Development and Evaluation of a Programmable Dispensing System for Juvenile Lobster Micro-Pellet Feed

Efficient feeding is a major challenge in aquaculture, particularly for juvenile stages of tropical rock lobster Panulirus ornatus, which require frequent, controlled rations of formulated micro-feed pellets. Conventional feed delivery systems are labour-intensive, mechanically unsuitable, and are limited in dose accuracy and scheduling flexibility. This study developed a programmable, web-based automatic feeding system incorporating a custom auger mechanism optimised for milligram-scale delivery of micro-feed pellets. A structured experimental testing approach was used to investigate the effect of flight clearance, pitch, core diameter, and the downstream taper to minimise pellet breakage, reduce delivery variance, and achieve reliable low-mass dispensing. The final auger design delivered 50.88 ± 7.36 mg of feed per revolution. The integrated control system enabled user-defined, multi-ration feeding schedules and discrete delivery events. The system reduced the labour associated with manual dispensing and provided configurable control over feed quantity and delivery timing. The developed system provides a scalable platform for low-dose feed delivery in research and commercial aquaculture settings and supports future integration with automated behavioural monitoring and adaptive feeding strategies.