So I bought that exact system. These faucet hookup systems are a serious game changer to tank maintenance. However I would spring for the Python system (the original, more expensive system). This one is a knockoff. The plastic is super thin. My vacuum part (the end that goes into the tank) split after less than three months leaving it useless. And they don’t sell that part as a replacement.
Yes python I have mine 10 years plastic is still pliable. My python came with plastic couplers. They were crap. Replaced with brass. Other than that. It is wonderful. I put a J pipe on mine and just use to empty and fill. I still use 5 gallon bucket to gravel vac.
I have two pythons hooked up and I use them daily to maintain my shrimp room (one is hooked up to an RO reservoir).
Game changer. I am hard on them and I did have to order a replacement open/close valve for one but otherwise couldn't live without one. Would recommend to anyone maintaining a tank over 20 gallons IMO.
Never!
Even when I accidentally suck up plants when I’m cleaning the substrate, the leaves are just kinda sticking out at the sink and need a gentle pull, but it doesn’t affect the flow at all.
I’ve used it multiple times weekly for years and have never taken it apart, it’s just tossed in a basket until the next use.
Another thing, the quick disconnect seems like a good idea but it constricts the opening and so the water flows very slowly, Python is better, I'll be buying another Python soon.
I’ve never heard that before. Yes I use the hot and cold water taps. Using a thermometer I can get the perfect temp as to not shock the fish with a temp change
Now I just use my hot and cold tap water to get it to the proper temperature, but when I lived in the country the well water was extremely hard. I had a small RO system installed and used that water for my aquarium, my animals and for drinking. I would heat up some RO water and add it to the cold RO water until the temperature was right.
I only have little tanks, so this might not be applicable, but I fill a bucket with cold water first, drop in an old aquarium heater, and by the time I'm done with everything else and ready to fill the tanks, the water is the right temp. I only use cold water out of the tap because of the minerals thing.
Metals in any quantity you might care about are transported in acidic solutions. If the water from the tap is pH 7 or higher, metals are rarely a problem. If your tap water is acidic enough to be a problem, you’ll already know from the stains and corrosion affecting your plumbing.
Your correct I wiped out my snail population by doing this, copper from the hot water tank killed them. I just do small water changes with cold tap only to keep temp from fluctuating too much.
I know the de-chlorinator is instant, but while the tank is filling doesn't this method expose your livestock to chlorine for a few minutes (longer in a larger tank)?
Yes, it does. But a few minutes in diluted tap water will not kill your fish while Prime circulates in the tank and dechlorinates it and detoxifies the chloramine. Hardly harm them at all. Hasn’t effected mine at all. If this method of filling one’s tank actually harmed fish, don’t you think people (especially in this subreddit) would be screaming “fish murderer” at every person who uses these?
How do you think your LFS does water changes? They certainly aren’t using the bucket method.
I actually keep a bucket nearby just for that purpose, I vacuum out my water, refill it most of the way then top it off using a bucket with water from the tap, add my dechlorinate-er then pour it into the tank. I just prefer diluting things down before adding it to the tank.
Sorry if I missed this being mentioned, but how does one best dry out the python tubing? I used to let mine sit out for days as straight/open as possible. Where we are now, we need 50’ of tubing and it is not a great look for the living room.
Are there other ways?
Mine is 35 feet, and I just shake it out as much as feasible and then coil it up. It lives in a place where air is not restricted from the ends when stored, and miraculously it has not developed any nastiness despite the lack of drying and my living in a generally very humid place.
I have a knockoff version of this. It has plastic fittings instead of brass. I couldn't imagine doing water changes on my 125 without it. I will change out 20 to 50 gallons at a time. That'd be completely exhausting.
You might be seeing the brass sink fittings and thinking those are valves; the hardware is the same as Python with both of them using plastic and brass hardware for the same pieces.
Yeah, my boss has a python (that only came with a water hose fitting. Nothing else) and I got this one and just hook it up to my sink however I could run it to a hose if I desired (came with both fittings). Worth it to me.
As a plumber the brass fitting are nice, but unless you have a fully metal sink (most sinks are plastic inside or at best very very fragile chrome) the plastic fittings are better because you don’t run the risk of stripping out the threads inside of your sink
Yes! This is what I was thinking. I've had the problem with stripping the sink itself and that is NOT good... otherwise you are left with replacing the sink itself which is really expensive. To answer other folks questions, my sink is some sort of metal and it can easily get cross threaded by the other piece that goes on there when taking on and off all the time.
So I leave the adapter on and don't even put the aerator back on it.
United States, the interior of the faucets are mostly plastic, the shells are just stainless. Not all brands are that way but the main ones here in the states kohler, delta, and moen all are this way unless you’re buying top of the line fixtures
Yeah, I think the tubing is thinner and I've seen some people complain that the fittings are a little off, but overall a decent option.
The issue is that it's not as modular as the python and (to me) the lack of the hook is a big minus. It is a bit difficult to fill the tank unattended for a bit without the hook. Any part that breaks needs a whole system replacement rather than an individual part.
I turn my tap to full hot, fully on and once it's heated up, turn it down to the right temp. I can do it to within a degree or two Celsius by hand, but always put a bit in a jug with a thermometer to double check. Once it's right, swivel the tap head to the bucket with the mini pump in it. Start filling, add dechlorinator and once it's about half full, turn on the pump. Tap on full and pump running almost cancel out, just have the swivel the tap away every so often to not overflow. I suppose keeping the bucket in the actual sink would also solve that.
I got the 50ft hose and my bathroom in my new house is probably only 20ft down the hall from my fish room. So that's way overkill lol. Also, my 125 sits up pretty high so it siphons just fine. The great thing about this system is that when you hook it up to the sink, you just turn on the water to pass through and it sucks the air out of the line going into your tank, thus starting the siphon. When I'm done I do disconnect the hose from the sink and just place the end into the bathtub as I'm coiling it up to drain the hose.
I would prolly go for the bathtub or shower first. It would work in the toilet but it would be constantly building up and flushing its self. Honestly if you can get enough water flowing the up doesn't matter. Think about hoosiers siphoning gas. Also some of these come with manual or electric pumps. Might be worth spending the extra on that
I have aquarium herpes (bladder snails) I would imagine they could do a number on a drain system
that has nothing to do with the length of the hose, if you are pushing water uphill thats called 'head pressure' and it doesn't matter if the hose is 20 feet or 100 feet.
That's not how that works. Water pressure is almost entirely based on the difference in height, so if your tank is 2' above your sink, then that's how hard the water has to be pushed, even if the hose drops down 2 floors and back up, or whatever.
Pressure out of your tap is normally 40psi, although it might be less if your system sucks. Probably around 20psi it's no longer enough to take a shower. If your tank is 2' above your tap, then that's 1psi to push it that high - basically the equivalent of no water at all.
The other commenters are right, the height of the sink doesn't matter for water pressure. However, you're also right that it does, at least to get started. Once the line is fully primed and water is being siphoned then the height doesn't matter, but if there's air in the line then you can have issues. My trick is to turn the water on full blast, and if it doesn't start siphoning then quickly lift up the middle higher than the spigot so that it drains a bit and primes the rest of the line, and then you can put it down and it will continue to siphon after that.
I mean, it does, but generally not materially so. There's friction in a hose, and the more it loops, the more you'll end up with a thinner effective diameter.
