Raspberry Pi automated fish feeder Fish Food

Whether at work or on vacation, every pet lover worries about how to take care of their little roommates in their absence. What aquarium owners need is an automatic feeder

- Swen Hopfe

Aquarium feeders have been around for a long time, but after my recent research, none of the devices really seemed practical to my mind. Very few devices provide feedback about malfunctions, which could be a nasty surprise when you return home. I created this automatic feeder project for my aquarium for peace of mind.

A Raspberry Pi Zero is a good choice as a control center for a fish feeder: It comes with everything you need to control the mechanical system and to grab images with a Pi cam (Figure 1). It is also compact enough to fit in a small housing. Integrating a Pi Zero W with your wireless home network will allow you to post various captured images online while you are on the road.

The goal was a simple setup that was not prone to errors. Therefore, the mechanical control system only uses one small servomotor. The circuitry of the electronics is just as simple. A DIY control system ensures a certain level of convenience. Two feeders add variety and are quite sufficient to bridge an absence of time equivalent to a three-week vacation.

Getting Started