Eheim 3582 Twin

Feeder

Rating:

Aquariums are becoming more and more popular these days, and as a result, the surrounding technology begins to evolve. The Eheim 3582 Twin automatic feeder is a perfect example.

At a price of nearly $80.00USD, this automatic feeder is one of the most versatile on the market today. The feeder has two very large feed hoppers each with a capacity of 80 mL. Each drum is capable of handling pellets, flake, and granular food. Each hopper has the ability to be programmed to dispense food at three times in a 24 hour period. The feeder uses two large augers to lift food up to the opening and dispense it into the aquarium, and the screws can be programmed to turn from 0 to 9 times. A manual override feature is available for each feed hopper as well. Programming the feeder can be a difficult process, especially without the aide of the owners manual. Since the owners manual combines 5 languages, it does make it moderately difficult to follow, but once you get the hang of it, the process becomes more straight-forward.

The product comes fully assembled in the package, and requires 4 AA batteries to operate the unit which are included. Installing the batteries did require the aide of the owners manual, since the compartment is not obvious at first sight. Loading food in the hoppers is simple, the lid flips open exposing the hopper, and the large opening allows for easy filling. The feeder comes with the option of rubber feet, or a more secure Velcro option to secure the unit on your aquarium. Still, these options are not the most secure, but still work well with this automatic feeder.

With dimensions of 6.5"x2.75"x4.5", and at 525g empty, the product looks a little out of place on tanks smaller than 30 gallons, but the unit will look right at home atop larger aquariums. The display is right on the front of the unit, and displays turns-per-feeding of each screw, the time in 24-hour format, and battery power, which is excellent to know when you are leaving the unit unattended for several days. If the feeder becomes clogged, the display will alert you with a message indicating the blocked screw, which will take out the guesswork of the matter. The controls are located just below the display, but the buttons are hard to press, so the unit must have additional support while making changes to the program or using the manual override feature.

The feeder stores food below the opening which is nicely covered with a large hatch to prevent moisture from fouling the feed inside the unit. The feeder comes apart nicely, and is easily cleaned, I found canned air to be the best solution. Depending on the type of food and the amount dispensed, the feeder will dispense food anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months or more. The accuracy of the automatic feeder is exceptional, comparable with individual hopper feeders. The greatest accuracy is found with larger food such as pellets, but flakes and granular food have slightly more variation.

The Eheim 3582 Twin automatic feeder is for hobbyists that are willing to pay more for a product that has greater versatility than most. At $80 bucks, this is by far not a bargain product, but you get what you pay for with this unit. If you are a hobbyist looking for a feeder on a small aquarium, or for occasional use, this product is not for you. This product is for on-the-go people with larger aquariums, and has the flexibility to adapt to a complex feeding schedule and a variety of types of food. If you are on-the-go most of the time, this product will be one of the best ways to spend $80. It does take time to get used to the programming interface, but it is outlined in the provided owners manual and the unit does store the program in memory between a change of batteries preventing the need to reprogram the unit. This feeder is by far one of the best money can buy.

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This product was sent for testing at no charge. Read more about this here.