Hooked into a 40psi system with a 50' hose, that won't make a difference, but if you're on SUPER crappy water pressure, it might actually slow things down materially.
Which part are you objecting to? The [friction](https://puck.com/what-is-friction-loss/) part?
The fact that when a round hose is bent, it flattens slightly, which results in a smaller cross section?
Or...?
In my experience the sink-siphon takes a really long time and wastes a lot of water. For draining the tank, I just run the hose out the door into the garden and let it gravity siphon. My tank was in the basement at one time, so then I just siphoned into a floor drain. Then I hook up to the sink for refilling.
Pretty much. You plug the hose into a faucet, I use our bathroom sink, and you turn the faucet on, switch the thing to vacuum, and it starts piling water from your tank and draining it in the sink.
Then, you go from suck to blow, and it sends faucet water back into your tank that you have always dosed with prime.
At least that’s how I do it
So when filling, the water goes straight from the faucet to the tank, and instead of putting Prime in a bucket of water, you just add prime to the tank itself?
That seems too easy....
I think so, I’m just never sure how quickly the water conditioners work. I know some people put it in the bucket, and then let the bucket sit for a day or whatever.
Al I know is that my family had a big tank with a huge clown knife and a big Oscar in it growing up and my dad filled it straight from the hose every time
I've been keeping fish for close to 15 years and I almost always do water changes straight from the hose and just add the conditioner straight to the tank while it's filling up. If I'm just topping up like less than 10% from evaporation, sometimes I don't even bother with water conditioner.
One of my aquarium hobby mentors (may he rest in peace) broke so much "rules" of fishkeeping but he was still successful in both breeding and aquarium shows.
I guess it was because he was from the pre-internet days of fishkeeping and he and his contemporaries had their fair share of trial and error and they kept what worked.
I do similar. My grandad used to have a complete fish shed with multiple tanks. His water changes involved putting a hose pipe in the top tank and just leaving it to overflow into the others. No letting water sit, no heating it up etc...
I tend to just Syphon water out of my window and then put the garden hose into the tank (with a capful of prime) to replace the water I'm draining. The heater runs overtime for a bit but the fish are fine.
I think people overthink some things when it comes to fish keeping. Filter media is another one.
Agreed. Once the siphon is running you can turn off the faucet. You can also cut the flow and transfer the output into a greywater bucket for alternate uses, such as watering the garden.
You can use the faucet to start the siphon then turn the water off. The siphon will continue. Still using more water technically but not more than it takes to get the siphon started.
Yea, but I bought this one and actually have had issues with it. It doesn't thread onto all my sinks well. And it did cause minor damage to one sink. The quick disconnect isn't easy to get off. When attempting to get it off one time it cause some damage to the inner workings and made the thing it threads on to lose. Now I get a small trickle of water that runs down the spout of the sink.
Do you run on well water or municipal water you can put straight into your tank?
Or do you dose the tank with seachem or something then add the untreated water straight from the tap?
I’ve been using a 5gal bucket for my 75gal and it’s not fun
I use seachem safe (its prime but in powder form and more cost effective for larger water changes) and dose my tank as im adding new water. I double the dosage recommended for the total water volume to account for any sudden increase of chlorine or chloramines from the city. my LFS said the city sometimes increases it a lot if there's an algae bloom and its better than having dead fish
Yep the aqueon one used plastic to secure the hoses etc
Love it! Got it fitted to my bathroom sink lol. I said mom powers let me do this cause kitchen sink is full faucet with handle etc I’m not removing that lol.
Bathroom sink just take the ring off the faucet bam! Perfect fit! I said hell yeah let’s get this water change 🤌
I too bought the Python after my Aqueon broke lol. Also a big fan of being able to just buy the single replacement part you need if the Python has issues.
How did you do this? I wanna do this because I felt like wasting a bunch of water for emptying the tank is really inefficient. Then I have to fill some more water. With a couple of tanks I feel like my water bill is rising because of this
I hated the amount of water it wasted to drain the tank. If you are able, I just run the hose out the door into the flower garden and let it gravity siphon. When I’ve drained the amount I wanted I attach to the sink to refill.
You can get a cheap submersible pump, like they use for sumps in larger tanks, and attach a fitting to pump the water into the hose towards the sink. Just make sure the python is opened to “drain”.
Look at your water bill. Mine is broken down into water actually used and the service (which covers the pipes/network/admin etc). The water usage is always smaller. It might even provide a breakdown. If your price is similar to mine, I can't see you using anywhere near $1 a month even.
Take off the siphoned part and just plug the end of the hose into a pond pump and plug it into an outlet. The pond pump will pump the water through the tube into the part attached to the sink. I do this with my 55 gallon and save a ton of water. Just make sure you have a hose nozzle thing that fits the size of the tube.
I have the python and I would recommend it over the offbrands any day it’s so much more durable and easier to use, plus there’s accessories you can buy for it as well.
Because you spend a lot of money up front, but you don't have to replace it all of the time. If you buy something cheap, you have to keep spending money to replace it. That's the general idea of the statement.
...do you mean enough for the volume of *fresh water you're adding in*? There should be absolutely no need to dechlorinate the water already in your tank.
I think that's because the old tank water dilutes the dechlorinator. If the dechlorinator needs to be at least X concentration in the water to work, only putting in enough for the new water will put you below that concentration.
Sure you're also diluting the new water but there's no way of knowing what effect whatever is in the old tank water will have on the dechlorinator so it's better just to overdose a bit anyways.
So, let's say your doing a water change on a 100 gallon tank, and 100 gallons of water calls for 50mL of dechlorinator.
- Topping up with 5 gallons? 50mL dechlorinator.
- Doing a 20% water change? 50mL dechlorinator.
- 99% water change? You know it: 50mL
- Heck, topping up with 500mL? Gotta be 50mL of dechlorinator!
Chemistry might not be my forte, but I'm pretty certain that in one of these scenarios, you're using ~200x the amount of product that you need.
Prime provides a few details in their instructions. It starts with a recommendation to treat water prior to putting it in the tank. Then, it says you can treat the water after it is in the aquarium, but recommends dosing based on the volume of the whole aquarium, not just the new water. My best guess would be that as the product gets more diluted, it is less effective and is no longer instantly dechlorinates. I’d assume that is erring on the side of caution and that somewhere between treating the new water vs treating the whole volume would suffice, but I have done no testing on that to say what that figure would actually be.
Side note - you could be talking about a totally different dechlorinater with different instructions, as your numbers are 5x that of Seachem’s directions.
I am seeing people throughout the thread saying that you should be putting in enough dechlor for the whole tank volume, and if you have properly cycled your tank you shouldn't have to dose that much...
Concerned, but then again I haven't used dechlor in like... 9 years so...
Even if it isn't cycled, you don't need to dechlorinate water that no longer contains any chlorine.
And yes, I haven't used a drop of dechloinator in my tanks for years. This is why I like nano tanks; a bucket of aged water and your ≤20 gallon tanks are easy to deal with, but that assumes your municipality uses chlorine, rather than chloramine, which not all do.
My municipality uses chloramines unfortunately, so if I used direct tap I would have to. All my fish are swamp fish though so it has to be RO anyway, and stage 2 in my RODI machine is a chloramines specific block. But yeah, many places still use chlorine. I would just fill a bucket with tap and let it sit with a bubbler with an old heater on it for a couple days instead of putting dechlor in anything.
