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Pond owners have a lot to consider when it comes to setting up their ideal environment for fish.
From managing temperature, to trying out a floating fish feeder, to ensuring that a proper regular feeding schedule is being met for all of the animals living inside, things can get complicated fast!
- Large capacity at 30 cups
- Works for a wide variety of pellets and sticks
- Accurate digital display
- Ideal for smaller ponds or aquariums
- Long lasting life off of a single AA battery
- Feeds up to 21 meals in one filling
- 5.5 L capacity means plenty of room for multiple feedings
- High-contrast LCD display
- Allows for both hand-feeding and automated daily feedings
When it comes to choosing a pond fish feeder, I have compiled a handy guide to choosing between some of the best automatic pond fish feeder options on the market today.
If you’re currently looking for automatic pond fish feeders for your outdoor set up, read on for my picks for best value, top pick, and more!
The Best From The Reviews
Fish Mate P7000 Pond Fish Feeder
One of the most popular automatic pond feeders on the market! With a large capacity and a digital display for accurate and consistent portion control, this option works great for large ponds or small ponds.
Top Pick: Fish Mate P7000 Pond Fish Feeder
The FishMate P7000 makes a great choice for large ponds and small ponds, with its 7L capacity for food and ability to fit either sticks or pellets. This directional fish feeder comes with an accurate digital display and several convenient quality of life features.
Fish Mate P21 Automatic Fish Pond Feeder
The best bang for your buck for small backyard ponds or even indoor aquariums! This automatic feeder comes complete with all of the features of larger competitors with a small portion of the price.
Best Value: Fish Mate P21 Automatic Fish Pond Feeder
The smaller cousin of the P7000, this automatic fish feeder has a simple to use dial based controls for dispensing fish food at regular intervals. For people with smaller koi ponds, this is one of the best automatic fish feeders available today.
Hygger LCD Control Automatic Pond Fish Feeder
With its LCD digital display, large capacity, and waterproof design the Hygger automatic feeder is one of my favorite choices for dispensing pellet food to small fish farms, water gardens or ponds.
Editor’s Choice: Hygger LCD Control Automatic Pond Fish Feeder
The Hygger automatic feeder represents a truly quality product for keeping fish fed while you’re away from home. This pond fish feeder model has a relatively high capacity at 5.5L of food, meaning you can relax in the knowledge that there is more than enough fish feed available.
On To The Reviews…
Fish Mate P7000 Pond Fish Feeder
One of the most popular options on the market! With a large capacity and a digital display for accurate and consistent portion control, this option works great for large ponds or small ponds.
Top Pick: Fish Mate P7000 Pond Fish Feeder
The FishMate P7000 makes a great choice for large ponds and small ponds, with its 7L capacity for food and ability to fit either sticks or pellets. This model comes with an accurate digital display and several convenient quality of life features such as being dishwasher safe and manual dispensing for hand feeding.
Large Capacity
The P7000 has a large capacity, making it work great for ponds of varying sizes. The shape of the dispenser also means that it can provide just the right amount of fish food pellets or sticks to your ponds, water gardens or any other setup you may have.
Digital Display
The display on this directional fish feeder allows the user to easily read and change the feeding time, frequency, and amount. It even allows you to override and take manual control if you enjoy feeding fish by hand.
Mounting
Unlike other models on this list, this automatic feeder does not allow for variable mounting. With its solid base platform, it can only be mounted either on the ground or on top of something, an advantage that hanging feeders have.
Specs
- 30 cup (~7L) capacity
- Runs off of 4 x C batteries
Pros
- Large capacity at 30 cups
- Works for a wide variety of pellets and sticks
- Accurate digital display
Cons
- Lack of hanging or mounting ability can limit placement options
Fish Mate P21 Automatic Fish Pond Feeder
The best bang for your buck for small backyard ponds or even indoor aquariums! This option comes complete with all of the features of larger competitors with a small portion of the price.
Best Value: Fish Mate P21 Automatic Fish Pond Feeder
The smaller cousin of the P7000, this automatic fish feeder has a simple to use dial based controls for dispensing fish food at regular intervals. For people with a small backyard pond or a koi pond, this is one of the best automatic fish feeders available today.
Ease of Use
For such a small package, the P21 brings a whole lot of usability to the table. With its simple to read and understand settings, not having the full digital display of other auto pond fish feeders may not be such an issue. Uses a simple dial and bar to track the amount of food and timing in between feedings.
The design of this auto feeder model means it can function either be hung or pole mounted, making it adaptable to a variety of different placements based on your needs.
Long Lasting Battery
This auto feeder model can last for up to one year’s continuous use with a single AA battery! This means that for a fraction of the cost, you’ll be getting a whole lot more life (and fish feed) out of your purchase.
Capacity
Being the smallest option on our list today, the P21 does come with some drawbacks compared to other automatic pond feeders.
