Diy Python Water Change System (no Mixer Tap Required)

Just thought I would show you all my DIY Python like water change system. As we all know, the Python requires a mixer tap. As I only have separate hot and cold taps the system would not have worked well for me. So I made this up using information from around the net and a couple of my own ideas.

Parts:
Push on shower kit - £5
Water bed filling and draining kit + Kitchen Tap Adapter - £10
Hosepipe - £8
Gravel Vac - Optional £5
Plastic Ratchet Clamps - Optional £2

Step by step

1. Attach fill and drain water pump to cold tap on sink using the kitchen tap adapter.




2. Now you need to attach one end of your hosepipe to the fill and drain water pump which is stuck on your cold tap.




3. Next you want to put the free end of the hosepipe onto a gravel vacuum. I find its a nice tight fit on most large gravel vacuum's as the tubing is 25mm stock size. This is an optional step. Instead of attaching a gravel vacuum you can simply put the other end of the hosepipe in your aquarium if you don't want to clean the gravel. When attaching the gravel vacuum to the hosepipe its a good idea to use the plastic ratchet clamps to stop it falling off when using.




4. Time to rock and roll people! open the bottom of the fill drain pump that is attached to your cold tap. All you do is simply turn it slightly and pull down. Once open turn the cold tap on. (Make **** sure the other end is in your aquarium ready for draining) Water will now begin rushing through the pump and out into the sink.




5. After about 5 minutes turn the water off from the tap and after another minute or so you will see the siphon start flowing out into the sink. Yes this works without the tap being on for the full time of draining. The tap being on is only needed to start the siphon. If you have a gravel vacuum attached to the other end of your hosepipe now is the time to start vacuuming the gravel




Now for filling

1. Cut the head off your portable shower and put each of the plastic adapters on the hot and cold tap.




2. Now you have two options. You can directly pull the bottom pipe off the Y adapter on your portable shower and attach the hosepipe directly to this or you can use a small flexible piece of tubing to connect your shower tubing to your hosepipe. I go with the second option pictured below.




3. Now remove the hosepipe from the shower and turn both the hot and cold tap on. Its now your job to regulate the water temperature by holding a thermometer against the stream of water flowing through. Keep adjusting the hot and cold water flow from the taps until you get the right temperature on your thermometer.




4. You now got the right temperature water flowing through the portable shower into the sink. Now put one end of your hosepipe into the tank and the other end back on to the portable shower tubing. Again using either the flexible tubing to connect the hosepipe to the shower pipe or simply by connecting it directly to the base of the Y connector on the portable shower. Do this why the water is still flowing through, do not turn it off.

Bingo the tank is filling Make sure to treat the entire tank with dechlorinator after filling.




The results, a happy Zebra Tilapia.

 

The thing is, I've always used tap water from my kitchen for water changes, which is about 15m away from my actual tanks, so it's a bit of an issue really

Awesome tutorial though!!

 

Good project. I would treat tank water prior to pumping in from tap. Full tank dose.

 

I use a python water changer. I add Prime to my tank prior to reversing the flow and filling the tank. Since I'm not treating the water prior to going into the tank, I double dose my tank with prime.

 

Great project - is that the flexible tube from a Fluval surface skimmer that I see?

I buy new Phyton valves regularly (lots of aquariums); the replacements cost me $15.00 US each locally; seems that Amazon has them MUCH cheaper...

Still, I ADMIRE your ingenuity; truly.

 

The thing is, I've always used tap water from my kitchen for water changes, which is about 15m away from my actual tanks, so it's a bit of an issue really

Awesome tutorial though!!

This system would actually work over 15m or more of distance. Might have to leave the tap on for extra suction though

Its a good job they make long hosepipes.

Good project. I would treat tank water prior to pumping in from tap. Full tank dose.

You are right. Although I always treat the tank after filling it should technically be done prior to adding the water back. Will edit the post now and make sure I treat the tanks prior to filling.

Great project - is that the flexible tube from a Fluval surface skimmer that I see?

I buy new Phyton valves regularly (lots of aquariums); the replacements cost me $15.00 US each locally; seems that Amazon has them MUCH cheaper...

Still, I ADMIRE your ingenuity; truly.

The flexible tube is from a Large Marina Gravel Vacuum. As the hosepipe fits snug onto the Marina Vac I had no use for the flexible tubing. It came in handy for connecting the shower tubing to the hosepipe though.



Much cheaper on Amazon. To be honest you could probably build everything from the DIY tutorial for a lot less than it cost me. I didn't really shop around and prices for the pumps seem to be much more over here in the UK.

Thanks

 

I have to ask how you guys avoid cross contaminating your tanks?