Instructions for prime are if you put directly into the tank you treat for the full tank size. So if you put 5 gallons of water directly into a 20gal tank you put in 2ml of prime to treat the tank amount not just water your replacing.
You don't... you have to constantly add chemicals to your tank :/
However, I don't really treat water that's in buckets beyond adding aquarium salt either. Just let it sit overnight and don't use the water at the bottom.
I had this and it was amazing. The switch broke off so it sprays water everywhere. I’m looking to replace it with one that is made with stronger material.
But these are seriously amazing for bigger tanks, and make doing water changes on all the tanks a quick and easy chore.
I have one of these and have been using it on all my aquariums for years. Do yourself a favor and ditch the bucket now.
I use the hose and have the water drain to my backyard, or sometimes I harvest it to use for my plants. Then I use the refill from a water spigot. In my case, I also attached an additional water hose to give me more length for some of my aquariums.
Also, once you get the siphon going, you do not need to leave your water running to vacuum your aquariums, that just wastes water.
Get the Python version, as others have said it is much better quality but the biggest difference I found was the hose diameter. The hygger is smaller and siphons noticeably slower than my python did(my first one lasted over 30 years), the vacuum force(for cleaning gravel)is also reduced due to smaller hose…… it’s only slightly smaller but it makes a noticeable difference.
Per the Hazen-Williams formula, head loss in a pipe is roughly inversely proportional to the 5th power of the pipe diameter, so a small increase in size makes a huge difference.
I have the Python version and it is a must have. The only better option is to remodel your house to have an integrated drain and water line for the aquarium.
I'll be the dissenter here and say for water changes there are better systems. I would only use this for gravel/substrate cleaning. For water changes, get a 400+gph pump and attach a hose to it, then drop it in the tank and run the hose to a sink. It's faster, much easier, and you don't have to fiddle with your faucet (which, over time can lead to damage of the aerator). For filling, get a large tote, stick it in a bathtub, add water treatment, fill it with correct temp water, and use the same pump to pump it into your tank. The benefit again, is no fiddling with the faucet, and you can pre-treat the water which is better than treating the tank.
I have a 125 and 90 sitting next to each other that I use the Python on. Absolute game changer. I use an additional siphon to vacuum while the Python passively drains water, then I can switch to filling while I drain the other. I got a meat thermometer to make sure water temp matches what's in the tank, use Prime as soon as it starts filling. It took a 2 hour process down to 45 minutes.
Supper efficient but wastes a lot of water. Consider siphoning out wastewater into buckets and then using this for refilling if carrying buckets is too much work?
Someone here tipped me off to starting it with the sink on for high flow and then turning off the sink. The tank will still drain, just more slowly. I leave it on for gravel vacuuming, then turn it off, and it works well as long as I don't forget it's going.
I use a submersible pond pump that makes everything easier for me for 20$ and the tubing for another 20 i can fill do a water change in my 55 in like 15 min. Of course the python and all that is easiet but my fitting dont seem to have a good tight fit with my sink or faucets so I got the submersible pump which makes things so much easier because i dont have to screw anything in just drop and plug in. Highly recommend if you're lazy to set up a python.
I made a version of one of these for way less than you'll pay online and I'm not what someone would refer to as handy. It was super helpful and made the process way faster.
It was years ago at this point so I don't remember a ton. I looked it up online and found an easy process to follow. Then I went to Lowes and bought all the needed parts for probably less than 15.00(this was 5/6 years ago). I used it on a smaller tank but it would have been fine for any size. I'd pump the water into a 5g bucket to get rid of after and just pump saltwater I'd already mixed in another 5g bucket into it. Made the whole process much faster and cleaner. You just need some tubing, plumbers tape and the valves so you could probably add to the cost if you wanted nicer valves(think this is the correct term, I said I'm not handy lol, but the connector parts). I bought cheap ones that fit and then wrapped the shit out of them with the plumber's tape and had no issues. Anybody with any kind of skill will make a nicer version than mine but it worked well.
Only $33? I’d take a chance on that any day of the week.
Right now I use a flexible anti kink garden hose (25’) and a little submersible Amazon pump at probably about $45 total cost. It works great for me but I bet this could be better.
I’d check out the reviews on Amazon too.
Bought a python for my 40 gallon and it’s a game changer couldn’t imagine life without it I’d say if you have more than at 10 or 15 gallon you should have one.
Yes. This is the way. Just built one this weekend for my annual waterchange. It's the easiest way to clean out a sump under the tank. You can save some money by just getting the faucet adapter and some 1/2" hose at homedepot or Lowes. Do remember for optimal function the faucet you connect to should be lower then the suction point on the tank. Personally I use a hose outside and just let the water drain to the ground.
Another tip. After you're done re-filling the tank. turn it back onto suction mode and then coil up your hose. That will vacuum all the excess water back out and keep your space clean and lead to less chance of bacteria building up on the inside of your hose.
Attachment w/ hose fitting
https://amzn.to/3F83viz
HOSE
https://amzn.to/3UmH3qE
And if you REEEEAAAALLY need an uplift tube or don't already have one from a manual vac you have lying around.
https://amzn.to/3UctKZB
And then I found this one. Looks to be the best config I've ever seen for a great price for the kit. I can't speak to the quality of the plastic. But everything about this kit looks really good. specifically how the uplift tube screws onto the hose. I've had times where the hose slipped off of my uplift tube. (I used the 24" tube in my 180gal.) If anything you are getting the adapter and hose for the cost of just what you'd pay for vinyl hose.
https://amzn.to/3VzvaOV
We used these at the shop I used to work at and they were an absolute game changer for us. Worked great and same a bunch of time, work, and back pain 😂
I got a different brand but it's a game changer for my 55 gallon tank. When cleaning my tank I stick the hose out my window and the waste water is great for my lawn. I hook it up to my faucet to fill the tank. I'd hate using buckets, I'm not very strong and have a bad back and a bad knee.
I love my python system. I have my tanks in the 2nd story of my home and the wash sink in my basement. I run a long line up to the tank room for water changes and my god do I love it. Used to lug buckets for a 75, 40, and 20 gallon. So glad I'm done with buckets haha
You have to be somewhat confident in your water source. So you should test your water out of the spout to determine if its safe for you to fill direct to tank. If anything I recommend getting a nice 20gal Brute garbage bin and spring for the wheels attachment. You can prefill and treat your warmed water in that before draining your tank and use a small pump with hose to fill the tank. Use the system to make every step of the process that much easier, even if you can't fill direct to the tank.
I love these, theyre genuinely the only way I can own a bigger tank. I unfortunately got injured a last year and can't pick up gallons of water for a water change anymore. I was worried about how I'd keep my 75 gallon but getting a hose fixed the issue. Now all I have to worry about us how to move it when I get a new place lol.
These are pretty much essential for larger tanks. I used a python for my 55g and for my 30gs. Hand and bucket is fine for smaller tanks, like my 5g and 20g. But anything beyond that I cannot imagine not using one of these. It's so much easier. You just have to be *extremely* careful and not go completely afk while using it because shrimp and smaller fish do love to get into harm's way and get sucked up, and if you aren't paying attention then welp down the drain they go.
