I'm tired of the bucket brigade!

[daddyg70]

I am getting tired doing 50-60% WC with buckets! >:( I just made an impulse buy on bigals and bought a 75 ft. python and 2 liters of prime. Question:

Any experience with pythons? Do they really fit most faucets? Please share your opinions ;D

I heard prime is one of the better H20 conditioners. Is it really 1ml per 10g of water?

How long does it take you guys to do WC? Its tough to work 50 hours, raise 2 boys, keep wife happy, AND do WCs! :bomb:

[Carol_Roberts]

I have several pythons. To drain my tanks I throw one end of the python out the door (on to the lawn). Scoop up water in the gravel tube to get the siphon going and let gravity do the work.

I refill from 50 gallon plastic storage barrels. I use a Walmart Pond pump (your next splurge ;) ) The pH from my tap is 6.8 and rises to 7.8 in my tanks. Way too much pH swing to do big water changes.

You can fill from the tap. Put the prime in the tank first. If you tap water and tank water have very different pH (like me) then you can only may 20% WC at a time. IF the numbers are very close - or if your tap pH is higher than tank you can do bigger 50% WC. Make sure temp is the same.

[Darren]

Greg,

I am with you!! Me too, I've got two boys, wife, dog, cat, work etc...Let me know how the Python works out. I've been thinking about buying one also.

Darren

Greg, yes the python will fit your faucet..It will come with a faucet hook up and it may or may not fit yours.....You may have to go to your local hardware store and fine the proper fitting.........FYI, go will a brass fitting, as the plastic one will not hold up if you will be screwing it off and on the faucet.

Randy

A fellow on disability pension had to stop for evey 10 steps to breathe due to his terminal heart condition while carrying a bucket of water for his 90 gal discus show tank. I suggested he buys a little giant pump from home depot and hook up a 50 ft. garden hose for water change. It was 3 months ago. Now he has 5 tanks and the breeding pair he bought from me for a $100 (gift for a dying person)has 150 2"fry and a second brood is attaching the parents. He is thinking of getting a few more tanks when they grow up. This will kill him for sure. At least he has achieved his goal of breeding discus before he dies. I think he was pulling my leg to get cheap breeding pair.
Jimmy.

[gary1218]

BETTER than a python ;D

GARY

Hey Gary, I have been meaning to get up with you about your system....Will PM in when I have time......

Randy

[DarkDiscus]

Gary,

You are WAY too efficient. I don't know if I could ever organize my tanks that well!

LOL!

John

[spartyblaze]

You have got to post more pics and some explanations about your w/c setup! I'm in the process of trial and error for one right now, so any info that you'd like to volunteer would be sweet! I'm sure that I'm not the only one in my boat.

Thanks

Ryan

[gary1218]

Hey John,

Al's interested in my set up as well. Maybe I could work you guys out a two for one deal when/if Al gets his pairs spawning and I come down to pick up some babies ;D

GARY

[henryD]

Save your money.......don't buy the python. For a lot less money you can get a better or similar setup at home depot or any hardware store. You also don't have to worry about whether it will fit your facuet or not. For about $10.00 I was able to get a full setup with tubes that are long enough to reach the third floor! :o

It is really very simply. I just went into home depot and explained what I wanted to be done. In 2 minutes we had the full set up. If you want to do w/c with aged water then all you need to add is a pump, heater and a container for your water reservoir......

[Darren]

Kyppyk,

You got any pics on yours? Or can you explain how you made it?

Darren

[Carol_Roberts]

It's simple to make. 1/2 inch inside diameter hose slips over end of large gravel tube. Other end screws to faucet to add water if you are going to fill and drain with same hose.

The Python hose is very flexible for rolling up. I buy the 20 foot extensions $10.99 and a 20 inch gravel tube $9.99. I never hook it to the sink to drain the tank - I drain it out on the lawn. Acutally I have several hoses - some are dedicated to draining and others for filling . . .

[henryD]

Right on Carol. I have 2 setup. One for draining to my lawn and other for refilling. Since the water condition here in NH are pretty good (7.0ph, 1 percent hardness). I usually refill my tank without aging it. Water changes are pretty easy. I will take a picture of my setup when I get a chance.

Also I just converted the upstair setup to be directly refill through the showerhead.

[Darren]

Okay, if you don't connect the python to the faucet how do you get the flow of the dirty water started coming out of the tanks?

[Carol_Roberts]

Fill the gravel tube with water and lift it up. Gravity will pull the water out the hose. You may have to lift and fill with water a couple of times to get it going. Just like the ones with six foot hoses that you drained into a bucket.

[spartyblaze]

Ditto to Darren's question. I'm sick of starting 3+ siphons a day and getting left over fish water in my mouth. Aside from a python style - is there another fitting (purchased from HQ, etc.) that would hook and unhook easily to the faucet and auto start your water change?

[Carol_Roberts]

LOL, I have never sucked on hoses. Thats why the clear, hard plastic tube is so big. Put it in the tank, let if fill with water, raise it out of the tank until the water starts to flow down the hose. Then put it back under water and it will continue to suck water and debris out of the tank.

[BlueTurquoise]

LOL I used to suck until Carol told me about this raise out of tank method too! it works like a gem!

Pythons: honestly I don't know how you can keep discus without them! They are a real MUST HAVE...

Chong

[Fisheyes]

You mean I have been sucking all that fish sh--- up for nothing . Gee your never to old to learn.
Suckimupfisheyes :-X :-X :-X :-X :-X :'(

[yippy]

Even before i got discus i used a python to drain out onto the garden and for refilling from the kitchen tap - i have 55 gallon and a 50% water change takes me about 20 minutes now. I am lucky that our water quality here is good and i also use a product called Geo Liquid For Discus (you can get it for Cichlids, Goldfish, Marine Fish, Plants and bettas as well). It is an all natural product and is impossible to overdose on. I know a rep from the company that manufactures it and he has actually drank 5 bottles of the stuff himself. needless to say the fish seem to thrive as theres not one chemical in my discus tank and it also seems to keep the ph spot on. I dont know if you can buy the stuff in the US but it is very popular here in Australia - my discus breeder will not use anything else. If anyone is interested in how it works i snanned the pamphlet and emailed it to another guy in the US so if anyone would like me to email it - just ask! Yippy

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
Yippy, what's in it? Do you have an MSDS? On second thought, if it's ok to drink, then I guess it doesn't need an MSDS ;D Sure would be interesting to know what it is........snakeoil? J/K

Steve