Nicrew Automatic Feeder Reduction Rings

thingiverse

I recently purchased a Nicrew Automatic Feeder because its non-rotating drum design caught my attention. I modified my RedSea Max 130C reef tank by creating a cutout at the rear of the hood, allowing me to mount an automatic feeder with ease. However, most auto-feeders have a major flaw - their rotating feed drum tends to get stuck on the hood unless perfectly positioned. The Nicrew Automatic Feeder takes a different approach, using an internal hopper to deliver food. Unfortunately, in its stock configuration, it delivers too much food when using small pellets and lacks a built-in way to reduce this issue. Tinkercad and my Ender 3 printer were the perfect solutions to this problem! By removing the three screws that hold the endcap on, I was able to take out the spring-loaded door (plunger) and insert one of these reduction rings to decrease the size of the feed opening. I designed three different thicknesses: 3mm, 3.5mm, and 4mm. The thicker the ring, the less food is dropped. If you print all three sizes, you can store the two unused ones under or inside the endcap for future use - perhaps when your fish population changes or you switch to a different type of food.