Jadie Posted December 5, 2002 Report Share Posted December 5, 2002 *wave* Hi everyone ! Sorry about the lengthy intro! I have a question :- As I have bought the big 200LT tank, I am staying on a 2nd level flat (someone else lives underneath), so I was just thinking - how am I going to do water changes / gravel suction without spending the whole day doing it? I've rang the pet stores in wellington and they all say "hook up a big hose and suck!" But I don't want to have to suck on a hose and get fishie water Apparently they are selling these "Python Siphon"s online but so far I can't find any in NZ and the pet stores say "AYE?" when I ask them if they have a python siphon. The python siphon says that no sucking needed, just attach it to the tap? and somehow the pressure will suck out/vacuum out the water and also can refill the tank. For those who have large tanks - can you please advise how you do your water changes? I don't want to have to go through the trouble of doing it bucket by bucket.. someone suggested going to a hardware store to get this valve thing that lets the tap vacuum out water?? Any suggestions? Thanks heaps!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 5, 2002 Report Share Posted December 5, 2002 Hi Jadie, There was talk about these Python Syphons on an overseas forum and they said they were over a hundred bucks Might be time to start building those muscles up You said: I've rang the pet stores in wellington and they all say "hook up a big hose and suck!" The easiest way when using a long hose is to fill it with water..... block both ends.... drop one end in the tank and release it, then put the other end in the place you need to dump the water.... then release that and the syphoning will start. Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted December 5, 2002 Report Share Posted December 5, 2002 The Syphon Python is one of the best inventions EVER for fishy people. Yes they are an expensive item ($150 up retail - $90 wholesale) You may pick one up cheaply through a buy sell and exchange magazine or trade me or garage sale. Southern Petware (they have a website) have them as do Masterpet. The Southern Petware is the real thing and the Masterpet have a cheaper version. They come in two sizes - one has a 25m tubing and the other a 50m tubing. Go for the 50m one - you can always shorten it. Good luck. The other is good ol' buckets and the gravel vacumn thingie which you fill with water and then vacumn the tank gravel while holding the other end over the bucket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted December 5, 2002 Report Share Posted December 5, 2002 whats the web page for pet ware? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 Mine cost around $99. They certainly are available in NZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 I just got one of the siphons with a valve inside so i dont need to suck... just move the pipe up and down in the tank and somehow the valve creates a vacuum and water will start pumping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 Why does everyone have such a problem with sucking on the hose to get the water flowing? It's the quickest, easiest way to do it, especially if you have clear hoses. Just put the end in the water, suck on the other end until either it's close to full or if you've got a long hose that's drooping between you and the tank, suck until the water comes up and then down the hose below the water level in the tank. Easy, takes like 2 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadie Posted December 6, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 *wave*~ Thanks for the tips on how to use a long house to siphon out water - I'll def give it a go if I can't find something like the python siphon in NZ. hehehe sorry.. :oops: Just wondering, what area do you look in the trade&exchange or trademe for these siphon thingies? Any idea how I can get in touch w/ Southern Petware or Masterpet? Caryl: Where did you get yours? What did they call it? Richard: Did you by any chance buy that kinda siphon off trademe? I did a search on siphon in trademe, and this guy is selling a whole buncha siphons and he described his siphon like how you described yours. Does it work? -- Hmm, move the pipe up and down in the tank..... is the pipe gonna be horizontal or vertical? Thanks everyone!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 Ira - obviously some people are biger suckers than others! :lol: Jadie I got my python when I was in Hamilton last but have seen them elsewhere. As far as I know they are called Syphon Pythons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 They used to sell a plastic item at the Warehouse for syphoning things. It looked like a couple of hoses with a round concertina type pump attached that you squeezed. Was under twenty bucks if I remember, but you simply placed one end in the liquid, did a few squeezes on the pump and your syphon started. As Ira says, starting a syphon is a two second job once you get the knack of it Bit off topic, but I'm just watching my fish and the antics they get up to. The Plecos are usually first to the worm feeders when I put them in, but they have now learned a new trick. They see the food arriving and float upside down on the surface and vacuum the flake food from the surface. I can actually hear them slurping the food off the top. These are one of the most comical fish to watch, and seem to wag their bodies violently whenever I go near the tank. Happy Days Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 WTG Pegasus. I too love to watch the different things the fish get up to. The official name is Syphon Python for the tap hose I am looking for Southern Petwares' web site. I know that there was one a few months ago. They are in Stevens St Christchurch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 He he.... Are you up late (3:40) or up early (3:41am) Must turn my lights off, the fish need a sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 sleepless. whew so dislike these hot nights. :-? I am fish watching of course. The puter just happens to be in same room Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 The puter just happens to be in same room Same here Must get a few hours before daylight. Geez.... these fish do some crazy things.... the Corys are..... and the angels are.... he he. Great stuff Get some sleep.... You'll suffer tomorrow. Geez... It is tomorrow, or is it still yesterday.... