Python pros and cons

[Wild West]

I can't tell you how much I dread water change day for my main tank, the smaller ones don't bother me but on my 126 gallon tank, doing a 30% water change is ~38 gallons. Right now I have to get on a step stool, reach my arm into the tank to get the siphon into the gravel, and empty it out into a 5 gallon bucket and carry it out the back deck. That's 8 buckets just to pull water out folks! Then another 10 to fill it back up ('cause there's been some evaporation so you gotta add more than you take out) which means filling the bucket from the hose and carrying it in, lifting it up above the tank which sits almost 6' off the floor, and siphoning the water out of the bucket so it doesn't create too strong a current and shock my fishies or mess up the gravel. It takes a good portion of my day (probably 2+ hours) and it's the only time I don't enjoy my fish tank.

So today I finally broke down and ordered a Python from Amazon. I've been wanting one for years, but I could never justify the $100 price tag it came with back in the day. Then I discovered they have a 25 foot version for only $40 and with tax returns just around the corner I could finally indulge. I also picked up the 2' gravel vac extension for tall tanks so I don't have to get my arm wet anymore, yay! But my question to you folks is thus: Does it raise your water bill when you use the python? Because it's pumping water both to pull out from the tank and refill it. Do you find it worth the price tag to buy it? How long does it take? How strong is the suction, will it pull up gravel or just the debris out of the gravel? Any tips, tricks, or cautionary tales? Share your experiences, I'm hungry for knowledge!

Also, in my previous home, I had a laundry sink that I mounted a hose reel above with surgical tubing, and a quick connect/release to the sink. Python out the door/window/tub, and easy refill, though I had exceptional city water there. The r/o tanks obviously needed buckets and took longer. The nice thing about the laundry hose one is that I could control the temperature of the water going in.

 

[Astarell]

Tanker- Ooooh, okay, like the commercial ones they use in office buildings and restaurants. That makes so much more sense. And that's a brilliant idea with it being mobile, especially if you can put it outside with some screening on top and use it like a rain barrel to collect nice, unchlorinated water before wheeling it in to use.

Wild West- Oooh, that's a really good idea too. Sadly I rent right now but once I get my own place that sounds like a thing I need.

 

[tanker]

if you can put it outside with some screening on top and use it like a rain barrel to collect nice, unchlorinated water before wheeling it in to use.

Sadly I would never do that. Rain drops collect all likes of dust, soot, CO2 on the way down, so the water will be polluted. The rain water in the first hour or so is no good, but afterwards (if it is raining that long) maybe OK, but I would still not use it

 

[FreshyFresh]

There's all kinds of options out there other than muscling 5gal buckets around. I have city water but am on an old septic system. I prefer not to dump tank water down the drain on the day I do fin level changes on my 75g and 55g (pictured). I use a standard large gravel vac and discharge it into a storage tote with a Harbor Freight Tools "1350gph" submersible utility pump, with a 50ft garden hose run out the back door and into the yard away from the house. Everything goes back into the tote nice and neat when I'm done. I use another (clear vinyl) hose that I attach to a nearby utility sink to re-fill.