DIY Frozen Food Feeder - Aquarium liquid Food Auto Feeder

[@avihaiazaria1628]

I love the DIY idea! I wish I could say this will work long term but as a person that travels often I built my own DIY - actually 4 different versions of this automatic frozen feeder (months of testing) but all the versions with the small fridge didn’t work because the cooling system is not cool enough. I only built it with the pump inside to make sure the food doesn’t go bad. I even added terminal plates with fans to get colder but never got cold enough. Put a temperature meter inside and you will see. Good news is that I didn’t give up and I do have an existing version that is working for me over 2 years now, feeding 3 times a day different food types. I recommend you try a Mini fridge with freezer(important), separate return pump in the sump -the line from the pump go to the fridge, go in and out, inside the fridge I have 3X T connectors in the line and my pumps are injecting the food to the line and then it ends up in the tank.

[@DillondeVoor]

Return line through the fridge sounds like the way to go. Do you happen to have any pictures of your setup?

[@gavinhagan3758]

Hi Can you send a diagram/drawing of it plus pics if possible

[@vascojardim6703]

Love the idea ❤! My comment would be that the food that stays inside the tube (outside of the freezer) will go bad so it would be better to use something like the DOS that you can programme to work in reverse and empty the tube back into the glass in the freezer. Than you could also add a “T” in the tube that sucks the food just outside the fridge and attack a solenoid to that one, which would draw RO from a separate container. THAN you would programe the DOS to rinse the tubing after backwashing into the container 🤪

[@ReefDudes]

He would need to have an apex for that one.. you can manually spin the pump in reverse so I’m fairly confident a software update should provide the ability to program it

[@revZ098]

What would be better is a Ghl Maxi doser and the magnetic stirrer combo. The stirrer will mix before dosing and I think the maxi doser will have a large ID tubing aswell so no clogging

[@diziy__510]

I have the same setup for my Red Sea AB+ works great. Multiple times a day dosing aminos

[@maceysdaddy5150]

So cool …. well so cold. I love it. If you also put the glass on a magnetic stirrer it would keep the chunks in suspension. I love your thinking & Innovation.

[@ReefDudes]

I was 100% thinking that as well for a v2! love it!

[@williamlinegar695]

Oh this is brilliant! You’ve outdone yourself this time Dev!!!

[@ReefDudes]

Hehe thanks will!

[@radiantreefs305]

I was thinking of this for a while, you did it with success! That is awesome dude!

[@argsdvv]

Great idea! Another option could be to actually put the versa inside the fridge to reduce the amount of exposed tube/food.

[@ReefDudes]

We did talk about thst after we build it. Possibly for a v2 :)

[@pelagicswimmer]

I do exactly the same with liquid food but I use the neptune dos as you can reverse the head to clear the line, I feed my anthias several feeds a day with pods and calanus, works perfect.

[@ReefDudes]

Love it!

[@fishstix1988]

I want to set this up with my Neptune dos! Can I contact you to pick your brain on your setup and what your timing is?

[@shutuponions]

Really well done, would love to see you do a NPS coral tank with this method. Those corals are always so unique and theres no one else in the reefing community on KZbin that runs a NPS reef tank. Would make for really good content and you have the superb reef skills to manage it

[@highaltitude1297]

Reef factory dosing pump large would be ideal for this. Tubing on that would fit a whole frozen cube inside it

[@ReefDudes]

Sounds big! I’ll have to check it out

[@dlegarern1]

Ecotech needs to program a reverse dosing option for Versa so the lines can be cleared 🎃

[@damianthompson8941]

I'm so going to try something like this and for people wondering how long the food will last for in the fridge, according to the fda seafood can be left in the fridge for 2 days before cooking and 4 days after so I'd say that a week is fine

[@savagereefer1157]

Great idea and very simple to do

[@amoore311]

@reefdudes after feeding, can you just program the Versa to automatically run backwards for long enough to clear the dosing lines back out? This would clear the lines after each feeding, so nothing sits in the lines.

[@TheYourock22]

I have a trick that should help from my kegerator days. There is a chance one could drill through a refrigeration line, ruining the unit. The trick is to make a slurry out of baking soda and isopropal alcohol. The lines are a little warmer and alcohol will evaporate there first. Drill "not there". Hope this helps...

[@ReefDudes]

Solid trick! Thanks for sharing!

[@strat1960s]

Amazing idea.

[@Reefkpr1]

Slick little setup. Too bad you can't automatically have the Versa reverse. I know you can do it manually but hopefully they will add the feature to program a reverse mode.

[@ReefDudes]

Agreed. I’ll request it again for good measure!

[@viblaise]

Genius! I need one!

[@ulicessrodriguez1986]

Question , did you continue to use this method for feeding when away ? Also what do you think about using the DOS pumps instead ? Thanks

[@ReefDudes]

Yep it’s still in use. The dos would do the job as well

[@bryanbench8333]

I have been doing this for about 5 years. This is the only way I feed. I do not ever feed my 400 gal reef, 20 gal hang on wall tank & Quarantine tank by hand. Suggestion to you, Mount dose pump in fridge. Use Hikari brine shrimp with splina. I stays suspended longer than anything else other than Reef Nutrition liquid mysis and it is less money.

