a side.

Lastly, as you can see from the picture, I had to kind of sculpt the sides so that it would still have some support on the ends, but allow the hinges of the hood to settle in. Again, this was a bit of trial and error until it fit right.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, I realised my shelf also sags abit in the middle so I'll try and get another thicker piece of acrylic before I head off. I put a piece of paper down to workout the 'food spread'. I can't believe I didn't do this earlier!
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Greg, can you re-post those photos of what you did to attach the autofeeder from eheim to the tank!!
 

GregT

Active Member
Greg, can you re-post those photos of what you did to attach the autofeeder from eheim to the tank!!

Hi Oxy
Not sure what happened to the images but here's what it looked like. I added another section by the holes to strengthen it and wedged the panel under the hinges

D16D12B5-CA8C-4254-9F73-49CE3AC0281B.jpg
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Fantastic, will have to check if there are offcuts available in some of the places around here. Thanks!
 
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