Looking for a fish feeder to mount on the end of my dock. Anyone have a good recommendation on one? Is it worth spending $400+ or does the Moultrie feeders that are less than $100 work just fine? Please help!

Thanks

The big advantage of the larger feeders, of course, is the amount of feed they will hold....and disperse. If that isn't important to you, then don't spend the big bucks.

I've owned them all over the years...and the coons around here have managed to destroy every one of them. Now, I take the simple approach and just hang a cheap Moultrie bucket feeder for about $50 bucks. I refill it about every 10 days or so. The coons here will occasionally get the best of a spinner unit, but just replace it on the bucket and press on. Very easy to replace.

In the interest of full disclosure, LOL, I need to add that I am a "feed only in moderation" person. I have seen the effects of dumping hundreds of pounds of artificial feed into your pond, and frankly, hate what it does, so the simple bucket feeders meet my needs perfectly.

While I very much respect his opinion, I have had the exact opposite experience of Meadowlark. We have around a dozen Texas Hunter fish feeders on our lakes. We used to use the cheap ones and had all sorts of problems. Have had zero issues since upgrading, and the coons can't do a thing to them.

The big difference is not the capacity, it's the blower. The nice feeders have a blower that kicks on first, then the feed drops. The blower stays on after all the feed is gone to make sure nothing stays stuck in the feeder to attract coons or anything else. The blower makes it impossible for the feeder to seize up because it blows any "leftover" food out so no residual is left in the mechanism to clog it up.

I would strongly recommend you go with a good fish feeder like Texas Hunter or Sweeney.

I have owned the cheap ones and they jam and are essentially junk! You can build one yourself for a lot cheaper than the commercial ones. There are two units "straight shooters" that you can purchase from $125.00-$150.00. Mount it to a 55 gallon drum and put some legs on it and you are good to go. Pm me if you need info on the spin units. Good Luck!!!

I've yet to find a fish feeder that can stand up to commercial use. After over 35 years I've come to the conclusion that the best way to feed fish is with a five gallon bucket and a scoop.

The feeder can't tell you if the fish are eating, it can't respond to feeding the fish "ad libitum" (till full) nor can it make adjustments based on current weather.

I "inherited" some large auto feeders and found it ever so much more effective to just pay somebody to feed my fish every day by hand.

The best of the lot are the Texas Hunter brand, but still, corrosion remains an issue along with the others mentioned above.

LOL, absolutely could not agree more!!

I'm sure y'all are right, but this is not practical for most. Sure, at a commercial fish farm there are employees there daily to feed. Most landowners can't get out to their pond or lake every day to hand feed their fish, though, so feeders are the only option.

In that case, an auto feeder is a lot better than none at all. Try to place it where it won't get ants and coons. Some hang them on a post out in the water and not on the dock. More difficult to service, but doesn't get ants.

Better if it has some kind of roof over it too, and keep it clean. Feed is corrosive and if it gets to making places where it builds up, it'll rot out a hole.

They make some jim dandies over in Japan for feeding high dollar koi, with video and scales, but $$$ and not big enough for most earth pond applications.

If anyone is interested, I will post up a picture of a swinging gate I have built for the economical small feeders.

It swings out three feet or so off the dock and absolutely helps with coons and ants. In fact, it eliminates the ant problem totally and if you set a couple of traps intelligently next to the gate on the dock, coons are pretty well neutralized.

Pm returned

Little late to the punch here but PondKing in Gainesville Tx makes a great fish feeder. We make a mounted fish feeder that can mount most anywhere, but it also has an optional swinging arm that you can place on the bank. We also make a floating feeder that holds a lot more feed. If those don't suit you we can order Sweeney bank feeders for you. Check out our website for more information, they're Texas made 100% and are durable.

I prefer you Fish Mate F14 Aquarium fish feeder, I have been using this device for 2 years. Yes, I am also a travel lover. mostly every weekend I and my families went a short trip. I have an aquarium, where I fixed this device for my cute fish for their feeding. I have also faced these same problems when I don't have any automatic fish feeder machine. Then, after lots of research on the internet, I got this link: https://fishboxpro.com/best-automatic-fish-feeder-reviews/, this site has given me the best fish feeder reviews. If you can you just go through the link.

I believe your link is reviewing auto fish feeder options for aquarium type use. I think the OP is looking for larger applications.