[@ReefDudes]

We talked about putting the pump inside after we made it. Did you have any issues with pump inside yours long term?

[@bryanbench8333]

@@ReefDudes No, in one of my fridges I have a apex dos pump and the other 2 I have a BRS 1.1 mill dosing pump. I did find it interesting that you said that your dose pump has a bigger diameter hose than the dos is that true?

[@johnvinson6239]

@@bryanbench8333 How large is the fridge you have everything in?

[@bryanbench8333]

@@johnvinson6239 I have 3 fridges For 3 different tanks. I use one the same size on this video the other 1 is a dorm sized fridge and the other 1 is a full sized fridge

[@croaton07]

Love the idea, but the only way this would work is if the food is not actually frozen. Even in a fridge it will go bad fairly quickly, unless you feed multiple times a day.

[@ReefDudes]

Yes to multiple feeds, long term we added ice packs to the fridge as well which worked well

[@gabesreef]

I love the idea but I haven't had much luck with those kinds of coolers. I've not had one last more than a year. I'd keep a back up ready and if possible a temp probe inside since you love having a back up to your back up.

[@ReefDudes]

Put the fridge inside of a fridge? Hehe

[@gabesreef]

@@ReefDudes 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you win

[@raymondlim9571]

Instead of reverse maybe 2 pumps that merge to single line. One pumps food while the other pumps Kalk or something non-perishable to clear the line after feeding?

[@ReefDudes]

Good idea. Would work!

[@bthefountain]

Very nice!!!! I need to get mine online! ❤

[@ReefDudes]

Heck yes

[@chrisgibson9115]

Did it work for your holiday thinking of making one for a 2 week holiday

[@ReefDudes]

The food got a bit funky after 7-10 days What helped was putting ice packs in the fridge to keep it colder longer

[@traviskvanvig9641]

Could you use a Y Connector to run a second pump (not sure it'd have to be a Versa) to flush the line coming out of the fridge with tank water or something like that? I've seen so many of those portable coolers at most get down to 50 degrees. (Not below the point at which fresh food goes bad). Does the cooler used in this video get cool enough. According to Amazon it says it cools 32-40 degrees below ambient temp. Which seems like it would be cool enough, but does it? Last question, How do you keep the thawed frozen food suspended? I was thinking an air pump would work for that housed inside the cooler? I don't know if air would make the food go bad faster? I love this idea, just worried about feeding my fish rotten food if I'm gone for 5-6 days.

[@KrigareAvHallarna]

Are we not concerned about the food in the line getting funky?

[@mariovillarreal2996]

Hey can you drill through any small fridge like that? I been looking online but can’t find any tips on it

[@ReefDudes]

Hard to say about “any” but not issue with the one we used

[@jonathanhidalgo5485]

I would have put the feeding tube back in to the mini fridge and drill the side of the fridge that way the food in the tube don’t stay hrs with out nice temperature.. fish food goes bad quick ..

[@ReefDudes]

Agreed. Well I would put pump inside of the fridge for a rev2

[@sayurasem]

This is dope.

[@KeysReef]

So cool! How long can the thawed slurry stay good for inside the fridge? Is this intended more for daily convenience or being away on travel for extended periods.

[@ReefDudes]

Se built it for when he’s on vacation but I have a feeling he will keep it for daily and we will move it to the sump room to feed via the return pump

[@andrepayton-zw7tg]

Do you have a video on the food you chopped up ?

[@MichaelMakesEverything]

So I have a dart frog terrarium with freshwater shrimp. I’de love to figure out something like this to feed the shrimp but I’m not sure what I could use as the food.

[@Waynerock77]

Any worries with the frozen food left in the tubing outside of the fridge going bad before it will dose again the next day? It would be really cool if you could incorporate some kind of flush after it pulled the proper amount of frozen food slurry.

[@fishstix1988]

basically, would you say you chop up the frozen food, and add it to the glass with the tank water? how long of food would you say is in that glass?

[@ReefDudes]

Yep but with rodi How long depends how much and how often you feed

[@PG_reef]

Hi Deven, I’m wondering if you are still using the liquid food dispenser? I’m a courious how it works long term and if maybe there is anything you could do different way (I mean better :))

[@perovic96]

Is that one an actual fridge? Most of those tiny ones are just a fan, without the compressor

[@ReefDudes]

Yep it cool. Most of the mini ones use a peitier cooler

[@bigbearmeetslittlebear3401]

Maybe the pump should be in the fridge? Food in the line rot?

[@ReefDudes]

I think it’s fine for the shorter periods between feedings have 2x per day but v2 I may try it inside

[@bigbearmeetslittlebear3401]

What if u programmed it to send food in the line after feeding back to the fridge? I think my versus have a reverse function?

