# DIY Python water changer?



## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

I know that homemade pythons have been discussed before. But the only units i've seen people make are made out of water bed kits. Which I don't have access to without ordering online.

Is there a way to make a water changer similar to a python that doesn't use the water bed kit?

I have seen alot of people use a setup up that looks like a pvc ball valve on the end of some sort of plastic hose. There's an example of what I'm talking about in this video. The problem is that I've never seen what the other end of the hose is hooked up to.

Any ideas?


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

All you need to do is get a potable drinking water hose and a faucet adapter both found at a hardware store and you're good to go. You can use the hose to siphon water out of the tank and out a door or window, and then hook the hose up to a faucet to refill the tank. The only difference between that and a Python is that a python uses flowing water from the faucet to suck water out of the tank and down the drain, and then by switching a valve, can switch from draining the tank to refilling. IMO, that is not needed, and is wasteful. A siphon can drain the tank for free, no sense running water to drain the tank. I attached a ball valve to the end of my hose so I can run water through the hose into the sink to get the temp right, and then shut the ball valve for the walk over to the tank.


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

I have considered doing this before, although I hadn't thought of attaching the ball valve. But the issue I have run into is that syphoning out a window is not an option for me because I live in an apartment building. I don't think my downstairs neighbors would apreciate fish water splashing right outside there window.

I'm really tired of using the bucket method especially now that I've started a new job where I work 50 to 65 hours a week and don't have an hour and a half to waste on filling up buckets one by one to do water changes. I was able to cut the time down a little by buying more buckets so I can treat the water at the same time as siphoning the tank, but its still a long time for a water change on a 55g. Especially now that I'm setting up a few smaller tanks in addition to the 55g.

Ok, that rant wasn't entirely necessary. :roll:

Anyways, I do like the idea of hooking up a hose to the faucet to do refills, but I still need a way to siphon out the water.

Any ideas?


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

TBH, most of the time I still drain water into the buckets, and then dump the buckets out the front door (but could just as easily dump them down a drain somewhere. It doesn't take any more time because I use 2 buckets and just switch back and forth as one bucket fills. I figure I gotta fill at least 1 bucket to rinse my filter media in, and I gotta fill a second bucket with "clean" tank water (not vacuumed detritus) for refilling my HOB filters for startup unless I want to take of my canopy, and when I vacuum, its easier to use the gravel vac with the shorter hose rather than the water hose, and the gravel vac is only long enough to drain into a bucket, so by the time I've cleaned my filters and vacuumed the sand using buckets, I've pretty much drained all the water I need to for my water change. When I don't do filter maintenance, sometimes I'll just use the water hose if it doesn't look like I have much to vac up off the sand.

For me, the problem with using buckets is filling them with tap water (most sinks cant accomodate a large bucket), and then dumping them into the tank without spilling it all over. I don't consider it much of a hassel to drain water into a bucket, carry it around, and then dump out the door or down the drain. Maybe that'll change as I get older or do it a couple hundred more times, but for now its just part of the routine.

I should add that for my 30g tank in the upstairs bedroom, I use buckets for draining and refilling, but its not a big deal because I only have to change 15 gallons of water. I use 3 buckets, drain into all 3 at once, dump them down the tub, refill all 3 in the tub at the same time, treat each bucket with prime, and then dump them in the tank. The part of that process I hate the most is trying to dump them into the tank without spilling, and filling the buckets in the tub.


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

Its not so much an issue of having to carry around buckets, its an issue of time. I would like to cut down my water change time to a max of 30 minutes for my 55g. I would not be able to do this while still using buckets.

Is there a type of pump that I could use to pump out water from my tank? It would need to be an external pump that I could hook up a hose to for vacuuming, and be able to handle the waste particles/sand that it sucks up. That way I could just run a hose from it into my kitchen sink. Then when the siphoning was done I could just turn on the ball valve for the fresh water hose and refill the tank.

I really didn't want to spend money a pump, but if its the only way I can successfully cut down my water change time it'll be worth it.

Although I guess it would be cheaper to just buy a python rather than a pump.


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

Ok, so I just came up with an idea for a DIY python-type water changer. Let me know what you think.

The drawing is very rough. I am leaving for work in 5min and didn't have time to make a good one.










Basically, there is a T-joint that is hooked up to the faucet and has a ball valve at each end. One ball valve is hooked up to a hose and the other opens up over the sink drain. The hose also has a ball valve at the end.

What you do is close the ball valve leading to the sink and run water through the hose. Once the hose is filled with water you close the ball valve at either end trapping the water in the hose. Put one end in the tank and open all ball valves. This should create a siphon leading right into the sink drain. The only issue I see is that the faucet would have to be lower than the tank.

Any issues I'm not seeing?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Can you get a hose from the tank to a drain lower than the tank? The bathtub drain is low or even a stool will do. If you do really need the python -type setup there is this info on the Hill Country Cichlid Club site which might give you some help. 
http://www.hillcountrycichlidclub.com/f ... =13&t=4065


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

I'm not sure your drawing will work unless the the faucet is lower than the water level.

