Water Changing Systems
Contents:
- Python water changer
by "Kudzu" <Kudzu/airnet.net> (Sat, 13 Jun 1998)
- Python water changer
by George Booth <booth/lvld.hp.com> (Sat, 13 Jun 1998)
- Python water changer
by "Shimoda, Wade" <WShimoda/hei.com> (Tue, 16 Jun 1998)
- Python alternative
by George Booth <booth/frii.com> (Sun, 30 Apr 2000)
by "Kudzu" <Kudzu/airnet.net>
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 1998
I LOVE my python! I have three tanks now and wouldn't be without one. It can
be a bit aggravating trying to coil it up and store. I had a sink stop up
and flooded my bathroom while I was in the Den using the python but I still
love mine. I have found that if I am careful I can vacuum most of the debris
off the sand and take very little sand with it. As I said I just would not
be without it.
I have started connecting a short piece of garden hose between the sink and
the Python siphon. That way I can lay the siphon/drain end of the Python in
the shower and if it decides to leak at the connection it doesn't matter.
This also lowers the amount of lift since it is at floor level and seem to
siphon the water a bit faster too.
Just be sure that you have a good flow of water where you plan to connect
it. Our kitchen faucet is a new low flow design. It doesn't flow enough
water and will barley lift the water from the floor to the sink. I had to
use the one in the bathroom to even get it to work.
OH yea! One of my kittens (well she's a cat now) loves it!! Every weekend
when I call her and when she see the python in my hand she comes running!!
When I start it up it has lots of bubbles in the clear tubing and she loves
to chase them to the shower! Its a riot!! I always leave coils in the tubing
in the floor just to watch her go in circles trying to catch the bubble and
debris.
Jeff <*\\><
"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds
on the heel that has crushed it" Mark Twain
www.airnet.net/kudzu/ "Kudzu's Christian Clipart Collection"
by George Booth <booth/lvld.hp.com>
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 1998
To: Aquatic-Plants/actwin.com
> Date: Fri, 12 Jun 1998 15:26:02 +0000
> From: "Brad Grenard" <brgrenard-at-SMLY-01.HFS.PURDUE.EDU>
>
> I'd like to hear from users of the Python water changer. I'm
> considering the purchase of one, but wonder if it's worth having to
> make all of the connections and then take it all down and store it.
> Do you think that it saves you any time? Is it durable? Any other
> comments? Thanks for your help.
I wouldn't be without one. Actually, we have two so we can fill one tank while a
second tank is draining. It helps speed things up when you change 150 liters in
each of three tanks.
"Make all the connections"? Umm, you unsrew your faucet strainer, screw in the
"pump" thing and screw the hose into the pump thing. Not too onerous. If that
sounds like too much fuss and bother, you're in the wrong hobby, my friend.
Spilling just one bucket of water on the living room carpet makes the Pytjon
seem very worthwhile. And, yes, it DOES save a LOT of time.
To avoid "wasting" a lot of water, we simply use the Python as a siphon and
drain water into the flower garden. Good water, rich in nutrients. It's also a
lot faster than sucking the water out with the pump. We use an extra section of
hose to get water to all the garden areas.
Durable? Most of the pieces are. The only weak spot is the threaded adapter
that attaches to the sink There is a lot of stress there and it cracks after
awhile. Instead of paying $5 for a "Python" replacement part, we just buy a
waterbed "drain and fill" kit from WalMart for $3.79 and get the entire pump.
Of course, it's not green, but it's the same identical thing. We sure have a lot
of pumps laying in drawers now. You can also get a nice brass faucet adapter
from the hardware store that is easier to use than the nylon thingy that comes
with the Python.
As a matter of fact, you could buy a drain and fill kit, a cheap 50' garden hose
and the Python gravel vac tube for a whole lot less than a complete Python
setup. Just an idea. <g>
George in Sunny Colorado
by "Shimoda, Wade" <WShimoda/hei.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998
If you're thinking of using a garden hose instead of the python type
clear hose, you might want to use the type that's approved for filling
the water tanks in RVs. I recall hearing somewhere that the common
garden hoses are treated with some sort of algaecide. If you read the
labels on some garden hoses, they actually say don't drink from them.
Anecdotal evidence: My Dad has a garden hose that he should've thrown
away about 10 yrs. ago, and when you turn the water on after the water
has sat for a while, bits of algae come out. This doesn't happen with
his newer hoses.
Wade Shimoda
by George Booth <booth/frii.com>
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000
>Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 01:02:37 EDT
>From: Tefsom85@aol.com
>Being a tightwad, I bought a waterbed pump (looks like a Python pump) and a
>garden hose. Works like a charm. The pump was $10.
We've been getting waterbed pumps from Walmart - $3.98 last time we bought
one.
George Booth, Ft. Collins, Colorado
The Krib
Plumbing and Filtration
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