[@shrekdonkey9551]

If you had it running in the sump wouldn’t the grate cover on the return get clogged up fas w small food on it

[@shrekdonkey9551]

Maybe tap into return line instead of pump w a Venturi type fitting to bypass pump while in sump

[@ReefDudes]

Nope it’s small enough. We did manually put some in there by the pump to test it. Came through fine

[@quadlawnmowerman]

tube outside fridge goes manky real fast..... Has to have a flush system after every feed, but even then it still goes manky after 3months, although tube and or H202 is cheap.

[@DanGrubb1967]

Now that's Jerry Reagan at its finest

[@ReefDudes]

Why thank you! :)

[@DanGrubb1967]

@@ReefDudes you gave me a lot of good ideas I need a bigger refrigerator though where I can put beer in it run a hose to the couch it's football and put it on minimum dose in case I pass out I won't drown

[@kaisfullerton1348]

How’s this going still rate it

[@vascojardim6703]

I am really tempted to go ahead but because the idea would be to have it permanently inside the cabinet I have the following concerns: 1) would the mini fridge be loud even sitting inside the cabinet and 2) how much heat would it generate and how would it work in the closed environment of the cabinet? Cheers!

[@ReefDudes]

Have not tried it in a cabinet but i would think it would be ok.

[@fishstix1988]

Is this setup and still going? Any lessons learned from using it for someone that also wants to build it?

[@ReefDudes]

Still going strong! Rev2 I would prob try putting the pump inside of the fridge and feeding out the bottom of the fridge so all the lines are insulated. That being fair using frozen mysis seems yo be good for 7-10 days then get a bit funky. So weekly is about the max I would stock for with this method or better yet use something already liquid like the reef nutrition version

[@fishstix1988]

what would you say the shelf life of the frozen food in the fridge would be?

[@ReefDudes]

I’m not sure. Ideally use reef nutrition that’s meant to be refrigerated

[@delphinus42]

Can the Versa pump run in reverse? If you had a doser that could spin either way then you could reverse for a few seconds after feeding to backwash the leftover food in the line back into the fridge. (But I like the idea of having the top of the fridge at tank level with a short line too.. sometimes simple is better!!)

[@ReefDudes]

It manually can run in reverse. Can’t program it too on its own (yet). Agreed simplicity is best! I have some ideas for a v2. May eventually make my self one :)

[@1tank72990]

I had the same idea but to dose phytoplankton

[@ReefDudes]

If dosing phyto I would add a magnetic stirrer to it :)

[@D.hodge87]

Did you have any problems with the food rotting or drying out in the tube?

[@ReefDudes]

If using frozen I wouldn’t want more than 5-7 days worth. If going longer I would use the reef nutrition stuff meant to be refrigerated for long term use

[@D.hodge87]

@@ReefDudes I currently run the same setup to dos Red Sea AB+ and have been contemplating trying it with frozen or creating a pass through with a Venturi valve for frozen

[@9jfd1]

Not a fan of liquid food and mysis, clogging and lots of prep work with limited shelf life even in a fridge. My idea is using a coil spring with motor to push the frozen cubes straight from freezer to sump and to display via return pump.

[@fredsantos82]

How long the food will last on the fridge?

[@ReefDudes]

That’s a good question. Not 100% sure on frozen mysis. Personally I would prob only mix a week or so at a time. If going longer I would buy an already liquid mysis like reef nutritions .

[@fishstix1988]

Did you use a drill bit a shade smaller than the tubing to ensure a tight seal?

[@fishstix1988]

Wanted to follow up on my comment

[@jril3982]

Wouldn't the food sink to the bottom of the glass and clog the line? I'd worry about the warm food in the line. I think you really need a pump that can reverse and clear the line.

[@ReefDudes]

It sucks from the bottom of the glass. If you feed multiple times a day then it isnt sitting in the lines "that long" but i agree reverse is ideal.. the pump can manually spin in reverse so i hope they add it to programming as an option so on!

[@wildernessfalconry6692]

How about the versa in the fridge ?

[@ReefDudes]

I may try that on the next version :)

[@fishstix1988]

What type of tubing are you using for it and where did you get it from?

[@ReefDudes]

Rodi tubing, or pneumatic tubing :)

[@sheemkhaa9933]

Haha reef dude vs Macgyver

[@dlegarern1]

What’s the risk of dosing spoiled food?

[@ReefDudes]

From in the lines low... for how long frozen lasts in the fridge.. not sure yet. Ideally i would use a bottled refrigerated option like reef nutritions feeds

[@ProducerReef]

Is there a way to reverse the line so it can clear it?

[@ReefDudes]

You can manually do it but I don’t think you can program it yet. I did submit that as a feature request

[@paolellawilliam]

Doesn’t work tried you have to have the shrimp flowing it will sink to the bottom and clog

[@ReefDudes]

Suck from the bottom. Maybe the food your using is to big. Try chopping it up first or use smaller mysis

[@Sammy31Dee]

I'm so lazy I just grab a cube and put on the back of a powerhead....letting the powerhead do the defrosting and mixing