# Eheim Auto Feeder (3581 Feed-Air Digital Auto Feeder) - A Simple Review



## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

For Christmas of 2010, I was planning on a trip out of town to spend time with my mother for the holidays. I had a 30 gallon planted tank that houses 4 Dwarf Gouramis, 2 Guppies, a single Ghost Shrimp, and a Bristlenose Pleco that would still need taken care of. Since no one was going to be home, the best option I had was an auto feeder. I wasn't too worried about the tank becoming dirty due to the fact of how well planted tanks tend to take care of themselves, but I'm pretty sure a fish or two may not have survived the fast.

So off to the local Petco I went to take a look and see just what they had. Of course the cheaper $20 Petco brand feeder attracted my attention first, simply because of the price. So I bought one, took it home, only to find out it wouldn't even power on out of the box... so I brought it back, and seen the Eheim model on the shelf that I actually hadn't noticed before. So I traded the non-working one back in to Petco, paid the difference for the Eheim model, and made my merry way back home to set it up.























My setup with it required me to set it on top of my light fixture so that it drops the food in the open gap at the back of the hood, that is until I make a new hood and upgrade the light.














*Front Face / Controls*

The controls are very simple to use, much like every other auto feeder you may find.













*Simple and easy to read LCD clock, although I do wish it gave the option to use a 12 hour format instead of just the 24 hour format

*LCD displays number of daily programmed feedings, and how many turns/drops of food it will make on that programmed time. These are represented by a little number (1,2,3, or 4, as the unit can be programmed for 4 feedings a day), and little arrows pointing down to show the number of food drops, or turns the drum will make on that programmed time (one arrow for 1 turn, two arrows for 2 turns)

*Simple and familiar "Mode", "+", and "Set" buttons for programming.

*Override feed button; the large button on top with the word "Eheim" printed on it. Pressing it at any time will make the drum spin once.




*Food Drum*

For my use, the drum is ample size to hold maybe a month's worth of food













*Large drum can hold a LOT of food. In fact, about 1/4 of the canister of flake food that I use.

*Simple sliding door allows for easy and accurate change in food dose size, from "just a smidgen", to "as much food as you could possibly grab between your index finger and thumb"

*Internal baffle in the drum keeps the doses pretty regular in sizes. I haven't noticed any two doses to be too far off in quantity; they've all seemed really close to each other in quantity.



*Where it gets it's name "Feed-Air"*

The unit has a nice little feature that helps keep the food dry, which can be a problem for auto feeders when set up on most aquariums running a heater, since the water evaporating can find it's way into the food drum, condensate, and cause the flakes to gum up and clog the feeder, or even rot the food.

It does this with a little fan mounted inside the unit that pulls and in from one side of the unit and pushes it through the drum. The little fan kicks on when the unit spins the drum.















*In Action*


YouTube - Eheim auto feeder






*Final Thoughts*

* Pros
-Easy to program, set up, and use
-Food dying feature
-Large food drum capacity
-Excellent quality from a well known brand

* Cons
-Really, the only con I have about it is the mounting options, or lack there of. The unit MUST be set on a flat surface. I so badly wish that there were a way to mount it to the rim/edge of the tank instead of just setting it on something and letting the drum hang out over the water.



Overall, I give this Eheim auto feeder a 9 out of 10. Were it not for the mounting limitations, it would be an easy 10.


If you're planning on being away from home for a week or more, or simply want to make life easier and put your tank on a regular feeding schedule, you might want to consider picking one of these up and giving it a try; I highly recommend it!


*Glasses*


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## togdyslexia (Jan 8, 2011)

i also have this feeder and agree the only real draw back is the mounting options. i have to attach it to the front of the tank and leave the lid open since it wont fit anywhere else.


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## AliceInDallas (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks so much for this great review! And with video, too! I was very concerned about what kind of feeder to get when we start going back to the farm for a few days per month. My only experience with automatic feeders was years ago, and it wasn't good .... I can still see that gunked up, damp flake food in the feeder, from condensation. This "air feeder" is just a wonderful idea - and it obviously works! Thanks again for taking the time to post this.


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## AliceInDallas (Dec 18, 2010)

*Re: 3581 Feed-Air Digital Auto Feeder - Is this the same as Eheim Everyday Feeder?*

Hello again. I did go ahead and order an Eheim Feed-Air Digital automatic fish feeder, from Amazon. The package arrived today, and I am a bit confused. The box says Eheim Everyday Fish Feeder. The number on the box is 3581090. The Amazon website and the title of the product posting say "Feed-Air," but nothing on or in the box that I received says "Feed-Air". Not anywhere. And the inserts don't talk about a little fan which keeps the food dry (thus, Feed-Air). It refers to a "ventilation" opening. 

So my question is, do you think that I got the wrong feeder model in the mail? That is, is there an "Eheim Feed-Air" automatic fish feeder AND a different (lesser) model that is just the "Eheim Everyday Fish Feeder"? I can't get a clue to this on the internet. Not on Eheim's website either. Where did the "Feed-Air" label come from, other than in advertisements? If I got the wrong one, I will return it. Many thanks for any clarification you can bring to this issue.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

any chance you could post a photo of it?


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## AliceInDallas (Dec 18, 2010)

automatic-hydromatic said:


> any chance you could post a photo of it?


 Hi - thanks for following up! But I think I now have the answer from a couple of retailers. Apparently, this is the new name of the product. “Feed Air” is the old title and “Everyday Feeder” is the new title. These feeders are actually one in the same. So I will go ahead and feed my fish!  Thanks again!


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