Auto Fish Feeder Neptune Apex - Trick to opening without spilling everything

[14 foot reef]

Auto Fish Feeder Neptune Apex - Trick to opening without spilling everything?

I can't seem to figure out how to get the entire feeding drum out of feeder. The cap almost always pops off and sends food flying all over the floor....Any tricks to getting the drum to easily pull out, then take cap off for refilling ?

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

If any food has made it in the center where the lid snaps into the cup it can prevent the tabs from seating fully. Make sure that area stays super clean. Any food on the orange shaft can also hold the cup a bit tighter making it easier for the cover to come off when removing so make sure that’s clean too. Other than that a slow steady pull seems to work better for me. Be careful if you try and tweak the orange tabs on the shaft to make the cup easier to remove as they can break or it can be too loose and the entire cup can fall into the tank when retracting. If this is a new afs, mine took awhile to break in so to speak, where things didn’t fit so super tight and could be removed a little easier. A used to use a plastic square plate that could float under the feeder when removing the drum just in case the cap came off to catch whatever food spilled.

 

[14 foot reef]

If any food has made it in the center where the lid snaps into the cup it can prevent the tabs from seating fully. Make sure that area stays super clean. Any food on the orange shaft can also hold the cup a bit tighter making it easier for the cover to come off when removing so make sure that’s clean too. Other than that a slow steady pull seems to work better for me. Be careful if you try and tweak the orange tabs on the shaft to make the cup easier to remove as they can break or it can be too loose and the entire cup can fall into the tank when retracting. If this is a new afs, mine took awhile to break in so to speak, where things didn’t fit so super tight and could be removed a little easier. A used to use a plastic square plate that could float under the feeder when removing the drum just in case the cap came off to catch whatever food spilled.

This is why I love this forum, there is almost always a quick easy solution that someone has already experienced??
Thanks @A_Blind_Reefer

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

This is why I love this forum, there is almost always a quick easy solution that someone has already experienced??
Thanks @A_Blind_Reefer

The forum can be pretty great at times…. Other times I want to beat my head against the wall! Ha

Other than this issue and the freakin noise, they are pretty great little tools! I’ve had a couple for many years. The only other hiccups I’ve had over the years are,

The drum not centering when retracting and not pulling back in. This happens after many cycles and has always been a tiny bit of white grease on the internal gear sensor. You have to open it up and wipe off the sensor and it’s good as new. I think there’s a detailed thread here somewhere.

The other was after years of salt filling the second aquabus port and taking the unit offline. Clean the salt and corrosion from the port and cycle power, good to go. I have since put dummy usb covers in the empty slots to prevent it from happening again.