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The 7-day Pyramid Fish Feeder
by azana
We've kept tropical fish for a couple of years now and currently have a community tank of tetras, gourami and some panda corydoras. They are a happy bunch of fish in their 90 litre aquarium and, now that our tank is established we don't have many casualties, though we are sure to do fairly regular water changes and feed our fish, ... sparingly, regularly. When it came to going on holiday then, I was, perhaps understandably, a little nervous about leaving the fish to be fed by this 7 day feeder. It's a block food that you put in the tank at the start of your holiday, and which slowly dissolves whilst you are away. Not having anyone to feed the fish for me and, having used a 3 day block before with success, I decided to try out this 7-day feeder, which cost me a little over £3 for 30 grammes of product - most fish stores seem to stock these blocks - on the day I bought mine they had apparently been flying off the shelves! It's suitable for tropical, marine and cold water fish according to the packaging, and should be used in a set up with a filter.
The block, which is pretty well as pictured above and about 5cm by 5cm, is easy to use - you just place it in the aquarium and it will slowly dissolve, apparently releasing "tubifex worms as an extra treat for your fish" on day four - my fish are normally used to much less exotic fare being fed on flaked food. I didn't get to witness their feast, having put the product in the tank just before my departure, where it started to dissolve straight away bit by bit. Though it is called a 7 day feeder, the packaging advises that the block should last for up to 10 days, and feed 20 fish of "average size". Having small fish (bar the gourami pair) I was hoping that the block would be sufficient for their needs. On my return from my holiday after 8 days there was 1/6 of the block left and a full complement of fish - phew! My untreated tap water is quite hard, and so I was expecting the block to be more dissolved than it actually was, so if you are planning to feed your fish by this method whilst you are on holiday it may be a good idea to try out a smaller 3 day block first. Various reviews I have read warn of the block not dissolving, so it may depend on the water in your area, but as I have explained my fish came to no harm.
I had plenty of opportunity to observe my fish and the food on my return, the minerals of which it is made dissolved slowly revealing little bits of food which floated free and the fish seemed to be quite happy to pick at the food as well. They obviously hadn't gone hungry as they hadn't attacked the plants and looked in fine form. I didn't have time to test the water on my return, however I did notice that it seemed a little more dirty than normal, with more algae growth than I would have expected, and so I did a water change of 1/4 of the tank as soon as I was able.
I would definitely use one of these blocks again next time I go on holiday as I don't think it had any ill effect on my fish, it worked well and it's a convenient and relatively cheap way of feeding them when on holiday - if you have fish and need to leave them when you go on holiday, I would recommend this as a way of feeding them.
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King British Algae Wafers
by zombieflesh
We now have two tropical aquarium set-ups in our home, and both tanks contain a variety of fish. My partner has a wide range of knowledge and experience in dealing with fish keeping as he used to be a breeder. King British produce a wide range of fish foods and their products can be found in most good pet stores. These Algae Wafers costs ... around £5.00 for a 100g tub of food.
It's important to consider the type of fish you are keeping when you are buying their food. There are separate food types for cold water and tropical fish. King British Algae Wafers are a complete food that is specifically tailored to the needs of all catfish, plecostomus and other algae eaters. In our main fish tank we have a bristle nosed catfish and an upside down catfish so this food sounded perfect for them.
Product description: "A complete and balanced diet, scientifically developed to meet the specific nutritional requirements of all catfish, plecostomus and other algae eaters.
+ Highly digestible / low waste formula
+ For clean clear water
+ With all essential vitamins, minerals & trace elements
+ With Immuno Health Booster, a natural seaweed extract that helps provide a stronger natural shield against infection and disease
+ Made from the highest quality natural ingredients"
Feeding guide: Feed daily (but only 6 days a week), sufficient to last no more than 15-20 minutes. Ideally feed in the evening. Do not overfeed and remove any uneaten food.
The algae wafers come in a small plastic tub that has a simple pull off lid. There is a foil seal over the top of the food to keep it fresh but obviously you have to remove this before you can get the food out. It is easy to control how much food you are putting into the tank as you can just pick out the required number of tablets and drop them in. This has proved useful and helped to stop me from accidentally over feeding the fish. I tend to give one to two algae wafers a day and I also provide flake food for my other fish within the tank. Although this is intended for catfish and other similar fish, I have noticed that all of the fish seem to enjoy this food and will go in for a bit if they get the chance. There are loads of wafers in the tub and will last for a long time as long as you don't overfeed.
The wafers themselves are small and have a solid heavy feel to them. They are made of a high protein sinking formula, which means they float down quickly through the water and this allows the fish to zone in on it straight away as it specifically targets the bottom dwelling fishies. Because the wafers are quite well compacted they do break up a little, but they don't instantly fall apart which means there is less mess and food waste created.
The food has a dark khaki green colour which I assume comes from the high algae content. As well as algae, these wafer tablets also include spirulina and vitamin C. I have a feeding routine that the fish seem to have grown to recognise and they are always aware of when feeding time will be so they are often sat there at the bottom waiting for me to feed them! These food wafers have a mild smell which is much more pleasant and bearable than some of the other pre-formed foods I have used which have quite a noticeable strong smell to them.
King British is a high quality brand of fish food and these Algae Wafers keeps my fish happy and healthy. I have noticed that since I introduced this type of wafer food into their regular diet my catfish have become more visibly active, and are becoming quite cocky in their exploration of the tank and all it's ornaments, whereas before when they were just having the regular flakes that I use for the other fish they were more prone to hiding and staying under the cover of the decorations and weeds. Because this food is designed specifically for this type of fish I can be safe in the knowledge that both my catfish are getting the right nutrients that they need. I think that King British Algae Wafers is a great product - they are easy to use, my fish like them, and they are suited specifically to the needs of my catfish. A good value and reliable fish food that I would recommend to other tropical fish owners.
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