You only own one Aquarium?

Or do you have a python for each one?

 

I've thought about this, you actually move a fish from one tank to another after qt. What could be more cross contaminating than that?
Only when treating for something do I do a bleach cleans of everything at the end.

 

I.. don't avoid cross contamination! Sometimes I wrinse my equipment if I'm worried about diseases in one of my tanks but if all is healthy j regularly move water from one tank to the other if the water levels are off (my smaller tank with lots of bubbles and fast flowing water evaporates like crazy and I usually top it up from my other tank as its easier then preparing a while new batch of water only to use a tiny bit of it)

Never have I had a disease or sickness jump my tanks

 

I've thought about this, you actually move a fish from one tank to another after qt. What could be more cross contaminating than that?
Only when treating for something do I do a bleach cleans of everything at the end.

I never use bleach on any of my tanks or equipment. I've heard of people bleaching filters after a disease outbreak and I never would do it. Too paranoid about any ammonia being left inside the filter or aquarium when coming into contact with the bleach.

That's just me though.

I have to ask how you guys avoid cross contaminating your tanks?

You only own one Aquarium?

Or do you have a python for each one?

I don't worry about cross contamination. If all tanks look healthy then I don't see the risk being high.

But if a tank has a disease outbreak then I don't use the python on it. Would just use a regular spare gravel vacuum that gets soaked in a salinity bath after using.

Of course, you can destroy most bacteria and disease after using a python by simply running a saltwater solution through it.

That doesn't work for killing saltwater diseases though.

 

The beach solution (already only 5%) is diluted further 20-to-1. After cleaning everything, I soak them, or run them, inside a 5 gallon bucket of prime water, then let air dry. I don't think you would have a problem as long as you let everything get dry really well.. Chlorine disappears once dried, the prime is just a extra precaution.

 

I only have one tank large enough that I use my water changer for. The other two tanks at home share a gravel vac, as do the two at my office.

 

Well I only do freshwater and I fill all my tanks from the same hose; but, I have 3 different size gravel vacuums, because I have different depths of tank to drain: 12, 16, 18, & 24"

Having different siphons helps prevent cross contamination. I don't normally mix those up but I store them in the stand for their particular Aquarium with a bucket for that particular Aquarium net etc.

My problem is that now I've converted over to sump systems, there's no room in my stands to store the bucket full of stuff.

But if I could store them all in the garage in the same bin full of saltwater, that would be cheap insurance.

 

Just to clarify, I have 4 tanks and 2 of them are really QT for different stock. Can't put them together.
One is healthy now & is a permanent tank.

 

The beach solution (already only 5%) is diluted further 20-to-1. After cleaning everything, I soak them, or run them, inside a 5 gallon bucket of prime water, then let air dry. I don't think you would have a problem as long as you let everything get dry really well.. Chlorine disappears once dried, the prime is just a extra precaution.

Its not the fish that concerns me. Its the reaction of ammonia with bleach forming chloramine vapors. If the ammonia was in excess of the bleach it could even form hydrazine.

I know very unlikely but I do see it as a valid concern when bleaching filtration systems and media or even gravel. Considering the ammonia needed to react with bleach is next to nothing.

Say you run bleach solution through a gravel vacuum straight after cleaning a tank that can for sure cause a reaction.

But if I could store them all in the garage in the same bin full of saltwater, that would be cheap insurance.

If all your tanks are freshwater then you can definitely store all the vacuums in a bin of saltwater in the garage.

I don't know of a single freshwater disease that can survive in salinity water the same as marine aquariums are at.

 

So that's effectively .3% ammonia, you think that would react enough to affect me while cleaning the equipment? I'm feeling sceptical at the moment

 

So that's effectively .3% ammonia, you think that would react enough to affect me while cleaning the equipment? I'm feeling sceptical at the moment

.3% ammonia with bleach would definitely trigger a reaction and form chloramine vapor. I doubt it would form hydrazine but it almost certainly would form chloramine.

Also keep in mind that you are estimating the percentage of reactive ammonia in the solution not the quantity. In order to determine the quantity you would have to know the volume of .3% ammonia solution.

Whether it would be enough to affect you is unknown. I don't know of any studies that document the health risks of low, regular exposure to chloramine vapor. Normal exposure usually leads to pneumonitis but I don't know on low levels of the vapor.

Personally, I'd rather just use salt! lol.

 

Opps, I meant .3% bleach.. ammonia would obviously be.in the low ppm range. I feel a little experiment coming on.

 

Opps, I meant .3% bleach.. ammonia would obviously be.in the low ppm range. I feel a little experiment coming on.

Might want to invest in a respirator