PythonNo Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Maintenance System, Gravel Cleaner and Water Changer, 25 Foot

I've owned several of these over the years and loved every one. I used to carry buckets back and forth to the sink and always spilled some along the way. Needless to say, dirty aquarium water is not something you want on your floor or carpet. Since using my Python water changers, I seldom get water in areas I don't want to and can quickly remove and add water to even my tanks in other rooms.The key to these Pythons working well is the valve that you will replace your sink aerator with. You get an adapter too that works with most faucets. But if you have an unusual faucet, you can usually find the right adapter at your local hardware store. I also put on a snap on connector on my faucet and one on each of my devices too. Now I can switch them out as needed without wearing out the faucet. After setting your desired water temp at the sink, you will set the Python valve to an open or closed position, depending on whether you want to fill or empty a tank.In the open position (down), the bottom is open. Any water flow from the faucet will pass through the valve to the bottom and out the sink. The flow running down the valve sets up a suction of water and air at the hose. The water at the siphon end of the hose will be pulled down the hose into the sink. You can use this to vacuum the gravel at the same time that water is being pulled from the tank. When you have removed enough water, you can shut off the valve on the siphon and move on to the next tank or shut it off at the sink.In the closed (up) position, the bottom opening is closed off and the faucet water will flow out the attached hose to your tank. You'll dope the outflow at the tank with anti-chlor and any other chemicals you deem necessary. Be sure you have 1st set the temp wanted at the sink faucet. When the tank is filled, you can turn off the flow either at the sink or from the valve on the siphon.When you are all done, you should drain the hose into the sink while rolling it up. You don't want to leave a lot of water in the hose as this could generate mold. I just keep mine in an empty bucket in the tank stand under the tank.Once you use one of these Pythons you'll never want to go back to carrying buckets again. The price seems high but worth every dollar. And if you break some of the plastic parts or want accessories, they are available, many here on Amazon.I would not get one with a hose much more than you'll need. Often times, the longer the hose and distance the water has to travel, the slower the speed when emptying a tank. Be sure not to leave the aerator on the sink faucet with the Python as it will tend to stop suction from happening.One word of advice: When filling a tank, turn the valve on the siphon very slowly. Quickly flipping the valve full open will cause a pop and massive amount of flow and you're likely to blow water everywhere. Go slow.

I love this product it makes water changes much easier but I do have a hard time getting the suction going on my smaller tank I think it’s because gravity and a sink to tank height difference

A necessary part of any aquarium setup, so many more uses than the basic water change.

Nice long tube eliminates the need to haul around a bucket of water.

Date of this review: Mar 5, 2018Reviews and rating so far: 4.6 stars in 2,795… Woah! That’s a lot of reviews and a lot of positive ratings.The verdict: The product really IS that good! YES! It works great!My rating: 4 Stars. Why? Read on.The package arrived as advertised. I opened it up to find in it:- One 10 inch gravel vacuum- One hose (I ordered the 25 feet version)- One plastic "pump"- One flow switchThe pump did not connect to my faucets. I read up on Amazon and found this to be a common problem. To fix this, all I did was to take out my aerator from the kitchen as well as another from my bathtub's telephone shower and brought them both to Home Depot along with the Python Pump. The folks at Home Depot saw the items and gave me two adapters, one each for the kitchen and bathtub shower (they were different types). This was a hassle, not really a big deal, but one would hope that with so many people finding connecting it difficult, the product would at least come with a simple instruction that says: "In the event that the pump does not fit your faucet, don't panic. This is because there are many faucet sizes and the one we provided, while it’s a common size, may not be the right size for you. In such a case, please consult your favorite plumbing supply store or our website." Oh, and if the system wasn't expensive enough, the adapter will set you back another $5, unless you go for the plastic version which I got at Menards for $1.36.I will post photos with this to show you how you can easily shop for your adapters.I didn’t bother reading the instructions, and I think neither should you. Because when I was searching the web for my adapter, I ran into a video that does a great job of explaining how to use this easy to use product. Amazon doesn't allow posting external URLs, so I can't post it here, but just search for "Big Al's Python" and you'll find the 7:09 min long video. When watching this video, pause at 3:09 minutes. See how its picking up the waste in your tank? That’s exactly what happened to me! That’s the suction power and cleaning ability. IT WORKS!A big disappointment for me was the 10 inch gravel vacuum. I used it on my 10G tank and got my hand wet - had to dip it in the tank to be able to reach the bottom. And that’s on a puny 10G tank!!! Look, water changes on a small tank are really not that hard - a bucket of water, 75% full, suffices. It's not that hard! Where this system is really useful is when I use it on my 90G tank. And guess what, with a 10 inch vacuum, I am up to my elbows in water. Even in the video above, he ends up changing the vacuum. I can't understand WHY the company would only provide one default vacuum size with their product. Actually I take that back… I used to be a consultant for consumer goods companies in my previous job, so I understand the business reasons ... SKU proliferation, cross selling, etc. But I think this is already a really expensive product (it’s a hose and some plastic, people! That shouldn't cost 40 bucks!!!), and the company is just forcing people to have to spend on their "accessories". Another example is the hook that Big Al's video uses to fill the tank. It’s a great convenience. But, it’s a U-shaped green plastic pipe. NOT worth $20!!!Lastly, my pump failed after the first use. It would work fine for the suction, but not so for putting water back in the tank. So I returned the product and got a replacement.So, for all the above, I docked them a star.Anyway, all said, the system works well. Buy it. I just hope that for such a popular product, the manufacturer could do a little more from a pricing and configuration perspective, and perhaps even offer an additional SKU or two. If not, a competitor is bound to catch up with a better, cheaper product.