You probably did not realize how many automatic fish feeders there were in this world until you started trying to find one to purchase. There are many automatic fish feeders out there, and they all have different strengths and weaknesses. An automatic fish feeder is an excellent tool for any fish owner. It needs to be reliable, affordable, and easy to setup. We put together some reviews of the top automatic fish feeders in 2020. Hopefully, our research will help make this buying process a bit easier for you.
At a Quick Glance (updated in 2023)
Image Product Details
Best Overall
Eheim
Has secondary feeding if needed
Comes with mounting bracket
Holds 100ml of food
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Best Value
Zoo Med BettaMatic
Feeds every 12 hours
Works on one AA battery
Great price
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Premium Choice
Current USA AquaChef
Fits most aquariums
Can limit how much food is released
Accommodates all food types
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Fish Mate
Can feed 14 meals
Choose what times you want the food to be released
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Penn-Plax Daily Double
Can hold a large amount of food
Feeds twice per day if needed
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The 10 Best Automatic Fish Feeders
With the Eheim, you can program when you want your fish food dispensed and also how much it should distribute. This is a small and compact unit that has splash-proof buttons, so you won’t have to replace it if the buttons get a little wet. The digital display helps to keep an even better eye on all things fish food-related.
We completely understand that with everything that goes on in a busy household, sometimes you can forget to feed the fish. This may seem like a simple mistake from time to time, but it’s not fair to your fish friends. With the Eheim Everday Fish Feeder, you get a very reliable, easy-to-program, automatic fish feeder that will take at least one of your responsibilities off of your list.
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The total capacity on the Eheim is 100ml of food. This is plenty of food should you have to leave your fish for a few days. The chamber where the fish food is kept is also aerated so that it stays fresh. If you want an easy to use, reasonably-priced automatic fish feeder, the Eheim leads the way.
Pros
Very easy to program
Can program times and amount
Has secondary feeding if needed
Comes with mounting bracket
Holds 100ml of food
Keeps food fresh
Cons
Works best in tanks with many fish
You will not have the capability to program this unit to work whenever you would like it to; it will automatically feed every twelve hours. This is an excellent amount of time between feedings and works very well for betta fish. If you have a square tank, the Zoo Med will mount directly to the tank. If you have a round tank, you can use the included rail kit to get it to work.
Very easy to program
Can program times and amount
Has secondary feeding if needed
Comes with mounting bracket
Holds 100ml of food
Keeps food fresh
- Very easy to program
- Can program times and amount
- Has secondary feeding if needed
- Comes with mounting bracket
- Holds 100ml of food
- Keeps food fresh
Works best in tanks with many fish
- Works best in tanks with many fish
If you liked the features of the Eheim, but you are looking for more of a value option, the Zoo Med BettaMatic Automatic Feeder could be a good choice. The Zoo Med BettaMatic Automatic Feeder is the best automatic fish feeder for the money. This unit will keep your fish fed even when you are not home.
The Zoo Med products work with one double-A battery, and it does not drain the battery very quickly. Overall, you get some great value here for the price.
Pros
Feeds every 12 hours
Works on one AA battery
Easily attaches to the tank
Comes with mounting bracket for round tank
Great price
Cons
Can’t program times or amounts
The food will stay fresh inside the moisture-resistant hopper. You can use flakes, pellets, or crumbles to keep your fish fed. Probably our favorite part of this model is that you can also adjust the amount of food fed. For people with smaller fish or just one or two fish, this is an important feature.
Feeds every 12 hours
Works on one AA battery
Easily attaches to the tank
Comes with mounting bracket for round tank
Great price
- Feeds every 12 hours
- Works on one AA battery
- Easily attaches to the tank
- Comes with mounting bracket for round tank
- Great price
Can’t program times or amounts
- Can’t program times or amounts
If pricing makes no difference to you, then the Current USA Aqua Chef Aquarium Fish Feeder is a great option to consider. This is a premium model, and its pricing is the only thing that kept it out of our top spot. With this feeder, you can program to feed your fish up to four times a day on any schedule you choose.
Pros
Fits most aquariums
Can be programmed
Can limit how much food is released
Accommodates all food types
Cons
Expensive
The F14 Aquarium is a compact and reliable solution if you cant be available for every meal to feed your fish. You can attach an airline to the F14 feeder to help keep the food a bit more fresh. If you have a large amount of fish or your fish are rather large, you may need to purchase a few of these feeders.
