I have three AFS feeders ( one in for service right now) and I think they are great! The noise posts were in my opinion unreasonable. I don't find that they are noisy at all. In fact if I want to check the operation I have to have silence in the room to hear it.
The USB and power location may be a problem. Be sure to have your unit raised well above the water line. Use a drip loop and reduce clutter by powering the unit with the USB bus. I have not tried it yet but the use of dielectric compound on the three openings in the back my reduce the possibility of corrosion.
Dielectric compound is a non conductive paste that will help seal the openings. It is non conductive and looks very much like Vaseline. It's used in the automotive industry, for example it is used on spark plug boots to keep them from sticking to the plugs and preventing water from shorting out the circuit.
Programming is a breeze and can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. In my opinion feeding your fish small amounts throughout the day will reduce food waste, nitrates, and phosphates. I have already noticed a drop in all three since the install. Selecting the amount to feed each time is accomplished by adjusting the amount of food dispensed each time with a slider in the drum. You can also program the unit to activate the drum more than once at each feeding. There is no limit to the many configurations on how much food and when the food is dispensed.
When removing the feed drum to either refill it or adjust the amount dispensed with each rotation extreme caution must be used. When the drum is in the seated position removing the drum can be very tricky. The drum's cover is all the is exposed when the drum is seated. It is very easy to accidentally remove only the cover and not the drum. This courses the contents in the drum to spill into the tank.
It is for this reason that I recommend that you remove the feeder from he tank each time you refill the drum. Maybe Neptune could create a command for the feeder the would extend the drum but not dispense, holding the drum out for easier removal.
All in all, get one, it will be one of the best $100 you've spent in years
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