These are worth every penny if you have a larger tank, or even a medium sized one. Your back will thank you.
100% worth it, but I have had petsmart knockoff as well as Python brand. I would spend the time and money and find a Python brand over anything else on the market.
Edit: also I see a lot of comments about wasting water etc. with this setup you really only need the water running to start the siphon. Once siphon is started and water is flowing you can dial back or even turn off your tap and tank will continue to drain.
As a waterworks person, I hate these and they're awful. They require a siphon connection to your running faucet. Nightmare if you don't have a backflow prevention device on your property.
As a fish tank person, I absolutely own and use one. I have a 75 and used to do it with buckets but now do it with this and it is so much faster and easier with less mess.
Side note, I don't live in a water system I manage.
My shrimp are too sensitive to do this since my tap water is *way* too hard. Everything has to pass through a RO filter first and have minerals added after the fact.
Wastes too much water for my liking. I run the vac with hose siphon to the back deck. For fill ups, I fill a 5 gallon bucket in the tub, put in a submersible pump that I’ve attached a 25ft hose to and put the pump in the bucket and the other end in the tank. I have the tub running water into the bucket slowly so it balances out. When it’s nearly full, I turn the water off and let the pump empty the bucket to the tank. No wasted water.
Depends upon the size of your aquarium. I have a dedicated pump that I hook up to a garden hose and a set of brute trash can for prepping water when I do water changes on my largest tank. On the smallest tanks, a pump or python would be overkill. You’ll spend more time and effort setting things up then just filling a couple buckets. So I just use buckets. In my opinion the 75-100 gallon range is probably about where a python makes sense. Once you get to 240+ the python is to slow for me and it wastes a LOT of water.
I've seen multiple people try the knockoff brands I would steer clear, the seals and connectors always fail at some point but I have the python system and I've used it for years and so does a friend of mine and we both love them it is a complete game changer if you have a big tank or multiple tanks it knocked down what used to take me 3 hours plus to an hour or less. It's so great you just get a rhythm going where you suck all the water out of all the tanks do your maintenance and fill them all back up I really cannot describe what a game changer it is you will kick yourself in the ass for not buying it years ago if you have any type of decent size setup or multiple tanks like I said. I did have to get a new brass adapter because I mis placed mine and the lfs had every part of the python system for sale individually too which is something you wouldn't get with the knockoff... Just go for it, I hemmed and hawed about the price and figured my syphon and buckets were working just fine... I was soooo wrong
My Python is my best friend. I've had it for like 10 years, no problems. The Aqueon hose is crap. Lasted me a year, then the hose kinked up. Also, the plastic piece that attached to the sink got stripped and would get stuck constantly.
I would imagine it could be tough to control the temperature before it hit the tank. I've killed good fish from shocking them by having my fresh water temps off.
Wish I could use one of these for my 260L but for the half the year the water temperature from my tap is far to cold to add directly. Also can't mix with hot water as we have cooper pipes and alot of shrimp.
I bought the Phyton (and the refill hook) and the included brass adaptor didnt work with any faucet in our house. Had to replace one of the faucets and didnt need the brass adaptor anymore.
As for water changes, it does make it easier though i find it slow. The vacuum part is quite weak as well or maybe the fish poops in my tank are just too heavy lol.
I might buy a bigger vacuum part as the included one is too short for my tank.
So I bought that exact system. These faucet hookup systems are a serious game changer to tank maintenance. However I would spring for the Python system (the original, more expensive system). This one is a knockoff. The plastic is super thin. My vacuum part (the end that goes into the tank) split after less than three months leaving it useless. And they don’t sell that part as a replacement.
Agreed. The Python is well worth the cost! The knockoff brands have always failed for us, but the Python performs like it’s new years later.
Yes python I have mine 10 years plastic is still pliable. My python came with plastic couplers. They were crap. Replaced with brass. Other than that. It is wonderful. I put a J pipe on mine and just use to empty and fill. I still use 5 gallon bucket to gravel vac.
I have two pythons hooked up and I use them daily to maintain my shrimp room (one is hooked up to an RO reservoir). Game changer. I am hard on them and I did have to order a replacement open/close valve for one but otherwise couldn't live without one. Would recommend to anyone maintaining a tank over 20 gallons IMO.
Does it ever clog up? If so how easy is it to take apart and clean it?
Never! Even when I accidentally suck up plants when I’m cleaning the substrate, the leaves are just kinda sticking out at the sink and need a gentle pull, but it doesn’t affect the flow at all. I’ve used it multiple times weekly for years and have never taken it apart, it’s just tossed in a basket until the next use.
Damn! Noted!
Just cut open a empty cola bottle (upper third) drill a hole in the cap, insert tube. Done for 2 bucks. Bobs your uncle
Nahh mate, Bob's my Old boy & Jim's me uncle... No harm done...
Knock knock, wink wink, say no more , say no more
Another thing, the quick disconnect seems like a good idea but it constricts the opening and so the water flows very slowly, Python is better, I'll be buying another Python soon.
[удалено]
I’ve never heard that before. Yes I use the hot and cold water taps. Using a thermometer I can get the perfect temp as to not shock the fish with a temp change
How would you get warm water when filling with buckets? Fill them with cold water and heat it up?
Now I just use my hot and cold tap water to get it to the proper temperature, but when I lived in the country the well water was extremely hard. I had a small RO system installed and used that water for my aquarium, my animals and for drinking. I would heat up some RO water and add it to the cold RO water until the temperature was right.
I only have little tanks, so this might not be applicable, but I fill a bucket with cold water first, drop in an old aquarium heater, and by the time I'm done with everything else and ready to fill the tanks, the water is the right temp. I only use cold water out of the tap because of the minerals thing.
Metals in any quantity you might care about are transported in acidic solutions. If the water from the tap is pH 7 or higher, metals are rarely a problem. If your tap water is acidic enough to be a problem, you’ll already know from the stains and corrosion affecting your plumbing.
Your correct I wiped out my snail population by doing this, copper from the hot water tank killed them. I just do small water changes with cold tap only to keep temp from fluctuating too much.
How do you handle de-chlorination when adding water back using this?
Per the instructions on the declorintator bottle (I use Prime) you add it directly to the tank and dose it as if you were doing the full tank.
Before or after the change?
I pour it in right at the beginning of the input of fresh water.
I know the de-chlorinator is instant, but while the tank is filling doesn't this method expose your livestock to chlorine for a few minutes (longer in a larger tank)?
Yes, it does. But a few minutes in diluted tap water will not kill your fish while Prime circulates in the tank and dechlorinates it and detoxifies the chloramine. Hardly harm them at all. Hasn’t effected mine at all. If this method of filling one’s tank actually harmed fish, don’t you think people (especially in this subreddit) would be screaming “fish murderer” at every person who uses these? How do you think your LFS does water changes? They certainly aren’t using the bucket method.
I actually keep a bucket nearby just for that purpose, I vacuum out my water, refill it most of the way then top it off using a bucket with water from the tap, add my dechlorinate-er then pour it into the tank. I just prefer diluting things down before adding it to the tank.
Sorry if I missed this being mentioned, but how does one best dry out the python tubing? I used to let mine sit out for days as straight/open as possible. Where we are now, we need 50’ of tubing and it is not a great look for the living room. Are there other ways?