You should be able to use a power head or water pump to drain the tank if you want. I'd do 2 separate setups - 1) a hose and faucet adapter for filling, and 2) a pump and vinyl tubing run to the sink for draining.


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## Pali (Dec 22, 2009)

You could also get a external pump, a long hoze and just pump the water from the tank into the sink, toilet, shower drain or whatever.

In my old apartment I used a 40 ft hoze from my tank to my bathroom, then connected the hoze to a tab and filled the hoze. Then disconnected the hoze and just left it on my shower floor and the siphon would start, had a U shaped fitting and a ball valve in the tank end of the hoze. So it would not fall out of the tank and it only drained 25% of the tank, then break the siphon. I would start filling the tank when the water flow stoped, go from the bathroom into the liveing room and monitor the filling and close the ball valve when the tank was full.

Very simple and did'nt take much time, useing a 3/4 hoze and rolled up it don't take up much space.


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## daFrimpster (Oct 12, 2006)

I am using something very similar to what Tokyo describes. My drain hose goes to a floor drain though. The valves are mounted on the wall. As long as the end of the drain tube is lower than the intake on the hose in the tank a syphon is possible.
I love mine. I can do water changes really quickly with it. Also mine isn't hooked to a faucet. I have it hard plumbed and the hose is cut to a length that allows access my entire fishroom without too much extra hose.


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

I could hook it up to the bathtub faucet down the hall. It would be low enough that I could start a siphon.



Rhinox said:


> You should be able to use a power head or water pump to drain the tank if you want.





Pali said:


> You could also get a external pump, a long hoze and just pump the water from the tank into the sink, toilet, shower drain or whatever.


I have considered using an external pump to removie water from my tank. But for the price that external pumps go for it would be cheaper to just buy a python.


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## dark SSide (Feb 12, 2010)

You can buy the faucet adapter separately from pet supplies or petco and then just go to lowes or any hardware store and buy the hose super cheap. I just made a 50ft "python" with a valve to control flow on the aquarium side for less than $20.


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## firetiger (Mar 3, 2010)

Rhinox said:


> All you need to do is get a potable drinking water hose and a faucet adapter both found at a hardware store and you're good to go. You can use the hose to siphon water out of the tank and out a door or window, and then hook the hose up to a faucet to refill the tank. The only difference between that and a Python is that a python uses flowing water from the faucet to suck water out of the tank and down the drain, and then by switching a valve, can switch from draining the tank to refilling. IMO, that is not needed, and is wasteful. A siphon can drain the tank for free, no sense running water to drain the tank. I attached a ball valve to the end of my hose so I can run water through the hose into the sink to get the temp right, and then shut the ball valve for the walk over to the tank.


I have found that once the python establishes a syphon you can shut off the water and it will continue to syphon as long as the sink is lower than the tank. The flow is slower than with the water running, but it still gets the job done without the wasted tap water. When I start I just leave the water going long enough to do a quick gravel vacuum and then shut it down for the remainder of the water change. :thumb:


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*I could hook it up to the bathtub faucet down the hall. It would be low enough that I could start a siphon.* 








Right into the bathtub.
The PVC end is both hanger and drain depth adjustment.
I start the siphon and can do other things while the tank drains, into the tub or out the front door.
Drains to the same depth, every time, unattended.

I use this faucet adapter, with the same hose to fill the tank.









Quick, easy, cheap.


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## tokyo (Jan 19, 2010)

I like this type of pvc hang on tank water changer, I've seem quite a few different designs, but with essentially the same effect. But what I don't understand is how you vacuum. In all the setups I've seen they just start the syphon and leave it. Is there something I'm missing?

I'm thinking I could just put an attachment at the end that would allow me to attach a vinyl hose for vacuuming, then allow me to remove it when I'm done without disrupting the siphon. But I'm not sure what I would use to create this attachment. I guess there must be something that would work witout too much trouble.


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## auratum (Jul 6, 2006)

I built a venturi similar to the one that comes with the Python out of parts from Lowes. It wasn't cheap, but it "sucks" just as good (maybe better). I have ~$40 into it (I know you can buy the whole Python for that) but it is alot more durable. I use the same original hose from my Python - I started with the 50' Python by the cheap plastic venturi thing broke after a year of weekly use. I also didn't like that it was so restricted when filling the tanks. The one I built pops into the line with quick disconnect hose connections when I am draining tanks, then I shut the water off and pop the venturi out and go with straight water from the faucet into the hose and to the tank. After building this, I cut my water changes down from 60 minutes to 30 minutes. See pictures below. This is a venturi - it is just hard to tell that where the water hooks in goes into a small nozzle that sprays the water down through the tee - this is what creates the suction. The only thing I had to modify was the plastic tee - I had to remove some material inside so the "nozzle" or small jet inside did not bottom out before it sealed with the pipe threads.

This is the whole thing connected together - I just pop it onto the faucet.









This is what it looks like with the venturi disconnected - I pop the hose right onto the faucet.









Here the venturi is attached to the faucet.









Here just the hose attached to the faucet.


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