Python No Spill-where is the best deal?

[myriam]

I am seriously checking out the 25 ft. complete system. I saw it at PetSmart today for $39.95. Since I've just spent almost $200 for my 20-gallon setup (Top Fin kit plus everything else!), I'm trying to pull my spending reins in a little...but I am also lazy and don't want to drag buckets around or to siphon water.

Anybody get a better deal than that? Please also specify S&H and sales tax, so I can get a more accurate $ amount. Also, any opinions on the Python No Spill would be cool.

Thanks!

 

[Todd2]

There is a good article on how to make a DIY python at www.cichlid-forum.com
for around $20.

 

[fishfreek]

Look at www.thatpetplace.com

Of course you can buy the faucet attachement for the phython and use your own hose to save money.

 

[Gunnie]

I love mine. I got the 50 ft. size. I can clean a 100 gal., a 55 gal., a 29 gal., and a 20 gal long and refill them in less than an hour. I bought mine locally, but occasionally see them on special on the net. I think the last place I saw them on sale was at www.drsfostersmith.com. Even if you decide not to try the DIY python, IMO, they are well worth the money!

 

[Allivymar]

*nods and agrees with Gunnie*

Its worth it at any price LOL but yeah, there are instructions to make your own for a lot cheaper. Someone here (HOLLIEO maybe?) did it, and it cost around $8. I'll see if I can locate the thread.

 

[Allivymar]

Ahh, here we go: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=6473

The link to the cichlid forum instructions are in there as well ( http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_python.php ).

 

[loganj]

FYI, the blue faucet pump by Lee Products is exactly the same thing and usually Lee products are considerably cheaper than any of the "big brands". I'll admit that their hose ends aren't as secure as the ones that come with the Python brand, but I've been using them for a long time and haven't had one fail yet.

 

[madasafish]

Yep, a DIY system is cheapest. But, just to set the record straight...

www.bigalsonline.com has the cheapest prices on EVERYTHING (I think this is because they're in Canada). I bought a 50 ft python from them for $38! Their 25-ft goes for $23. I've been happy with mine. Just make sure you have the right type of faucet, or get the necessary adaptor if you don't. The average kitchen sink is not right for the python--it needs a larger aperture with wider grooves for the python to screw into. You can get the adaptor at a hardware store.

If you've got a maintenance-type sink near the tank, though, you're set. That should be right.

Oh, and do yourself a favor. When you're at bigals, order yourself some filter media, filters whatever. I must have saved over $100 on filter media by buying there. Any money you save this way will more than make up for what you spend on shipping.

 

[myriam]

Very cool

Thanks for all the info, everybody. I am hardware-impaired so I think I will not go the DIY route simply because I am sure I would get it all screwed up. I'll check out some of those websites you have recommended.

The thing is...my kitchen sink has a pull-out faucet with a big fat head, the kind that goes from spray to regular with a button on top. The other nearby sink is the vanity sink in the powder room, and that faucet is your basic Delta bathroom one. Does that mean I'll need to use the spigot outside on the patio? That would be fine, it's just 15 ft away from my tank. But will the Python thing would work using that?

 

[TankGirl]

I use my Python on my bathroom sink and I only remove the aerator before attaching it. If you get the Python, go ahead and order the brass replacement adapter that Python sells as well, since the white plastic one that comes with the unit will eventually fail (sooner rather than later) and the threads are ruined. The Python will work on an outdoor hose faucet, as well. Catch the water you drain off and it makes excellent fertilizer for your house and garden plants.

 

[myriam]

Thanks TankGirl. Good info to know.

I'm also wondering, if the Python makes water changing easier, how do you put in dechlorinated water if it's going into the tank right out of the tap via the Python? Do you put the dechlorinator drops (I think I have Bio-something tap water stuff) right into the tank after the new water goes in? I thought you were supposed to have water in the bucket already dechlorinated, and then put that into the tank. What about the water temp also? I'm trying to figure this out so I will not stress out my fish or un-cycle the tank.

 

[TankGirl]

In a perfect world you would have aged, treated water on hand to use in water changes, but I have used the Python forever now and no harm has come to my fish from the water going straight from the tap into the tank. What I have done is marked on my tank on the back edge 5-gallon increments so I know how much water I am draining out. Then I use the proper amount of dechlor in a cup of tank water, and gradually add that cup of water containing the full dechlor dose into the tank as I fill. That way you don't overdose on dechlor, which is easy to do and mucks up the tank a bit. For me, the convenience of the Python makes it simpler to do water changes, which translates to more frequent partial changes, which is always good for the fish!

 

[myriam]

Excellent! The less I have to do with a bucket of water, the better

Thanks! I can't wait to get my Python now.

 

[myriam]

FYI for anyone interested...

I called PetSmart and asked them why their 25' Python sells at the store for $39.99, when their website offers it for $25.99. They said if I printed out the page and brought it in, they would honor their online price. So I think I will go with that; I'll pay some sales tax but avoid S/H, and I will have it in my hands asap.

I also noticed all their other Python stuff sells for wayyy cheaper online than in the store. Why they do that, I don't know, esp. if they will honor the online printout price.

 

[TankGirl]

Online means almost no overhead, fewer employees, more efficiency. They may get you on shipping, but it is just easier these days to do business online.

 

[madasafish]

Good call, Tankgirl. That's what the plants want--waste can be food too!