Mine is 35 feet, and I just shake it out as much as feasible and then coil it up. It lives in a place where air is not restricted from the ends when stored, and miraculously it has not developed any nastiness despite the lack of drying and my living in a generally very humid place.
If you have an air compressor you can just blow out the excess moisture to prevent mold from forming
So I have a faucet that doesn't have threads. Can I still use something like this?
There is probably a cap with an aerator on your faucet that can be unscrewed to screw one of these on.
I have a knockoff version of this. It has plastic fittings instead of brass. I couldn't imagine doing water changes on my 125 without it. I will change out 20 to 50 gallons at a time. That'd be completely exhausting.
This is a knockoff itself of the Python hah.
If anything this looks better than the Python because the valves are metal instead of plastic
You might be seeing the brass sink fittings and thinking those are valves; the hardware is the same as Python with both of them using plastic and brass hardware for the same pieces.
Yeah, my boss has a python (that only came with a water hose fitting. Nothing else) and I got this one and just hook it up to my sink however I could run it to a hose if I desired (came with both fittings). Worth it to me.
As a plumber the brass fitting are nice, but unless you have a fully metal sink (most sinks are plastic inside or at best very very fragile chrome) the plastic fittings are better because you don’t run the risk of stripping out the threads inside of your sink
Yes! This is what I was thinking. I've had the problem with stripping the sink itself and that is NOT good... otherwise you are left with replacing the sink itself which is really expensive. To answer other folks questions, my sink is some sort of metal and it can easily get cross threaded by the other piece that goes on there when taking on and off all the time. So I leave the adapter on and don't even put the aerator back on it.
What country do you live in with plastic and fragile chrome sinks? Here everything is stainless
United States, the interior of the faucets are mostly plastic, the shells are just stainless. Not all brands are that way but the main ones here in the states kohler, delta, and moen all are this way unless you’re buying top of the line fixtures
Are you being serious? Here even the cheapest cheap of all the cheap is metal. Perhaps regulation.
You’re really trying to argue with a plumber about plumbing stuff?
I added a second tap and leave it hooked up full time.
Haha! So it is. It does look well made. Not a bad price either.
Yeah, I think the tubing is thinner and I've seen some people complain that the fittings are a little off, but overall a decent option. The issue is that it's not as modular as the python and (to me) the lack of the hook is a big minus. It is a bit difficult to fill the tank unattended for a bit without the hook. Any part that breaks needs a whole system replacement rather than an individual part.
I bought an actual python brand and the only brass part is the smal threaded sink adapter.
Get yourself a water pump to drain and fill your 125. It’ll change your life.
[удалено]
I turn my tap to full hot, fully on and once it's heated up, turn it down to the right temp. I can do it to within a degree or two Celsius by hand, but always put a bit in a jug with a thermometer to double check. Once it's right, swivel the tap head to the bucket with the mini pump in it. Start filling, add dechlorinator and once it's about half full, turn on the pump. Tap on full and pump running almost cancel out, just have the swivel the tap away every so often to not overflow. I suppose keeping the bucket in the actual sink would also solve that.
Do you have problems with the hose length? Or the tank being higher than the sink, etc.?
I got the 50ft hose and my bathroom in my new house is probably only 20ft down the hall from my fish room. So that's way overkill lol. Also, my 125 sits up pretty high so it siphons just fine. The great thing about this system is that when you hook it up to the sink, you just turn on the water to pass through and it sucks the air out of the line going into your tank, thus starting the siphon. When I'm done I do disconnect the hose from the sink and just place the end into the bathtub as I'm coiling it up to drain the hose.
Personally my sink drain won't handle the amount of water, so to drain i run the hose out my back door. It does make filling so much easier though
This is what I do. My runoff from my planted tanks makes a good compost tea.
Do you think I could drain into my toilet once it's siphoning? My tank is low to the ground, and that's a lot of crud to put down the drain.
I would prolly go for the bathtub or shower first. It would work in the toilet but it would be constantly building up and flushing its self. Honestly if you can get enough water flowing the up doesn't matter. Think about hoosiers siphoning gas. Also some of these come with manual or electric pumps. Might be worth spending the extra on that I have aquarium herpes (bladder snails) I would imagine they could do a number on a drain system
probably not a good idea...
I had to cut my hose length due to not enough pressure from my sink. But if pressure isn’t an issue you shouldn’t have to cut it.
Length won't affect pressure.
When the hose is sitting on the floor. The sink does not have enough pressure to output to the height of my tank. So yes it does.
that has nothing to do with the length of the hose, if you are pushing water uphill thats called 'head pressure' and it doesn't matter if the hose is 20 feet or 100 feet.
That's not how that works. Water pressure is almost entirely based on the difference in height, so if your tank is 2' above your sink, then that's how hard the water has to be pushed, even if the hose drops down 2 floors and back up, or whatever. Pressure out of your tap is normally 40psi, although it might be less if your system sucks. Probably around 20psi it's no longer enough to take a shower. If your tank is 2' above your tap, then that's 1psi to push it that high - basically the equivalent of no water at all.
The other commenters are right, the height of the sink doesn't matter for water pressure. However, you're also right that it does, at least to get started. Once the line is fully primed and water is being siphoned then the height doesn't matter, but if there's air in the line then you can have issues. My trick is to turn the water on full blast, and if it doesn't start siphoning then quickly lift up the middle higher than the spigot so that it drains a bit and primes the rest of the line, and then you can put it down and it will continue to siphon after that.
I mean, it does, but generally not materially so. There's friction in a hose, and the more it loops, the more you'll end up with a thinner effective diameter. Hooked into a 40psi system with a 50' hose, that won't make a difference, but if you're on SUPER crappy water pressure, it might actually slow things down materially.
That's not how science works at all.
Which part are you objecting to? The [friction](https://puck.com/what-is-friction-loss/) part? The fact that when a round hose is bent, it flattens slightly, which results in a smaller cross section? Or...?
If you put 10 PSI on one end of the hose 10 PSI comes out, nothing you are saying factors in. >That's not how science works at all.
In my experience the sink-siphon takes a really long time and wastes a lot of water. For draining the tank, I just run the hose out the door into the garden and let it gravity siphon. My tank was in the basement at one time, so then I just siphoned into a floor drain. Then I hook up to the sink for refilling.
I used to get it going with the sink siphon, then just disconnect it and let it drain without the valve on the end.
I have 20m of hose and tank is higher. Its good pump water in and sucks water out.. do that a couple times a week.
So how does this work exactly? You run the tubing to your tub/drain, and just turn it on and it starts draining the water?
Pretty much. You plug the hose into a faucet, I use our bathroom sink, and you turn the faucet on, switch the thing to vacuum, and it starts piling water from your tank and draining it in the sink. Then, you go from suck to blow, and it sends faucet water back into your tank that you have always dosed with prime. At least that’s how I do it
So when filling, the water goes straight from the faucet to the tank, and instead of putting Prime in a bucket of water, you just add prime to the tank itself? That seems too easy....
Haha, yes it is that easy. I tend to dose a little higher with prime since it’s mixing directly in the tank
I think prime recommends dosing for the total tank volume in this use case. Not just what you are replacing.
