Fish tank cleaning. We currently use the PYTHON cleaning tube and love it...but we need help!?

Question

Hi all,

We currently us the PYTHON cleaning tube for our tank

We love it, it's relatively mess free and one person can do it

However the green attachment that goes onto the faucet breaks fairly often. We went to replace it (again) and were told the item is discontinued partialy due to that faulty part.

Do any of you use a system similar to the PYTHON that you could recommend?

I've included a link I found that explains the product. It really is a good item EXCEPT for the dang piece that goes on the faucet, don't trust it!!

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://web.singnet.com.sg/~teosb1/python1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://web.singnet.com.sg/~teosb1/python.html&h=480&w=640&sz=45&hl=en&start=4&um=1&usg=__lDRjH1qblcrPfNnHrkaCiv5Jdgs=&tbnid=uN4InXO952ollM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpython%2Bfish%2Btank%2Bclean%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Answer 1

When i was younger i worked at a lfs (local fish store) and we used a python and ran into the same problems. In my personal fishkeepin, i just use a simple gravel syphon. Again, relatively mess free and single person. Its just a hard clear plastic tube attached to a long flexible tube. Get a bucket, create a syphon and go to town. No replaceable/moving parts! I do weekly 20% changes on 4 tanks and love it.  

Answer 2

I have been useing the python system for years now and have never broke the part your talking about though I can see how you could if you weren't carefull and made sure you pushed straight up on it and then gently twisting it into place based on the concept you could make your own pice useing a couple of fittings from the hard wear store

you would need a Tee and a shut off valve the tee would connect to a pice of hose that is fitted with a pice to attach to the sink then the center would attach to the hose that goese to the tanks and the bottom would have a small tube to attach the shut off valve to the shut off valve being open would create the suction and closed would fill the tank it is a very simple concept I recomend not useing mettal use brass or nylon plumbing parts if you explained what you were doing to the hard wear cleark and took a small length of the tube say the pice to connect the tee to the valve so he would point out the right size to use I hope this helped  

Answer 3

Mine broke too ...it has a year warranty where you can mail the piece back to the manufacturer with a check and wait to see if they will replace the piece or give you the check http://pythonproducts.com/ or you can just buy it from doctors fosters and smith https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p...

I love the python and will buy 2 just in case I'll just buy extra just in case you never know and with my luck it might not break because I have extra

Answer 4

I agree with china cat, at a fraction of the cost I would choose the gravel siphon over the python.  Not to mention the angst when a part breaks and it becomes virtually useless, and a waste of money if you can't replace the part.  The extra effort using the gravel siphon (buckets back and forth) doesn't cause me that much grief at all.  I prefer the more reliable method of being able to test the temperature of the water in another container and adding conditioner before I put it into the tank rather than straight out of the faucet.