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Gang,

I am having a question for you regarding the use of a python to perform a water change.

As some of you might know, I am the proud new owner of a 125G and perform my 50% (about 60G) water changes with a python (go figure). I currently have only 16 fish (12 Harlequin Rasbora Espei and 4 Otos) in the tank, so fish movement is still controllable.

Nevertheless, sucking out 60G of water with a python takes a good 10 to 20 minutes (feels like hours) and I tend to simply let the hose hang into the tank while doing so. Now, the paramoid person that I am, I am getting worried that a fish might get sucked up into the python hose and disappear down the drain before I can even jump of the couch and try to do anything to stop this. I think that a grownup fish could escape form the wider end piece of the python, but how about any fry or young fish?

What is your experience or opinion?

Thanks for the help,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

They can get sucked in, IME. But there's an easy fix (I do the same thing - but I drain into the bathtub, which is much faster because gravity=yay - just suck on the end like you would a normal siphon and drop it. Out the window works too, REALLY fast, but I was flooding the basement (oops)) - just put a nylon stocking over it.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

I agree, I did my first gravel vac last night since adding my harelquin rasboras, and they are fearless little things. Kept swimming near my gravel vac to see what was going on. I had to be super careful not to suck them up!! I would put a mesh bag or stocking over the end of that thing and only take it off to gravel vac.

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~~Melissa~~
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."

Thanks Ladies,

One can see how simple minded men are, at least I am

I would have never thought of a stocking. I guess I will have to ask the wife for one, or go to the store and buy them, if I dare .

Thanks for that tip,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

I've never done the stocking thing, but, I bury it in the gravel, and use a rock/driftwood/extra gravel to hold it down, and then shut the lid down on the hose so that it doesn't have a whole lot of tendency to escape and allow the fishies a place to go and be curious...

Also you'll discover eventually that the fish won't really get sucked up and dumped down the drain of the sink before you can reactthey will get stuck somewhere along the line, more than likely at the sink section piece that well you connect to the faucet, that piece...I've managed to get a couple of leeches, java moss, gravel, snail shell, and other misc. stuffes caught in it, especially at that area

Best of luck, I know how long it takes:%)it's usually the second tank to get "hit" in the event of tank cleaning...normal tank maintenance time needed for basics? 2 hours Gotta love the python

Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I used a python for 5 years at work, and i use one at home. It's not a pretty sight when a fish gets sucked up, and it does happen. Curious fish, weak fish or just plain stupid fish can get a ride if you're not careful. It's really up to the operator of the python to make sure nothing gets sucked up.

A stocking is a good idea, but i prefer to use a net with a little rubber band on the tube to keep it from falling off. The net has larger holes so it will drain faster.

I used this technique when draining our feeder fish tanks when there were up to 1,000 fish in the tank.

IME the fish that have gotten sucked up into my python (fry about 2 weeks old) they usually can swim back down the tube in time. Out of like 30 or so fry only 2 got sucked up into the sink and luckily there is a drain problem so I could net them back into the main tank. Not saying it can't happen, but even my fry were able to take the suction. But...they were guppy fry which IMO could survive a nuclear war



Last edited by Tetra Fan at 06-Oct-2005 06:24