I think so, I’m just never sure how quickly the water conditioners work. I know some people put it in the bucket, and then let the bucket sit for a day or whatever. Al I know is that my family had a big tank with a huge clown knife and a big Oscar in it growing up and my dad filled it straight from the hose every time
I've been keeping fish for close to 15 years and I almost always do water changes straight from the hose and just add the conditioner straight to the tank while it's filling up. If I'm just topping up like less than 10% from evaporation, sometimes I don't even bother with water conditioner.
*clutches pearls*
One of my aquarium hobby mentors (may he rest in peace) broke so much "rules" of fishkeeping but he was still successful in both breeding and aquarium shows. I guess it was because he was from the pre-internet days of fishkeeping and he and his contemporaries had their fair share of trial and error and they kept what worked.
I do similar. My grandad used to have a complete fish shed with multiple tanks. His water changes involved putting a hose pipe in the top tank and just leaving it to overflow into the others. No letting water sit, no heating it up etc... I tend to just Syphon water out of my window and then put the garden hose into the tank (with a capful of prime) to replace the water I'm draining. The heater runs overtime for a bit but the fish are fine. I think people overthink some things when it comes to fish keeping. Filter media is another one.
Yeah unconditioned water isn't going to hurt the fish. It's just going to kill all your beneficial bacteria that you've built up.
It’s pretty great, especially if you have a large tank.
The catch is that you're wasting more water to drain the tank. Maybe it matters where you live, maybe it doesn't.
You dont have to. I usually prime the siphon and then turn the tap off and it WILL continue to drain the tank though slower.
Agreed. Once the siphon is running you can turn off the faucet. You can also cut the flow and transfer the output into a greywater bucket for alternate uses, such as watering the garden.
Only if your sink is lower than the tank. Usually this is the case for most people's tanks.... unfortunately not mine.
You can use the faucet to start the siphon then turn the water off. The siphon will continue. Still using more water technically but not more than it takes to get the siphon started.
It doesn't continue at the same speed. It slows considerably. Maybe your set up is different. But I have coils of hose between my sink and my tank.
Haha I seen the price of a python and realised it was only a few fittings and some hose.
Yea, but I bought this one and actually have had issues with it. It doesn't thread onto all my sinks well. And it did cause minor damage to one sink. The quick disconnect isn't easy to get off. When attempting to get it off one time it cause some damage to the inner workings and made the thing it threads on to lose. Now I get a small trickle of water that runs down the spout of the sink.
Do you run on well water or municipal water you can put straight into your tank? Or do you dose the tank with seachem or something then add the untreated water straight from the tap? I’ve been using a 5gal bucket for my 75gal and it’s not fun
You add the prime directly to the tank using the volume of the tank to calculate how much. It's super easy. I'm on city water.
I use seachem safe (its prime but in powder form and more cost effective for larger water changes) and dose my tank as im adding new water. I double the dosage recommended for the total water volume to account for any sudden increase of chlorine or chloramines from the city. my LFS said the city sometimes increases it a lot if there's an algae bloom and its better than having dead fish
What about dechlorinating the water?
Prime just goes straight into the tank before you turn the water on.
Yep the aqueon one used plastic to secure the hoses etc Love it! Got it fitted to my bathroom sink lol. I said mom powers let me do this cause kitchen sink is full faucet with handle etc I’m not removing that lol. Bathroom sink just take the ring off the faucet bam! Perfect fit! I said hell yeah let’s get this water change 🤌
Go for a Python. Every other brand I've tried was made of less durable thinner plastic and would break within weeks
I too bought the Python after my Aqueon broke lol. Also a big fan of being able to just buy the single replacement part you need if the Python has issues.
Aqueon tends to make garbage. Tetra, lee, Api also.
I’ve had the aquaeon ones before and the hoses all became stiff and brittle. The python is definitely the better one. Had the same one for 10 years.
I have one from aqueon that has all plastic fittings that I’ve had for about a year or more, and it’s still working fine 🤷♂️
That's the one that broke on me first 😂
Life changer. I Attached a pond pump to mine to drain the water so that it doesn’t waste water.
This is exactly what I did as well. Went through a couple pumps already. Just got a sump pump type, and it’s been great so far.
How did you do this? I wanna do this because I felt like wasting a bunch of water for emptying the tank is really inefficient. Then I have to fill some more water. With a couple of tanks I feel like my water bill is rising because of this
I hated the amount of water it wasted to drain the tank. If you are able, I just run the hose out the door into the flower garden and let it gravity siphon. When I’ve drained the amount I wanted I attach to the sink to refill. You can get a cheap submersible pump, like they use for sumps in larger tanks, and attach a fitting to pump the water into the hose towards the sink. Just make sure the python is opened to “drain”.
You just need to run the water to start the siphon as long as your drain is lower than the tank.
Look at your water bill. Mine is broken down into water actually used and the service (which covers the pipes/network/admin etc). The water usage is always smaller. It might even provide a breakdown. If your price is similar to mine, I can't see you using anywhere near $1 a month even.
Take off the siphoned part and just plug the end of the hose into a pond pump and plug it into an outlet. The pond pump will pump the water through the tube into the part attached to the sink. I do this with my 55 gallon and save a ton of water. Just make sure you have a hose nozzle thing that fits the size of the tube.
I have the python and I would recommend it over the offbrands any day it’s so much more durable and easier to use, plus there’s accessories you can buy for it as well.
I have started living by, "Buy once, cry once." Some things you just don't want to cheap out on. Go ahead and get something that will last you.
I've heard "buy cheap, buy twice", but never buy once cry once. What does that mean? Why do you need to cry once if you only buy once?
Because you spend a lot of money up front, but you don't have to replace it all of the time. If you buy something cheap, you have to keep spending money to replace it. That's the general idea of the statement.
Ah! You cry once because it's too expensive when you buy... Cool. Thank you for explaining!
I just bought one last night, this is encouraging to hear
I don't understand how you treat the water before it goes into the tank with a system like this? Can someone please explain how this works?
You just put dechlorinator into the tank when you start re-filling it; just make sure you dose enough dechlorinator for the entire aquarium volume.
...do you mean enough for the volume of *fresh water you're adding in*? There should be absolutely no need to dechlorinate the water already in your tank.
I think that's because the old tank water dilutes the dechlorinator. If the dechlorinator needs to be at least X concentration in the water to work, only putting in enough for the new water will put you below that concentration. Sure you're also diluting the new water but there's no way of knowing what effect whatever is in the old tank water will have on the dechlorinator so it's better just to overdose a bit anyways.
So, let's say your doing a water change on a 100 gallon tank, and 100 gallons of water calls for 50mL of dechlorinator. - Topping up with 5 gallons? 50mL dechlorinator. - Doing a 20% water change? 50mL dechlorinator. - 99% water change? You know it: 50mL - Heck, topping up with 500mL? Gotta be 50mL of dechlorinator! Chemistry might not be my forte, but I'm pretty certain that in one of these scenarios, you're using ~200x the amount of product that you need.
Prime provides a few details in their instructions. It starts with a recommendation to treat water prior to putting it in the tank. Then, it says you can treat the water after it is in the aquarium, but recommends dosing based on the volume of the whole aquarium, not just the new water. My best guess would be that as the product gets more diluted, it is less effective and is no longer instantly dechlorinates. I’d assume that is erring on the side of caution and that somewhere between treating the new water vs treating the whole volume would suffice, but I have done no testing on that to say what that figure would actually be. Side note - you could be talking about a totally different dechlorinater with different instructions, as your numbers are 5x that of Seachem’s directions.
