I have used old hoses for water changes but I seem to recall reading something about garden hoses being unsafe for aquarium use due the chemicals they are made with possibly leaching into the water.
Why should I get a python water changer?
- Thread starter The Masked Shadow
- Start date
No need for a python… trip to the hardware store will get u everything u need… 3/4”-1” nylon hose and some fittings for a sink attachment does wonders. Huckin buckets is just a waste of time and energy.
Water is only wasted if you keep the water on after starting the siphon. Desides, eou don't need the sink to start the siphon. Just rinse the end of the hose and do a quick suck. Gravity will pull the water out as long as the gravel tube is higher than the hose end.
You better make sure that you can put a hose adapter on the faucet that you will be doing a refill first. Otherwise, you will be stuck looking for hose extensions.
I used a Python for a while.
And compared to buckets, its a breeze.
But later I just ran a line from my sumps to the yard, and garden.
When I open 1 valve, old water is sent straight to the garden. When I close it, and turn on the tap, water is sent to tanks.
I could send old water from five tanks of 100 gallons plus each at once, doing a water change on those 5 tanks (total a couple hundred gallons) in about 10 minutes.
No siphon, no effort, no mess, save water by using old nutrient rich water twice, once in tanks then again for the garden.
And compared to buckets, its a breeze.
But later I just ran a line from my sumps to the yard, and garden.
When I open 1 valve, old water is sent straight to the garden. When I close it, and turn on the tap, water is sent to tanks.
I could send old water from five tanks of 100 gallons plus each at once, doing a water change on those 5 tanks (total a couple hundred gallons) in about 10 minutes.
No siphon, no effort, no mess, save water by using old nutrient rich water twice, once in tanks then again for the garden.
The python female end is the same size as a garden hose.
I bought the junky aqueon version and retro-fitted a 2400gph pump to on end and leave the other end in my tub. I run this for the drain and fill from the sink with a second hose. having two hoses allows me to take half the time for water changes. if i miss week i drain the tanks down to like 30% and start filling while draining. the fill is slightly faster then the drain, so i feel like this gets me close to 100% WC.
the problem with getting hose from a hardware store is that it cost almost as much as the python for 100ft.
the problem with getting hose from a hardware store is that it cost almost as much as the python for 100ft.
Yeah, and the hose from the hardware store isn't as soft as the python, and when coiling to a certain diameter for a 50ft hose, it's a pain.
