Petsmart Online

[akumastew]

Hi All

I wanted an Eheim Sludge Extractor for Xmas.

It arrived last night from Petsmart online.

I did try DrsFosterSmith and some other on-line vendors, but they were all out of stock.

The sludge extractor arrived with a hole in the sludge collection bag.

Their returns policy sucks.

The buyer has to pay for return shipping, and has to place a whole new order.

This means I would have to pay shipping 3 times, to get my product. As well as waiting for them to process the return to get my money back.

Thankfully, you can do the return at the store, but still I will end up paying shipping 2 times.

- Stew

[David Rose]

That does suck.... I recently saw one of these extractors at our local Petco, but with sand substrate...not good.

Good to know that buying online is something to avoid doing with Petco.

[philip69285]

My friend bought one of those sludge things... it throws small fine particles into the water when running as in the fine poop doesnt stay. Unless they changed the design LOL. It works great when you are to lazy to change water and want to clean the gravel but why not just change water?

[scottishbloke]

Guys- thanks, you have just answered a question I was asking myself...do I get one of these for doing easier "poop scoops" in between water changes? But if it does not retain the fine particles of poo, then there's no point. I'll save myself the $60 or so and stick with my siphon tube and bucket...

Cheers Lads

Colin

[philip69285]

You are more then welcome . Thats why I never bought one LOL. It works for the lazy ppl that dont want to do water changes but once you see it work omg... your tank looks horrific for a good 2 hours after LOL.

[MadAnthony]

Guys- thanks, you have just answered a question I was asking myself...do I get one of these for doing easier "poop scoops" in between water changes? But if it does not retain the fine particles of poo, then there's no point. I'll save myself the $60 or so and stick with my siphon tube and bucket...

Cheers Lads

Colin

I would loose the bucket and get a Python No Spill.

[utiliy]

amen to the python no spill....i noticed its hard to find replacement parts for the python. seems as if foster smith has items fot it on back order-but the python is the way to go!!

[akumastew]

My friend bought one of those sludge things... it throws small fine particles into the water when running as in the fine poop doesnt stay. Unless they changed the design LOL. It works great when you are to lazy to change water and want to clean the gravel but why not just change water?

I have a python no spill, but as my closest faucet is 30 feet away, I have to use the 50 ft version, and my wife gives me crap about taking the connectors off the bathroom faucet.

I do change 25% of my water daily, so it is not laziness in my case. More of convenience, and to stop getting lectures from she who loves me.

If I decide to order another one, I will write a review on my findings. The mesh is pretty tight, and I am sure it will capture most of the stuff I am looking to capture. I will follow it with my daily WC which should then get some of whatever is floating.

- Stew

[David Rose]

I feel your pain with cleaning the bottom of the tank between water changes. I ended up going the low-tech way and just use a firmer 1/4" black plastic tube that was left from my RO installation that's about 8-10' long and siphon into a regular size bucket. Given the hose is more narrow the flow is less so I can actually vacuum my entire 140G filling only one bucket (2 1/2G) and not have to hook up my Python. With the tube being firmer, I have more control in aiming it where I need it to go as well.

Just another option.

[amunoz7]

I just got one of those no-spill pythons for X-mas and was wondering is there any way of getting it to work without having to keep the water running? And also how can I get better suction?

[David Rose]

I just got one of those no-spill pythons for X-mas and was wondering is there any way of getting it to work without having to keep the water running? And also how can I get better suction?

Python/Marina siphons flow is dependant on your water pressure/flow rate at your sink. I have better water pressure attaching mine to an outside garden hose than when it's attached at the kitchen. It is also affected by the length of hose and elevation that the water has to travel. i.e. if your tanks and sink connection are on the same level in the house, you will get maximum flow, but if one is higher or lower, it will change the results. Also, you will get better results if your sink is less than 25' vs requiring the 50' version of the Python.

My kitchen sink is 50' from my tank on the same level and still the flow and suction isn't that great to really do a good job in cleaning the bottom of my tanks. I no longer connect it to the kitchen sink because of this. Instead, I use a shorter 1/4" hose to vacuum the bottom of my tanks into a 5G bucket. The smaller diameter removes less water, but gives me more time to complete my vacuuming. I end up only filling half to one full 5 gallon bucket. Then I attach a Maxi-jet power head to my Pyhton hose and drain the remainder of my water quickly during water changes. To fill, is a different story, given I use a water storage barrel to age my water. There is a pump and separate garden hose (probably should be FDA approved) attached to it to fill my tanks with a remote control.

[David Rose]

The only way to use the Python without using the faucet adapter is to use it with gravity only or a power head as I suggested above. Some folks will run the hose outside to drain water onto their lawn start the siphon manually with their mouth. In winter, if you have a drain at a lower level such as the basement, you can use gravity as well.

[amunoz7]

thanks for the info...... I will try using my powerhead tonight, so would i just hook it up and turn it on instead of hooking it up to the faucet? Doesn't the powerhead have to be submerged to work?

[David Rose]

I take the vacuum tube end off and attach the powerhead. Lower it into the tank to drain. The other end can be still attached to the sink if you want to anchor it in place, but you wouldn't need to turn on your faucet water.

[MadAnthony]

A little FYI from an old Hardware Store Guy, The Pyton sink hookup if broken, can be replaced with a waterbed drain and fill kit. It's the same piece for much less money.