Python no spill clean 'n fill

[hampton]

Hello everyone. I'm a newbie here and sorta new at tropical fish. I have a 55 gallon tank. I'm wondering if any body has a python no spill clean 'n fill or has used on before. I'm thinking of getting one but I'm not sure actually how it works. My main question is do you have to have the water running the whole time the python is syphoning. The reason I ask is because I have city water that I have to pay for so I really don't want to be wating that much water just to work the syphon. If any body can answer my question I would really appreciate it .



Thanks,


Mike

 

[Jen]

Yes, the water must be running the whole time. I have not found a way around it.

 

[lucky62]

Hello and welcome ,

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You could keep it disconnected from the faucet and let it drain into a bucket or a bath tub , what ever it drains into needs to be lower then the water level in order to get a good vacuum . When you're ready fill hook it back up to the faucet , I know this may seem like a lot of trouble , but if you're doing a large water change with out a python you're doing a lot of work anyway .

 

[smithrc]

Yes, the water must be running the whole time. I have not found a way around it.

If the tap end is lower than the tank - you can just start the syphon off with the tap.

We do that with our downstairs tank and the outside tap

 

[hampton]

Thanks for the quick reply. That's kind of a bummer that I would have to have the water running the whole time. Have you tried just turning the water off after it starts syphoning. My thought was that once it starts syphoning why couldn't you just turn the faucet off and it would keep syphoning. I guess since the tubing is so long there has to be some sort of water pressure to keep it going.
Is there anything else I could use that is like this setup. I just want to get away from hauling buckets of water through my house.

 

[hampton]

Yes, the water must be running the whole time. I have not found a way around it.

If the tap end is lower than the tank - you can just start the syphon off with the tap.

We do that with our downstairs tank and the outside tap

That is a good idea with the outside faucet. My tank is on my main floor also and my kitchen sink is higher than my tank. My bath tub is lower than the tank but I don't think low enough. The only problem with the outside faucet is what would I do in the winter(like right now). It is about 15 degrees out. I am thinking of a way I could run the tubing into my basment. I have a shower down there right now but I'm not sure how I would run the tubing down there with out haveing about 75 feet of tubing.

 

[PaintballFan07]

The water does not have to be running the whole time. I do not leave my water running while syphoning my tank. i leat gravity do its job n save me money.