Fits most aquariums
Can be programmed
Can limit how much food is released
Accommodates all food types
- Fits most aquariums
- Can be programmed
- Can limit how much food is released
- Accommodates all food types
Expensive
- Expensive
If you have ever set a timer to turn on your Christmas lights, you can easily work the Fish Mat F14 Aquarium Fish Feeder. This automatic fish feeder will allow you to store 14 meals, and you can program those meals to be dispersed anywhere from one to four times a day. You can mount the fish mate feeder on the hood or glass part of your tank, and the brackets needed are included with your purchase.
Pros
Easy to program
Can feed 14 meals
Choose what times you want the food to be released
Priced fairly
Cons
For small and medium tanks only
Flakes can get stuck together inside the feeder
- Penn-Plax Daily Double II Automatic Fish Feeder
Check Latest PriceThe Penn-Plax Daily Double II Automatic Fish Feeder is a large drum feeder that can keep your fish fed for up to four weeks. This easy to use model attaches directly to the side of your tank and will feed your fish two times per day.
This is not a highly programmable model, but it still allows for the two feedings per day. You can use wither flake or pellet food with the Penn-Plax. The Penn-Plax runs on batteries and comes with the required clamp to attach it to the tank.
Easy to program
Can feed 14 meals
Choose what times you want the food to be released
Priced fairly
- Easy to program
- Can feed 14 meals
- Choose what times you want the food to be released
- Priced fairly
For small and medium tanks only
Flakes can get stuck together inside the feeder
- For small and medium tanks only
- Flakes can get stuck together inside the feeder
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The Penn-Plax Daily Double II Automatic Fish Feeder is a large drum feeder that can keep your fish fed for up to four weeks. This easy to use model attaches directly to the side of your tank and will feed your fish two times per day.
Our favorite part about the Penn-Plax is the size of the tank. Although it is not a great idea to leave your fish unattended for four weeks, it is helpful not to have to remember the daily feedings. The only real problem we had was that the flake food tended to get clumped up after about a week or so. If you are going on an extended trip, you may want to look into another model or switch to pellet food.
Pros
Can hold a large amount of food
Battery operated and easy to clamp on
Feeds twice per day if needed
Cons
Flake food gets clumped up
Not great for just one fish — dispenses too much food
- Hydor Automatic Fish Feeder
Check Latest PriceNext on our list is the Hydor Automatic Fish Feeder. Hydor is known for making very high-quality products, so naturally, this feeder is priced quite a bit higher than some of the other options we have reviewed. This is option is very easy to program and will feed your fish anywhere from one to three times per day. The downside to this feeder is that it will not allow you to choose the times; it does that for you.
You can use the Hydor with flake, pellet, and tablet food, and it has a system that helps to vibrate and move the food around, so it does not clump. You can also connect the aerator to this model if you so choose. The other downside to the Hydor is that when it dispenses the food to the fish, it is quite loud.
Can hold a large amount of food
Battery operated and easy to clamp on
Feeds twice per day if needed
- Can hold a large amount of food
- Battery operated and easy to clamp on
- Feeds twice per day if needed
Flake food gets clumped up
Not great for just one fish — dispenses too much food
- Flake food gets clumped up
- Not great for just one fish — dispenses too much food
Next on our list is the Hydor Automatic Fish Feeder. Hydor is known for making very high-quality products, so naturally, this feeder is priced quite a bit higher than some of the other options we have reviewed. This is option is very easy to program and will feed your fish anywhere from one to three times per day. The downside to this feeder is that it will not allow you to choose the times; it does that for you.
Pros
Will feed anywhere from one to three times a day
Easy to program
Quality design
Cons
Can’t choose times your fish eat
Very loud when fish are being fed
- boxtech Fish Dispenser
Check Latest PriceThe boxtech Fish Dispenser offers a unique option that none of our previous reviews do. With the boxtech you can feed your fish once or twice per day automatically, or you can feed it whenever you want manually. There is a switch that allows you to go between automatic and manual whenever you so choose.