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 I got my siphon from Organism for just around 22 dollars i think... it works fine...easy to start... just looks like any siphon... u just hold it vertically in the tank and move it up and down in a pumping motion... starts in a few seconds for me.... piece of cake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 6, 2002 Report Share Posted December 6, 2002 The syphon python does more than just suck the water out. It attaches to the tank and not only can you take water out, but you can use it to add water as well - no lifting heavy buckets around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadie Posted December 7, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2002 I want a python syphon ! Gotta try harder to find these things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 7, 2002 Report Share Posted December 7, 2002 I should have said one end attaches to the tap and the other end hangs in the tank. Our tap is one of those single outlet ones so I can have warm water going back into the tank. We don't have chlorine added here so don't have a problem with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted January 4, 2003 Report Share Posted January 4, 2003 I now have a device that does the equivalent job of the phython and it cost less than $20 new. I noticed in a couple of pet shops that they had these super pump things. The one I saw was marketed by Lees aquarium and pet products (some American company I think). These were selling for about $15 dollars. They were being sold as a replacement part for part of something equivalent to the python system. However this part is the bit that does all the work, the rest is just piping, which I already had. This bit can suck water along a pipe but using water flowing through a venturi to create the suction. Normally during water changes I empty the tanks using a gravel siphon with a short tube and constantly run backwards and forwards with buckets. This is a pain especially since I seem to have more and more tanks to change as time goes on and often results in water on the floor etc. So more recently I have tried attaching a longer hose (10m+) to the gravel siphon so I can cut out the buckets and goe straight to the drain. However this causes the suck from the gravel siphon to diminish to a near useless level and the flow of water drops significantly. Draining 100L+ out of a tank then takes a long time. So I bought one of these 'super pump' things and some fittings from the Wharehouse that enabled me to connect it to my piping (all up just less than $20). This then provided extra suck (and water flow) back up to what I was used to with a short tubed gravel siphon. Now I don't have to run around with buckets spilling water everywhere. It just goes straight down the drain. To fill my tanks I filter cold water put through a water filter (an activated carbon filter, like the kicthen ones only can provide much better flow rate) as we do have chlorine in the water here and a lot of it from the taste of it. Therefore cutting out buckets completely from my water changes and saving much time and effort in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 4, 2003 Report Share Posted January 4, 2003 I don't syphon directly down a drain because fish can easily be sucked up the hose (especially the nosy ones). I use a syphon to clean the gravel and empty the water into 30 litre barrels. I then drag these out the door and tip them over the side of the verandah. The tank is next to the door so it is very little effort and no lifting as I slide the barrel along the floor. I then hook the python up to the kitchen tap and refill the tank as required. Still no buckets used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted January 4, 2003 Report Share Posted January 4, 2003 For the less technical person could you tell me the brand of these pumps? Sounds great to me. A piece on my syphon python broke and I have been told they do not sell replacement pieces (I now refuse to pay for complete python again). I have the tubing and suction end however the part that fitted onto the taps etc is broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted January 5, 2003 Report Share Posted January 5, 2003 For the less technical person could you tell me the brand of these pumps? Sounds great to me. A piece on my syphon python broke and I have been told they do not sell replacement pieces (I now refuse to pay for complete python again). I have the tubing and suction end however the part that fitted onto the taps etc is broken. Do you mean the 'T' shaped piece that does the sucking? This is what I bought. It was being sold by 'Lee's aquarium & pet products' and was called a 'Super Pump', also had 'The Ultimate' written on it in quite a big font. They were blue in colour. The two fish shops that I have looked for them in both had them (Wet Pets in Palmy Nth and Mokia Pet supplies here near Hawera). So I wouldn't have thought that they would be too hard to find. Something interesting I discovered from the writing on the super pump itself (rather than the packaging) was that it had actually been made by a different company called 'Blue Magic'. This company makes water beds and the device is used to help drain the water out of water beds. I genarally don't have to worry about sucking up fish as they are all too big to fit up the pipe. With the smaller tanks (with the smaller fish that could get sucked up) there is less than a bucketful of water to be changed so I still use the shorter gravel siphon. I think the only fish I have ever sucked up was some convict fry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted January 5, 2003 Report Share Posted January 5, 2003 Thanks Midas I will be going up to Christchurch soon and will have a day to look about and find one. Sure makes water change easy. Buckets get so heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 try putting some of your water on your garden and pot plants my old water from my discus tanks help my vegs and plants grow well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted January 10, 2003 Report Share Posted January 10, 2003 try putting some of your water on your garden and pot plants my old water from my discus tanks help my vegs and plants grow well I do this. I have about ten pots of pancies which are over flowing their containers and my dahlias are huge!!! I have had comments on my flowers so obviously the fish poo does wonders on the garden. Saves buying expensive plant food! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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