Python, Aqueon, Lee water changers in UK

[Corygal, posts: 29]

Hi

I am disabled and have to get my partner to lug around buckets of water much to his annoyance. I have 4 tanks, 1 of which is 400l so, as you can imagine and probably know yourselves it's not easy. I have seen Python and Aqueon water changers online but most companies won't ship to England and if they do, they charge ridiculous shipping fees. Does anyone know where I can get one with reasonable shipping costs please? I cannot find any Python sellers who ship here.

[Bas Pels, posts: 1921]

I have no clue what a python is, but as I got 14.000 l of tankwater (expanding to 19.000) I will not carry buckets

I use long hoses, 10 meters and more, to get the water out and in again. I only carry the hoses and got them at a plumbers shop. We happen to have one in the city I'm living in

[matthewfaulkner, posts: 290]

I use the garden hose pipe and Eheim pumps (which double as internal filters) to drain my tanks, and I store the fresh water in a 200 litre barrel. The waste water can either go down the drain or water garden.

[megacat, posts: 108]

You could always look into buying a water bed refill kit. I use the adapter that came in the kit and just added the hose I want to use.

[MatsP]

I too have long hoses (in a one bedroom flat, I only need about 12 meter to fill and 12m to empty - the fill hose is connected to my RO storage in the loft, the drain hose goes in the bath or outside down the stairs).

I've also seen instructions on how to DIY a python device - it's basically the same principle as a water driven vacuum pump like what you get in a chemistry lab in school. [Although I remember having seen it, I can't find it right now... Only "long hose connected to gravel vac", which wasn't what I was looking for].

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Mats

[2wheelsx2, posts: 924]

I use a 50 ft potable water safe hose that's rated for hotwater and several of these: http://www.jehmco.com/html/safety_sipho ... drain.html

I bought one and then made several custom ones of my own using hardware store PVC parts...about $10 per unit at my low volumes. I use a Quiet One 3000 to pump the water out. I do 300+ gallons of water changes a week so time and effort are a big deal for me. I just flush the hose out and refill after the drain. It takes me about 6 minutes to drain 75 gallons.

[Jools]

The other thing about Pythons is that they waste water "pulling" out your tank waste water. Maybe you could look at using a long hose to take water out of your tanks (and into the garden or drain) and use a standard hose fitting to put water in. Or, better, yet, look at taking water from wherever the watertank is in your house down to the fish (test if first).

Jools

[Shane]

So am I to understand that water changers are not avilable in the UK? I have visited many UK pet stores, but my eye is usually on the livestock.
-Shane

http://www.pythonproducts.com/aqprod.html

[Narwhal72, posts: 125]

No, they are not available in the UK or teh rest of Europe. Mainly because the tooling is all made to fit American standard faucet threads and not European threads.

So even if you were to ship one over there it probably would not fit the faucet anyways.

Andy

[Shane]

So even if you were to ship one over there it probably would not fit the faucet anyways.

Aye, but that should be a three quid and 10 minutes at West Lothian Hardware to get the adapters right?
-Shane

[MatsP]

So even if you were to ship one over there it probably would not fit the faucet anyways.

Aye, but that should be a three quid and 10 minutes at West Lothian Hardware to get the adapters right?
-Shane

Bet you a beer that you can NOT find the relevant adapter to convert a US to Euro (or vice versa) in an hour using google - never mind popping into your local hardware store in any of Virginia, West Lothian or London.

In fact, I'm not even sure that there is a standard for "aerator" threads on taps in the UK. [Whilst researching this, I did find a US supplier for Euro size aerators, and about a dozen posts by people saying "I'd like to find an adaptor"]

Of course, if you have a lathe with threadcutting gearing to move the cutting attachment you could make one up. Most people don't tho', and asking a machine shop to do it would probably be a tad expensive unless you are good friends with them. And 55/64" threads [I think that's what the python uses] are not the most common, so you'd need to get it right...

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Mats

[2wheelsx2, posts: 924]

So most people in the UK use buckets? Wow.....

[MatsP]

So most people in the UK use buckets? Wow.....

No, just not a python. I use long hoses. I know a lot of other people that do that. Also pumping water is quite popular.

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Mats

[Suckermouth, posts: 1514]

The other thing about Pythons is that they waste water "pulling" out your tank waste water. Maybe you could look at using a long hose to take water out of your tanks (and into the garden or drain) and use a standard hose fitting to put water in. Or, better, yet, look at taking water from wherever the watertank is in your house down to the fish (test if first).

Jools

I've never used a python but I've heard that you only need to waste water to start it, and that you can turn off the water once the siphon is started.

[Birger]

I've never used a python but I've heard that you only need to waste water to start it, and that you can turn off the water once the siphon is started.

Only if the tank is higher just like any other siphon hose...if you are trying to do a number of tanks it can be really slow without the extra pull.

I am lucky I do not really get charged for water but still do not like wasting too much.

Those python ends seem to often start to come apart on me at the sink end and sometimes blow water around...manageable but irritating when it happens.

Sure beats buckets though.

Birger

[2wheelsx2, posts: 924]

So most people in the UK use buckets? Wow.....

No, just not a python. I use long hoses. I know a lot of other people that do that. Also pumping water is quite popular.

Ah...long hoses with a gravel vac I guess. Makes sense. I've never owned a python. Regular gravel vac jammed into the same garden hose I use for the pump to pump out water.

[Shane]

Well, for anyone looking for a business opportunity in Europe... Python is out of business. Their patents expired and every aquatic company out there started making water changing devices. I think the word "Python" will remain in the aquarist lexicon for a long, long time as Python is synonymous with water changes like Kleenex is to tissue.

With the patents in the open it shouldn't be hard to make and market a Euro version.

-Shane

[2wheelsx2, posts: 924]

Well, for anyone looking for a business opportunity in Europe... Python is out of business. Their patents expired and every aquatic company out there started making water changing devices. I think the word "Python" will remain in the aquarist lexicon for a long, long time as Python is synonymous with water changes like Kleenex is to tissue.

With the patents in the open it shouldn't be hard to make and market a Euro version.

-Shane

Yep, Python is way overpriced. Most people get the Aqueon or Lee's stuff now.