The boxtech fish feeder works with most fish foods, including flakes, pellets, powders, and strips. You will not have any trouble programing this feeder, and it does a nice job of keeping the food dry and fresh. The only real downside we have to the boxtech feeder is that the quality is not very high. The unit does not seem to hold up long term, and it has been known to distribute inconsistent amounts of food. If you are home every day and available to watch what is going on with your feeder, that is fine, but it is not a model we would trust if you went away for several weeks.
Will feed anywhere from one to three times a day
Easy to program
Quality design
- Will feed anywhere from one to three times a day
- Easy to program
- Quality design
Can’t choose times your fish eat
Very loud when fish are being fed
- Can’t choose times your fish eat
- Very loud when fish are being fed
The boxtech Fish Dispenser offers a unique option that none of our previous reviews do. With the boxtech you can feed your fish once or twice per day automatically, or you can feed it whenever you want manually. There is a switch that allows you to go between automatic and manual whenever you so choose.
Pros
Easy to program
Nice manual option to feed
Keeps food dry
Cons
Not high-quality product
Distributes inconsistent amounts of food
Can’t be relied on long term
8. API Automatic Fish Feeder
Check Latest PriceThe API Automatic Fish Feeder is a bit of a different type of solution. This is essentially a pack of fish food that gets placed directly in the tank and will break apart slowly over a certain number of days. As it breaks apart, it feeds your fish. You can get the API in several different sizes if you are going away for a weekend, a week or even two weeks.
This is a straightforward solution, and it has natural ingredients that will meet the nutritional requirements of aquarium fish. The problem we have with this option is that it is not the regular diet for your fish. You should never put one of these in the tank and leave without first monitoring how your fish handle this method. You also need to make sure you pay very close attention to the number of fish in your tank and the number of API Automatic Fish Feeders that you add.
Easy to program
Nice manual option to feed
Keeps food dry
- Easy to program
- Nice manual option to feed
- Keeps food dry
Not high-quality product
Distributes inconsistent amounts of food
Can’t be relied on long term
- Not high-quality product
- Distributes inconsistent amounts of food
- Can’t be relied on long term
The API Automatic Fish Feeder is a bit of a different type of solution. This is essentially a pack of fish food that gets placed directly in the tank and will break apart slowly over a certain number of days. As it breaks apart, it feeds your fish. You can get the API in several different sizes if you are going away for a weekend, a week or even two weeks.
Pros
Comes in several sizes
Straightforward solution if you are going out of town
Cons
Is not part of your fish’s regular diet
Requires monitoring before leaving fish unattended
Not a good solution for everyday feeding
- Petacc Automatic Fish Feeder
Check Latest PriceThe Petacc Automatic Fish Feeder is a highly programmable feeder that lets you select the times of up to four feedings per day. You can set the feeder to go off whenever you desire. Adding food to your Petacc Fish Feeder is easy, and it does a great job of keeping the food moisture-free.
If you want to decrease the portion sizes that you are giving your fish, you can do so by turning the feeder upwards and allowing less to fall in the tank. We will caution you if you have a smaller tank, even the small amount of food on this device is a tremendous amount. This model is built and intended for much larger tanks with many fish inside. The capacity on the food storage is 200ml, which is the largest of any feeder that we have reviewed.
Comes in several sizes
Straightforward solution if you are going out of town
- Comes in several sizes
- Straightforward solution if you are going out of town
Is not part of your fish’s regular diet
Requires monitoring before leaving fish unattended
Not a good solution for everyday feeding
- Is not part of your fish’s regular diet
- Requires monitoring before leaving fish unattended
- Not a good solution for everyday feeding
The Petacc Automatic Fish Feeder is a highly programmable feeder that lets you select the times of up to four feedings per day. You can set the feeder to go off whenever you desire. Adding food to your Petacc Fish Feeder is easy, and it does a great job of keeping the food moisture-free.
You can install this feeder to the tank using the attached sticker or a clamp provided. Either method is acceptable and relatively easy to manage. Overall this is not a terrible feeder, but we would not trust it unless you have a very large tank of fish. You do not want to come home from a day of work and find that your feeder has overfed your fish.
Pros
Highly programmable
Easy to mount to tank
Cons
Disperses a considerable amount of food
Can be a bit unreliable
Not for small or medium-size tanks
The Fish Mate P7000 has a large 30-cup capacity and an easy-to-read digital display to help you program your fish’s feeding needs. You can add food sticks and pellets to the Fish Mate, and it will disperse them with ease.
