I fully agree with twitch. You will however be limited in the size of feeder you can use if you are using a float rod,

It might be cheaper in the long run to buy a designated feeder rod rather than risk damaging your float rod.

Mark,

Take a browse through the Beginners Essentials & First Class fishing articles on here and many of your questions will be answered.

I'd go along with the advice that a proper medium feeder rod is the best bet. Something like a Shimano Hyperloop medium feeder is excellent value and will do the job far better than abusing a float rod.