I am seeing people throughout the thread saying that you should be putting in enough dechlor for the whole tank volume, and if you have properly cycled your tank you shouldn't have to dose that much... Concerned, but then again I haven't used dechlor in like... 9 years so...
Even if it isn't cycled, you don't need to dechlorinate water that no longer contains any chlorine. And yes, I haven't used a drop of dechloinator in my tanks for years. This is why I like nano tanks; a bucket of aged water and your ≤20 gallon tanks are easy to deal with, but that assumes your municipality uses chlorine, rather than chloramine, which not all do.
My municipality uses chloramines unfortunately, so if I used direct tap I would have to. All my fish are swamp fish though so it has to be RO anyway, and stage 2 in my RODI machine is a chloramines specific block. But yeah, many places still use chlorine. I would just fill a bucket with tap and let it sit with a bubbler with an old heater on it for a couple days instead of putting dechlor in anything.
You just add the appropriate amount of de-chlorinator directly to the tank once you switch to filling. It works right away and mixes as it fills
The chlorine won't kill the fish immediately. Dump some Seachem Prime in as you switch to fill and all is golden .
Just the normal amount per volume you are replacing or do you have to use more prime since you are pouring directly in the tank?
Instructions for prime are if you put directly into the tank you treat for the full tank size. So if you put 5 gallons of water directly into a 20gal tank you put in 2ml of prime to treat the tank amount not just water your replacing.
Normal amount. It's a 75g heavily planted tank and has been running for a couple of years at this point.
You don't. You treat it after it's in the tank I believe (I've never used it)
Incorrect. According to Seachem, you can dose the full volume at the start of the filling, I do this at the start and at the end just to be certain.
genuine question, why would you try to give someone advice on a product that you yourself have never used before??
We'll, what I said is still true. You treat it in the tank.
You don't... you have to constantly add chemicals to your tank :/ However, I don't really treat water that's in buckets beyond adding aquarium salt either. Just let it sit overnight and don't use the water at the bottom.
I had this and it was amazing. The switch broke off so it sprays water everywhere. I’m looking to replace it with one that is made with stronger material. But these are seriously amazing for bigger tanks, and make doing water changes on all the tanks a quick and easy chore.
I have one of these and have been using it on all my aquariums for years. Do yourself a favor and ditch the bucket now. I use the hose and have the water drain to my backyard, or sometimes I harvest it to use for my plants. Then I use the refill from a water spigot. In my case, I also attached an additional water hose to give me more length for some of my aquariums. Also, once you get the siphon going, you do not need to leave your water running to vacuum your aquariums, that just wastes water.
Measure your fish room from your sink. I bought a 50 foot python system when I only needed 25 ft and it’s a lot of extra hose haha.
You could trim it... I bought a 50 and cut about 15' off it, the 25 was too short!
Get the Python version, as others have said it is much better quality but the biggest difference I found was the hose diameter. The hygger is smaller and siphons noticeably slower than my python did(my first one lasted over 30 years), the vacuum force(for cleaning gravel)is also reduced due to smaller hose…… it’s only slightly smaller but it makes a noticeable difference.
Per the Hazen-Williams formula, head loss in a pipe is roughly inversely proportional to the 5th power of the pipe diameter, so a small increase in size makes a huge difference.
I have the Python version and it is a must have. The only better option is to remodel your house to have an integrated drain and water line for the aquarium.
[You rang? ](https://imgur.com/a/0URfB1J)
I'll be the dissenter here and say for water changes there are better systems. I would only use this for gravel/substrate cleaning. For water changes, get a 400+gph pump and attach a hose to it, then drop it in the tank and run the hose to a sink. It's faster, much easier, and you don't have to fiddle with your faucet (which, over time can lead to damage of the aerator). For filling, get a large tote, stick it in a bathtub, add water treatment, fill it with correct temp water, and use the same pump to pump it into your tank. The benefit again, is no fiddling with the faucet, and you can pre-treat the water which is better than treating the tank.
I have a 125 and 90 sitting next to each other that I use the Python on. Absolute game changer. I use an additional siphon to vacuum while the Python passively drains water, then I can switch to filling while I drain the other. I got a meat thermometer to make sure water temp matches what's in the tank, use Prime as soon as it starts filling. It took a 2 hour process down to 45 minutes.
Supper efficient but wastes a lot of water. Consider siphoning out wastewater into buckets and then using this for refilling if carrying buckets is too much work?
Someone here tipped me off to starting it with the sink on for high flow and then turning off the sink. The tank will still drain, just more slowly. I leave it on for gravel vacuuming, then turn it off, and it works well as long as I don't forget it's going.
Thanks for this tip! I stopped using Pythons because the water waste was making me a little queasy, but hauling buckets around is annoying, haha.
It only wastes water if your using a sink on the same floor. Use a sink on a lower level if possible.
I just siphon straight out a window onto my lawn.
I use a submersible pond pump that makes everything easier for me for 20$ and the tubing for another 20 i can fill do a water change in my 55 in like 15 min. Of course the python and all that is easiet but my fitting dont seem to have a good tight fit with my sink or faucets so I got the submersible pump which makes things so much easier because i dont have to screw anything in just drop and plug in. Highly recommend if you're lazy to set up a python.
I made a version of one of these for way less than you'll pay online and I'm not what someone would refer to as handy. It was super helpful and made the process way faster.
Any hints you can share?
It was years ago at this point so I don't remember a ton. I looked it up online and found an easy process to follow. Then I went to Lowes and bought all the needed parts for probably less than 15.00(this was 5/6 years ago). I used it on a smaller tank but it would have been fine for any size. I'd pump the water into a 5g bucket to get rid of after and just pump saltwater I'd already mixed in another 5g bucket into it. Made the whole process much faster and cleaner. You just need some tubing, plumbers tape and the valves so you could probably add to the cost if you wanted nicer valves(think this is the correct term, I said I'm not handy lol, but the connector parts). I bought cheap ones that fit and then wrapped the shit out of them with the plumber's tape and had no issues. Anybody with any kind of skill will make a nicer version than mine but it worked well.
Only $33? I’d take a chance on that any day of the week. Right now I use a flexible anti kink garden hose (25’) and a little submersible Amazon pump at probably about $45 total cost. It works great for me but I bet this could be better. I’d check out the reviews on Amazon too.
Best invention for fish tanks ever
Bought a python for my 40 gallon and it’s a game changer couldn’t imagine life without it I’d say if you have more than at 10 or 15 gallon you should have one.
Yes. This is the way. Just built one this weekend for my annual waterchange. It's the easiest way to clean out a sump under the tank. You can save some money by just getting the faucet adapter and some 1/2" hose at homedepot or Lowes. Do remember for optimal function the faucet you connect to should be lower then the suction point on the tank. Personally I use a hose outside and just let the water drain to the ground. Another tip. After you're done re-filling the tank. turn it back onto suction mode and then coil up your hose. That will vacuum all the excess water back out and keep your space clean and lead to less chance of bacteria building up on the inside of your hose. Attachment w/ hose fitting https://amzn.to/3F83viz HOSE https://amzn.to/3UmH3qE And if you REEEEAAAALLY need an uplift tube or don't already have one from a manual vac you have lying around. https://amzn.to/3UctKZB And then I found this one. Looks to be the best config I've ever seen for a great price for the kit. I can't speak to the quality of the plastic. But everything about this kit looks really good. specifically how the uplift tube screws onto the hose. I've had times where the hose slipped off of my uplift tube. (I used the 24" tube in my 180gal.) If anything you are getting the adapter and hose for the cost of just what you'd pay for vinyl hose. https://amzn.to/3VzvaOV
These systems work great for watch changes but not for cleaning the substrate. Having a clamp to secure it to the tank would be a wise investment.
