Jennifer
Looking for expert pet advice? WeLovePetz is here to help you.
The ‘Truth’ Test: Did My Fish Starve?
I am always suspicious when a brand adds “New Generation 2025” to a product name. Usually, it means they just changed the color of the plastic. I picked up the FISHNOSH Automatic Feeder to see if it was actually an upgrade or just another generic rebrand.
I set this up on a 55-gallon community tank and left it running for a week while I was still home to monitor it. The primary claim is “9 feedings a day.” To be clear: you can set 3 specific times (e.g., 8 AM, 12 PM, 6 PM), and for each time, you can tell the drum to rotate 1, 2, or 3 times. So yes, technically 9 drops, but really only 3 distinct meal times.
The good news? It didn’t fail. Every day at the set times, the motor engaged, and food dropped. However, the volume control is where things get messy. On the first day, the “single rotation” dumped enough food for fifty fish, not my fifteen. I had to spend a solid 20 minutes fiddling with the slider gate to get the portion size right.
🏗️ Build & Design Audit
The Look and Feel:
The unit is made of a distinct blue plastic. It feels lightweight—honestly, a bit cheap. It doesn’t have the dense, premium feel of an Eheim feeder. The battery compartment (it takes 2 AA batteries) is tight, and the cover feels like it might snap if you force it.
The Screen:
It features a small LCD screen on top. It is readable in daylight, but it is not backlit. If your tank is in a dark corner or under a cabinet, you will need a flashlight to program it. The buttons are rubberized and responsive, which is a plus.
Mounting Mechanism:
This uses a plastic screw clamp to attach to the tank wall. On my rimless tank, it gripped fine. However, on my tank with a standard black plastic rim, the clamp jaw wasn’t quite wide enough to sit flush. It sat at a slight angle, which made me nervous that it might vibrate off into the water.
⚙️ Real-World Performance
Specs are boring. Here is how it actually handled daily aquarium life.
The “Top-Filling” Feature
This is my favorite part of the design. unlike many competitors where you have to detach the entire drum to refill it, the FISHNOSH has a little hatch on top. You just pop it open and pour food in. It sounds minor, but when you are rushing to leave for the airport, not having to dismantle the feeder is a huge convenience.
Handling Moisture
I tested this with flakes first. I placed the feeder near the output of my sponge filter (where bubbles pop). This was a mistake. Within 48 hours, the steam rising from the bubbles had turned the flakes inside the drum into a sticky, moldy clump. The food stopped dropping because it was stuck to the walls of the drum.
I cleaned it out and switched to pellets. Pellets handled the humidity much better. By the end of the week, the pellets were still loose and dispensing correctly. Lesson learned: If you use this, keep it far away from airstones, or only use pellets.
Programming Logic
The manual is written in broken English, which made the initial setup frustrating. You have to hold the “Set” button to enter the mode, then cycle through hours/minutes. It’s not intuitive. I accidentally set it to feed at 3 AM because I messed up the 24-hour clock conversion. Once it is set, though, it remembers the schedule as long as the batteries are good.
⚠️ The Downsides (Critical)
It works, but there are flaws you need to know about:
1. No USB Power Option
This unit runs exclusively on batteries. There is no option to plug it into a wall outlet. This gives me anxiety for long trips. If the batteries die on day 3 of a 10-day vacation, your fish don’t eat. I would have preferred a hybrid power system.
2. The Slider Gate is Too Loose
The little plastic slider that controls how much food falls out moves too easily. I bumped the feeder with my elbow while cleaning the glass, and the slider moved from “small pinch” to “dump everything.” I had to tape it in place to ensure it stayed consistent.
3. Not Great for Micro-Foods
I tried putting crushed baby fish food in it. It poured out like a waterfall even on the smallest setting. This feeder is designed for standard pellets or large flakes, not fry food or powders.
📊 Pros/Cons Table
| 👍 What I Liked | 👎 What I Didn’t Like |
|---|---|
| Top Refill Hatch: Super easy to add food without removing the unit. | Battery Only: No USB backup creates risk for long trips. |
| Multi-Rotation: Can feed “heavy” eaters by spinning 3 times per session. | Moisture Issues: Flakes clump up quickly if near humidity. |
| Price: Significantly cheaper than big-name brands. | Loose Slider: Portion control gate slides too easily. |
| Quiet: The motor is barely audible when turning. | Plastic Clamp: Struggles to grip securely on rimmed tanks. |
⚔️ Head-to-Head: FISHNOSH vs. Eheim Everyday Feeder
The Eheim Everyday Feeder is the legend in this category. How does the cheap blue challenger compare?
Reliability: 🏆 Eheim wins. The Eheim has an integrated fan that actively blows air through the food drum to keep it dry. The FISHNOSH lacks this, making it prone to clogging.
Convenience: 🏆 FISHNOSH wins. The top-fill hatch is a feature Eheim lacks (you have to take the Eheim apart to fill it).
Mounting: 🏆 Eheim wins. The Eheim clamp is heavier and includes a weighted base for standing on top of hoods. The FISHNOSH is clamp-only and feels less stable.
Price: 🏆 FISHNOSH wins. You can buy two of these for the price of one Eheim.
👨⚖️ Expert Verdict
The FISHNOSH Automatic Fish Feeder is a decent budget solution, but I wouldn’t trust it for a month-long expedition.
Strictly For:
Aquarium owners going away for a long weekend (3-4 days) who feed pellets. It is great for rimless tanks and straightforward setups where you just need the fish to get fed without spending $50.
Avoid If:
You exclusively feed flakes (they will get soggy), you have a tank with a thick plastic rim, or you are leaving for more than two weeks (battery anxiety is real). Also, if you have very small fish that need tiny portions, this machine lacks the precision you need.
