Inserts for Betta food pellets for FishMate F14 automatic fish feeder

thingiverse

The FishMate F14 automatic fish feeder has trouble dispensing tiny Betta Bio-Gold food pellets. It seems like the rotor wasn't designed for this type of food. These inserts make the feeder work much better with small betta pellets. I originally tried designing a completely new rotor, but my printer couldn't print it flat enough. Instead, I went with this insert design. Note: Sometimes one or two pellets from a meal don't drop. I think this is due to static electricity (plastic machine + tiny pellets). You might want to add an extra pellet to each meal, just in case. Or let me know if you solve the problem another way. Caution: An automatic fish feeder can fail in many different ways. This could lead to the death of your fish. You assume all risk if you leave your fish unattended for multiple days. Instructions: Print 15 copies (actually 14 would be enough, since one hole is always exposed). Each insert should fit with very slight pressure. You might have to sand them a bit to get them just right. If they're too tight, the rotor will deform and may bind, causing it to fail to rotate. A stuck rotor means a hungry fish or worse. Notice that each chamber of the original rotor has a small ramp at the bottom of the trailing wall. The inserts are slightly narrower than this ramp. When you install them, align each one with the leading wall - in other words, bias them towards counter-clockwise. This will leave a small gap near the trailing wall. You might need to clean up the small hole in the bottom with a drill or file. Make sure food won't get hung up. Make sure the bottom of each insert is flat and smooth. It's crucial that the bottom surface of the rotor and the inserts are smooth and flat and all aligned. With the rotor on a hard, flat surface, press all of the inserts in from the top. Install the rotor on the feeder and verify that it spins freely. If not, find the tightest inserts and sand them more. Optional but recommended: Since the inserts aren't a tight fit, you probably should glue them in place. I used a tiny dab of hot melt glue on one top corner of each. Check to make sure the feeder lid doesn't interfere with the rotor. I removed my feeder's lid because the hot-melt glue was hitting it.