Highly programmable
Easy to mount to tank
- Highly programmable
- Easy to mount to tank
Disperses a considerable amount of food
Can be a bit unreliable
Not for small or medium-size tanks
- Disperses a considerable amount of food
- Can be a bit unreliable
- Not for small or medium-size tanks
Last on our list is the Fish Mate P7000 Pond Fish Feeder. The Fish Mate is not last on our list because it is a terrible product; it is just not a fit for most homeowners. However, if you have a pond of fish that you need to keep feeding when you are out of town or busy tending to other projects, this Fish Mate could be a great choice.
The major problem with the Fish Mate P7000 is that it is unreliable. Sometimes it will work very well for a period of a few weeks and then all of a sudden it seems to dump an inconsistent amount of food. As a fish owner, you know how detrimental it can be to overfeed your fish. If you go with the Fish Mate P7000, we suggest keeping a close eye on its operation.
Pros
Easy-to-read digital display
Works with different types of food
Cons
Inconsistent dispersion
Unreliable for long periods
Buyer’s Guide
Now that you have a general idea of the automatic fish feeder options on the market, how will you choose the right one for you? We have broken down some key points that should help you decide which automatic fish feeder will work for you and your fish.
Easy-to-read digital display
Works with different types of food
- Easy-to-read digital display
- Works with different types of food
Inconsistent dispersion
Unreliable for long periods
- Inconsistent dispersion
- Unreliable for long periods
Purpose
When choosing an automatic fish feeder, try and think about why you need one. Are you going away for a weekend, or do you want something that feeds your fish for you daily? You will need to consider programing and capacity requirements depending on the purpose and plan you have for your automatic fish feeder.
Capacity
Do you want your fish feeder to hold enough food for a weekend or two weeks? Automatic fish feeders come in a wide range of capacities. If you have a massive tank with many fish, you may end up having to purchase a few feeders for your tank.
Type of Food
Most fish feeders will hold flakes, pellets, and powders; however, some will only hold a specific type of food. If you want a particular automatic feeder, but it requires your fish to switch food types, you should test how the fish do on that food before making the switch and purchasing your new feeder. Generally speaking, most automatic fish feeders struggle to keep flakes from sticking together. If your fish is accustomed to being fed flakes, make sure you connect them to an aerator so that they don’t clump.
Programmability
The ability to feed your fish when you want and how much you want is a huge factor when choosing an automatic fish feeder. Some feeders will allow you to time to the exact minute you feed your fish, others will only allow one or two feedings per day, and you don’t even get to choose the time that this occurs. You have to find a balance between your budget and the programmability that you are looking for.
One of the most important factors to consider is if you can program how much food is dispersed. For people with larger tanks that house many fish, this is not as much of a concern. However, if you have one or two fish in a small tank, many of these feeders will disperse way too much food to keep your fish healthy.
Price
Most automatic fish feeders for residential use will range from $15 to $40. With how expensive fish and fish tanks can get, this is not a bad price. You also have to consider what it may cost to have someone come to your house and feed your fish while you are out of town for a weekend. The automatic fish feeder will likely pay for itself in one weekend.
Saftey
This is more for after you choose your fish feeder, but it is worth mentioning. Do not install an automatic fish feeder the day before your international vacation. You must test and re-test the fish feeder and monitor its effectiveness for at least a few days before you leave your fish unattended. This is your responsibility as a dedicated fish owner to make sure that the food source is reliable and safe.
Conclusion
An automatic fish feeder is intended to make your life easier. Unfortunately, shopping for one can make your life much harder! Hopefully, our reviews and guide helped lead you to the perfect fish feeding solution.
We are pleased with the Eheim Everday Fish Feeder. Eheim is an excellent mix of value, programmability, and reliability. We would trust this model when leaving our fish for a few days.
If the Eheim is a bit more money than you wanted to spend, the Zoo Med provides a low price and a simple solution. The Zoo Med option is perfect for those people that don’t want to spend hours programming an automatic fish feeder.
Whichever option you ultimately decide on, make sure to monitor its effectiveness so that your fish stay healthy and fed.
