Maintaining your aF4Updated 8 months ago

The aF4 self cleans between every feed cycle but periodically some maintenance is required to keep the aF4 operating at peak levels.

We recommend at a minimum, doing a couple rinse cycles (outlined in step 2 above) between every reservoir refill. Additionally, this is a good time to scrub the inside of the reservoir, interior of the food intake tube and the portions of the gray and black tubing that enter the aquarium water. The brushes included in our cleaning kit are designed to fit perfectly inside the tubing and between the teeth of the reservoir.

We recommend performing a deep clean on the unit monthly, using our cleaning tablets.

Follow our deep cleaning guide for instructions on how to properly use the cleaning tablets.

The tubing included with the aF4 will last you for approximately 18 months under normal use (single feed daily and regular maintenance; increased usage will accelerate that timeline) Once you're approaching the end of that timeline, you should strongly consider replacing the included tubing. Failure to replace the tubing, near the end of its service life could result in spills or leaks from the aF4.

Replacement tubing is available in our shop and is user replaceable.
View our tubing replacement guide here.

Depending on placement of the aF4, the heatsink will accumulate dust and degrade the cooling power of the aF4 - we recommend inspecting this monthly and cleaning as necessary. Cleaning can be done with the housing on, using a can of compressed air.
In some cases, the housing may need to be removed for a better cleaning of the heatsink - view our guide here.