First off, this feeder saved my tropical fish during a 5-day trip. The 15 pre-portioned compartments eliminated my fear of overfeeding—no more coming home to a cloudy tank. I used sinking pellets (flakes are a no-go, as warned), and each rotation dumped a perfect 2g portion.

The setup? Not exactly plug-and-play. The manual feels like decoding hieroglyphics—took me 20 minutes to realize '--' means 'skip this feeding' (not '0'). Pro tip: Test it with rice grains first. Mine initially dumped 4 portions at once until I cracked the programming logic.

Mounting is its Achilles' heel. My rimmed tank forced a MacGyver moment—I ended up balancing it on a suction-cupped soap dish. The included suction cups failed spectacularly within hours. But once secured? The LCD display and reliable battery life (3 AAs lasted 8 weeks) made it worth the hassle.

Best feature? Visual confirmation. Unlike drum feeders, I can peek mid-vacation and see exactly which compartments remain—no guessing if my cichlids got fed. Just wish it handled flakes for my betta's fancy diet.