Filling my tank

[lightningryan]

Hi,

I have a 10 gallon fish tank and when i want to clean it or fill it or do a weekly water change i have to use a bowl and go back in forth from the sink. is there an easier way to fill it?

 

[greenmaji]

a python , knockoff or bucket (for aquarium use only)..

 

[lightningryan]

for the gravel vac, why would you hook it to a faucet if it sucks dirt up? wouldn't dirt go in your faucet?

 

[greenmaji]

nope it is pushed though the valve and mixed with tapwater going down the sink drain.

 

[lightningryan]

but how does it suck?

 

[greenmaji]

it uses something called the venturi principle.. the valve creates a vacuum by rushing water down across the open valve causing a sucking action that pulls the air out of the hose then the water out of the tank..

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The python is nice but for a 10 gal tank, it is very powerful. Mine sucks out 50% of the water before I get half of the tank vac'd. You may want to try using just a gravel vac and bucket. When you start to get larger tanks, then the python will be beneficial.

 

[lightningryan]

so a pyton is for sucking water out. but a gravel vac is for cleaning the gravel. how would i use a gravel vac and a bucket? did you mean together? explain..

Thanks

 

[Fishyfanatic]

A python is a long hose that connects to the faucet. On the end of the hose that you use in the tank is a gravel vac. So you can gravel vac your tank. There is another product that is a shorter hose that you put one end in a bucket and the other is the gravel vac. It has a slower suck out rate but it will allow you to vac more of the gravel. The python is just too powerful unless you turn down the pressure.

 

[lightningryan]

got it, thanks for all your help

 

[severum mama]

BTW don't know if you know this, but the Python has a switch on the tube to reverse the flow. You can either suck water from the tank or use it to fill the tank (while you add dechlorinator). For a 10 gallon it might be overkill though.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yup, it is a bit of overkill for a 10 gal. The cutoff switch by the vac can only be half open to fill my 10 gal. Otherwise the water shoots so hard that it kicks up all the sand and will sometimes throw water out the back of the tank. The bucket method is going to be your best bet. Just get a 5 gal bucket, use it for aquariums ONLY and just empty out into the bucket and fill with the bucket. You shouldn't have to use more than 1 bucket.

 

[oscarbreeder]

HMMM I clean four ten gallon and two 2.5 gallon tanks with my python and have never had any trouble.
I just turn down the water pressure and it works fine.

 

[lightningryan]

wait, but how would ithe gravel vac get suction if the other end was just sitting in a bucket? and can a gravel vac fill a tank?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The standard gravel vac doesn't fill a tank. That's the advantage of the python. Basically to get the suction going, you can suck on the end of the hose to get it going, it will keep draining in the bucket. Or, you can fill up the tube with water with the end of the hose plugged with your finger. Then let it fill the hose, then fill the tube back up with water and then release your finger. That will also start suction.

 

[severum mama]

HMMM I clean four ten gallon and two 2.5 gallon tanks with my python and have never had any trouble.
I just turn down the water pressure and it works fine.

LOL I meant overkill for people with normal water pressure. My sink is so crappy I can't even use my Python. With 4 tanks here that makes maintenance a real pain in the... ummmm.... BACK!

I use a bucket and gravel vac on 2 55 gallon tanks, a 5 gallon, 20 gallon, 29 gallon, and 30 gallon, and also on a 55 gallon turtle tank.

 

[mishi8]

I like using a Python, even for my 10 gallon. True, it can be quite powerful for gravel vacuuming, but you can adjust the suction either at the tap end or with the shutoff valve on the tube. Although I prefer to use a traditional gravel vac and drain the water into a bucket. I can then use the old water to water plants (the nitrates are beneficial.) I then use the Python to refill the tank...way better than hauling buckets, especially for larger water changes!

Mishi8

 

[mishi8]

Basically to get the suction going, you can suck on the end of the hose to get it going, it will keep draining in the bucket.

Yuck! I wouldn't recommend sucking on the hose to start the syphon...getting a mouthful of tank water is gross. Even worse if you're syphoning water after treating the tank for disease (antibiotics, antifungals, etc.) Instead, look at buying a syphon bulb for starting a regular gravel vac, or buy a self-starting gravel vac (you shake it to get the syphon started.)

 

[Fishyfanatic]

We used to suck on the end of our gravel vac for months before getting the python. Sure it was gross, but it was the only way that we could get it started. And I would never do that after treating for diseases.

 

[ripvanrina]

using a turkey baster can get the syphon going if you find sucking the tube disagreeable