Not having a huge capacity may not be much of an issue for shorter trips away from home or smaller outdoor setups, but for those with a large pond the P7000 may be the better choice.
Specs
- Holds approximately 1.5 cups (~1/3L)
- Runs off of a single AA battery
Pros
- Ideal for smaller ponds or aquariums
- Long lasting life off of a single AA battery
- Feeds up to 21 meals in one fillin
Cons
- Small size may not be the best for large koi ponds or other setups
Hygger LCD Control Automatic Pond Fish Feeder
With its LCD display, large capacity, and waterproof design the Hygger automatic feeder is one of my favorite choices for dispensing pellet food to small fish farms or ponds. Hygger is known for producing quality products for the home aquarium.
Editor’s Choice: Hygger LCD Control Automatic Pond Fish Feeder
The Hygger automatic feeder represents a truly quality product for feeding fish while you’re away from home.
This model has a relatively high capacity at 5.5L of food, meaning you can relax in the knowledge that there is more than enough fish feed available.
Easy Automatic Controls
Along with the high quality LCD display for accurate measurement and fish food dispensing, this model has a built-in memory.
What this means is that when you shut the Hygger off, it will remember the last input with regards to feeding schedule and amount, making things even easier should you need to switch between this and other feeder options.
Adjustability
Hygger auto feeders come with two different sizes of feeding screws, also known as augers.
This allows the user to choose the amount of fish food that they supply at any one time, and can be modified further with additional changes to the screws themselves such as tape or drilling.
Mounting
To get the most out of the provided mounting materials, you’ll need to drill into the ground around your pond and plae the base on a flat surface. While this may work for some setups, others may find a hanging feeder design more suitable for their needs.
Specs
- 5.5L capacity
- Runs off of 12V DC power
Pros
- 5.5 L capacity means plenty of room for multiple feedings
- High-contrast LCD display
- Allows for both hand-feeding and automated daily feedings
Cons
- Mounting platform setup may not work for all ponds
- The controller body itself is not waterproof
Texas Hunter Products Directional Fish Feeder With Straight Legs
This large capacity model made by Texas Huntsman Products is perfect for very large ponds with lots of area to cover.
Texas Hunter Products Directional Fish Feeder With Straight Legs
The Texas Hunter Products directional fish feeder with straight legs makes for a 2, robust option built of galvanized steel for people with a large amount of fish to feed and area to cover. This galvanized steel model can also be easily adjusted to feed smaller amounts over different periods of time if so desired.
Capacity
Able to hold 250lb of regular fish food (pellets/sticks) or up to 450lb. of feed corn, this model is built with large areas in mind. Couple that with the stable, easy to use mounting structure and you’ve got a piece that is sure to last the lifetime of its 9 year included warranty with no problems.
Centrifugal Sprayer
The patented air blower system of these auto feeders casts feed over a 20’x45′ wedge, and eliminates food drop within 3-5 feet of the device itself.
This means that the maximum amount possible gets out into the water, rather than remaining as uneaten food which is a major plus for pond owners trying to cut back on supplemental feed.
Price
This is by far the largest and most expensive of the automatic feeders on today’s list, and as such it may not be suitable for some.
If you know that you have a smaller setup that doesn’t need this much food or storage, other options such as the FishMate P7000 may be more of a good fit.
Specs
- 250lb. food capacity
- Runs off of an included 12V rechargeable battery
Pros
- Huge, 250lb. capacity
- Incredibly stable and weather resistant
- Powerful centrifugal air blower system for maximum reach
Cons
- The most expensive option on today’s list
- May be overkill for smaller setups with less fish or area
Directional Feeder With Adjustable Legs
The smaller variety of the straight-legged Texas Hunter Products line, this option comes with the same quality construction and powerful centrifugal air blower system with a smaller size (and price tag!)
Directional Feeder With Adjustable Legs
The Texas Hunter Products adjustable leg auto feeders are another example of the high quality and thought that this company puts into their models.
With durable construction, patented food distribution system, and high capacity, this is one of the best automatic pond fish feeders for those not needing the full storage of the larger model.
Centrifugal Feeding
This system allows for a natural feeding pattern while minimizing the amount of uneaten food.
Unlike other directional fish feeders, the sprayer focuses a barrage of food pellets or corn into a cone roughly 20’x45′ in front of it, allowing as much feed flow as possible to actually reach your fish.
Adjustable Legs
This model has a range of ~7″ of adjustability, allowing you to customize your setup to your needs. If you need to reach a bit farther, simply raise the legs up a bit and you’ll get more reach out of these automatic fish feeders!
Price
As with other Texas Hunter models, this version is still quite expensive compared to others on the list. If price is no option and you need even more capacity, consider the straight leg variety for over twice the food storage.