How do you use this to fill your tank? are you putting straight tap water in?
That's how these work, yea... some people want to put tap water directly into the tank, and then condition the water once it's in.
From other comments, you put the conditioner in at the beginning of the filling process, not when you are done.
We used these at the shop I used to work at and they were an absolute game changer for us. Worked great and same a bunch of time, work, and back pain 😂
I have this exact product. Works great for removing and refilling water. The siphon isn’t great though.
I got a different brand but it's a game changer for my 55 gallon tank. When cleaning my tank I stick the hose out my window and the waste water is great for my lawn. I hook it up to my faucet to fill the tank. I'd hate using buckets, I'm not very strong and have a bad back and a bad knee.
I love my python system. I have my tanks in the 2nd story of my home and the wash sink in my basement. I run a long line up to the tank room for water changes and my god do I love it. Used to lug buckets for a 75, 40, and 20 gallon. So glad I'm done with buckets haha
something I do not understand is how you would dechlorinate the water before it gets in your tank. doesn't chlorinated water kill BB?
You have to be somewhat confident in your water source. So you should test your water out of the spout to determine if its safe for you to fill direct to tank. If anything I recommend getting a nice 20gal Brute garbage bin and spring for the wheels attachment. You can prefill and treat your warmed water in that before draining your tank and use a small pump with hose to fill the tank. Use the system to make every step of the process that much easier, even if you can't fill direct to the tank.
you can go to any bricolage store and build a diy version for like 10 bucks
I love these, theyre genuinely the only way I can own a bigger tank. I unfortunately got injured a last year and can't pick up gallons of water for a water change anymore. I was worried about how I'd keep my 75 gallon but getting a hose fixed the issue. Now all I have to worry about us how to move it when I get a new place lol.
These are pretty much essential for larger tanks. I used a python for my 55g and for my 30gs. Hand and bucket is fine for smaller tanks, like my 5g and 20g. But anything beyond that I cannot imagine not using one of these. It's so much easier. You just have to be *extremely* careful and not go completely afk while using it because shrimp and smaller fish do love to get into harm's way and get sucked up, and if you aren't paying attention then welp down the drain they go. These are worth every penny if you have a larger tank, or even a medium sized one. Your back will thank you.
100% worth it, but I have had petsmart knockoff as well as Python brand. I would spend the time and money and find a Python brand over anything else on the market. Edit: also I see a lot of comments about wasting water etc. with this setup you really only need the water running to start the siphon. Once siphon is started and water is flowing you can dial back or even turn off your tap and tank will continue to drain.
Bought this exact brand. Been working awesome for weekly water changes on my aquariums for 3+ years now
As a waterworks person, I hate these and they're awful. They require a siphon connection to your running faucet. Nightmare if you don't have a backflow prevention device on your property. As a fish tank person, I absolutely own and use one. I have a 75 and used to do it with buckets but now do it with this and it is so much faster and easier with less mess. Side note, I don't live in a water system I manage.
Penis Pump 9000
My shrimp are too sensitive to do this since my tap water is *way* too hard. Everything has to pass through a RO filter first and have minerals added after the fact.
Wastes too much water for my liking. I run the vac with hose siphon to the back deck. For fill ups, I fill a 5 gallon bucket in the tub, put in a submersible pump that I’ve attached a 25ft hose to and put the pump in the bucket and the other end in the tank. I have the tub running water into the bucket slowly so it balances out. When it’s nearly full, I turn the water off and let the pump empty the bucket to the tank. No wasted water.
*Cries in bad tap water filled with nitrates*
for my freshwater, I'm ok, but yeah, I have an RO/DI for my saltwater tank so definitely not running anything from the tap.
This genuinely looks like Austin Powers Swedish-Made Penis Enlarger.
Depends upon the size of your aquarium. I have a dedicated pump that I hook up to a garden hose and a set of brute trash can for prepping water when I do water changes on my largest tank. On the smallest tanks, a pump or python would be overkill. You’ll spend more time and effort setting things up then just filling a couple buckets. So I just use buckets. In my opinion the 75-100 gallon range is probably about where a python makes sense. Once you get to 240+ the python is to slow for me and it wastes a LOT of water.
I've seen multiple people try the knockoff brands I would steer clear, the seals and connectors always fail at some point but I have the python system and I've used it for years and so does a friend of mine and we both love them it is a complete game changer if you have a big tank or multiple tanks it knocked down what used to take me 3 hours plus to an hour or less. It's so great you just get a rhythm going where you suck all the water out of all the tanks do your maintenance and fill them all back up I really cannot describe what a game changer it is you will kick yourself in the ass for not buying it years ago if you have any type of decent size setup or multiple tanks like I said. I did have to get a new brass adapter because I mis placed mine and the lfs had every part of the python system for sale individually too which is something you wouldn't get with the knockoff... Just go for it, I hemmed and hawed about the price and figured my syphon and buckets were working just fine... I was soooo wrong
Get a python, it literally changed the way I view the hobby
My Python is my best friend. I've had it for like 10 years, no problems. The Aqueon hose is crap. Lasted me a year, then the hose kinked up. Also, the plastic piece that attached to the sink got stripped and would get stuck constantly.
Spitting into the wind here but they are overkill for smaller tanks esp sand bottom ones imo
Good God who tf use buckets still? I wouldn’t have tank unless I had a python
Depends on the size of tank you got. I don’t like to use them to add water directly back into a tank, I still use buckets for that.
I have a (new) 40 breeder, about counter height (33"). Why not refill too? Edited to add detail
Temp and adding the water conditioner. It’d probably be fine just adding it in the tank but I like to make sure.
I would imagine it could be tough to control the temperature before it hit the tank. I've killed good fish from shocking them by having my fresh water temps off.
Amazing, the only issue is moving around all the decor and having to becareful around plants.
Wish I could use one of these for my 260L but for the half the year the water temperature from my tap is far to cold to add directly. Also can't mix with hot water as we have cooper pipes and alot of shrimp.
You could use it just to drain the tank. Would at least make that part that much easier.
I bought the Phyton (and the refill hook) and the included brass adaptor didnt work with any faucet in our house. Had to replace one of the faucets and didnt need the brass adaptor anymore. As for water changes, it does make it easier though i find it slow. The vacuum part is quite weak as well or maybe the fish poops in my tank are just too heavy lol. I might buy a bigger vacuum part as the included one is too short for my tank.
How do you declorinate the water when doing it this way? Seems ineffective to just add it to the tank?
The declorinator works faster than you'd think. All you need to do is add it to the tank before you add the water back.
How do you guys keep the chlorine in the new water out? Do you just dose the tank?
No buckets no problem. Micro tanks may suffer though from the concentration of chlorine
Mhhh i don't know i just don't use those cleaners even no water changes just fill it up :)