Howdy Gents,

I assist a gentleman around me with misc. tasks, in up keeping his 1 acre pond. In return I get to fish it - not a bad gig. With that said, I am having a recurring problem with his feeder become clogged, and not working. When I rip it apart- its always the same thing- the feed has somehow 'clotted' at the bottom and the clots are full of white maggots. It's a dual motor system. One turns the impeller to bring the feed from the barrel to the "blower", and the other operates the "blower" motor. (I know some/most feeders are 1 motor) The feed is high quality game and wild fish feed, its not expired either- and the feeder is set to run three times a day- never an battery issue either. The feeder is water-proof,and i've never noticed any water getting in thru the seals--------and only the feed at the bottom, within the housing-unit appears to get effected. The top feed is always perfect and dry.

I have gotten there late enough in this process one year- that the maggots turned into black flies. Looked like something out of a horror movie. The smell is vile. It's clogged again - and about to rip it apart and clean out all the spoiled and rotten food- but just wondering if anyone has come across anything like this and how to avoid it- so this can hopefully be the last time I have to play with maggots.

I will say, I have been keeping the feeder full- with nearly 500lbs - which is what I was told the original pond medics did. But most fish feeders I've seen are much smaller. This appears to be a deer feeder basin with a fish feeder attachment. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Tight Lines,
Matt

Could rain be blowing up n there?

Just a guess but I’d bet the feed is getting wet somehow. You said it is waterproof. How close to the water is it?

Just a guess but I’d bet the feed is getting wet somehow. You said it is waterproof. How close to the water is it?

Thanks for the responses, gents. I guess it is possible that rain is somehow getting in via the blower wheel (which is the only exposed component). The feeder is pretty darn close to the waters edge- when the pond is full. The front feet are posted on cinderblocks in the water - when the ponds full.....Water level is down about 10-12 feet from normal currently, and has been since the last time I ripped the thing apart. I've seen a lot of fish feeders - some even float on the water- and others are very close to the waters edge....only difference I can think of between this feeder and every other one I've seen is the size of it- its enormous- it'd be a big deer feeder....wondering if just theres just too much feed in it----- but I have no idea- I am open and listening to any and all ideas--- cause this stuff smells like death.....


Side note- tommar I was in afghan in 09 too- helmand and kandahar. thanks for your service.

matt

Those maggots are more nutritious to your small fish than the actual feed.

Moisture is most likely the cause. Get creative in looking for moisture penetration. Also, until you find the moisture leak, use less feed in the feeder, much less....like only 25 pounds or so and watch it carefully.

Mehtar Lam commonly called meth lab. Laghman Province just east of Kabul.

appreciate the feedback, meadowlark- for clarification, the complaint isn't the actual maggots themselves, as fish love to eat them, its that the "maggot ball" clogs the blower - and then the feeder stops working. the maggots were just one of the symptoms - not the problem. I agree moisture is somehow getting in there- I just can't think of a plausible way how water is getting in.

Call the manufacturer maybe.

HA- thats a good idea----- stupidly never thought of that----

Ill call tomorrow and see what they say and give updates.

👍👍

I agree with Meadowlark !

Meadowlark
TFF Team Angler
M
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,240
East Texas
Those maggots are more nutritious to your small fish than the actual feed.

Moisture is most likely the cause. Get creative in looking for moisture penetration. Also, until you find the moisture leak, use less feed in the feeder, much less....like only 25 pounds or so and watch it carefully.