Specs
- 75lb. Pellet capacity, 150lb. corn capacity
- Uses a rechargeable 12V battery
Pros
- High capacity compared to other fish feeders on the list
- Adjustable height
- Powerful centrifugal blower system
Cons
- Even with a smaller capacity than the other model, may still be too much for some
- Expensive
On Time Wildlife Feeders Solar Fish Combo
As our sustainable pick of the list, this option comes with a built in solar panel and a large storage capacity.
On Time Wildlife Feeders Solar Fish Combo
The One Time Wildlife Fish Feeder is an interesting option compared to other feeders.
With an onboard solar panel in addition to the usual gamut of a digital timer and programmable input, this model strikes a good middle ground compared to the more pricey options on the list.
Solar Panel
The most unique feature of this feeder kit is the solar panel built into the design. This allows it to run for much longer periods than normal battery-powered or even rechargeable options. Provided you have enough sunlight, your feeder will continue to provide enough food for your pond fish daily for months to come.
Sturdy Construction
The sturdy, simple construction of these automatic feeders makes them perfect for people looking for something that will last and be easy to install. Simply attach to a feeding pole next to the water and you’re good to go!
Design
The relatively open design of this particular model makes it potentially prey for troublesome rodents like squirrels and raccoons.
Without some form of protection or barrier, you may see all of your feed or corn go towards the local wildlife, rather than your pond fish!
Specs
- 25 gallons of storage for around 200 lb. of food capacity
- Runs off of a 6V battery that is chargeable with the built in solar
Pros
- Built in solar panel
- Large capacity
- Can mount to a post
Cons
- Design may be easy to pick into for rodents and raccoons
To help you in your search for the best pond fish feeder, let’s go through some questions about pond feeders.
Are Automatic Fish Pond Feeders Any Good?
For a relatively recent development in the home aquarium world, automatic feeders can help to feed your pond fish adequately in just about any pond size.
Most auto feeders may come with a premium digital timer, long battery lives, and potentially massive storage capacities to allow you to plan for one feeding or several weeks at a time.
NOTE
Even with something like a programmable timer, many of these options will still allow you to manually feed your bigger fish if so desired.
Different designs of fish feeders for ponds have a variety of feeding mechanisms for feeding your pond fish. From hanging, stationary, spinner plate, or even floating fish feeders you have your choice of feeding times and how much food you give your fish.
Can You Overfeed Fish In A Pond?
Even in a large pond, it is still possible to feed your fish too much food. Given that most home ponds are still a closed system, they act somewhat like your tank at home.
At some point, you can overwhelm the natural biological and mechanical filtration of your system, and cause a buildup of harmful chemicals such as ammonia leading to a poisoning event.
This is why the importance of timing and monitoring cannot be stressed enough when you feed your pond fish. If you think that you have put too much food in your pond, you can try and do a water change or use a pond vacuum to remove the excess food.
TIP
Before you leave your pond in the hands of a newly purchased feeder, be sure to double check your feeding times and test feed your fish.
How Often Should You Feed Fish In A Pond?
While this may seem like a fairly straightforward question, the answer is that it depends on the variety of fish in your pond and the water temperature.
In general in ponds between 65-70 degrees, once a day should be adequate. For ponds warmer than this, up to three times a day can be just fine, assuming that your fish are active and will eat that much food.
To learn how to feed your fish on your pond, check out the video below.
Conclusion
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this review and found the best pond feeder that works for your particular setup. While there are a lot of options out there, some ways to feed your fish are definitely better than others.
If you still haven’t decided on the best pond fish feeder for you, here are a few last minute tips.
- Large capacity at 30 cups
- Works for a wide variety of pellets and sticks
- Accurate digital display
- Ideal for smaller ponds or aquariums
- Long lasting life off of a single AA battery
- Feeds up to 21 meals in one filling
- 5.5 L capacity means plenty of room for multiple feedings
- High-contrast LCD display
- Allows for both hand-feeding and automated daily feedings
Top Pick
The Fish Mate P7000 makes a great choice for both big ponds and small, with its 7L capacity for food and ability to fit either sticks or pellets. This automatic pond feeder model comes with an accurate digital display and several convenient quality of life features such as being dishwasher safe and manual dispensing for hand feeding.
Best Value
The smaller cousin of the P7000, this automatic fish feeder has a simple to use dial based controls for dispensing fish food at regular intervals. For people with smaller koi ponds, this is one of the best automatic fish feeders available today.
Editor’s Choice
The Hygger automatic pond feeder represents a truly quality product for feeding fish while you’re away from home. This model has a relatively high capacity at 5.5L of food, meaning you can relax in the knowledge that there is more than enough fish feed available.
Thanks for Reading!
I hope you’ve found this article helpful in choosing the pond feeder option for you. For other pond accessories, check out my other articles, I have you covered.
As always feel free to share this article with any other fish fanatics you know, and I wish you the best of luck on your continued aquarium adventures.
