Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I hate lugging buckets of water with fish poop in it (doesn’t everyone) so I was thrilled when I read about the Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Maintenance System! About 4 years ago my daughters’ best friend moved away and had to leave her two tiny goldfish behind (less than 1/2” long). We adopted the goldfish and as goldfish do, they grew and grew. Over the past several years, the larger one ate the smaller one and continued to grow even more. We recently moved “Goldie” to a much larger tank as she is not almost 8 inches long (I wish we had a pond for her). So, why the backstory on our monster fish? Anyone who has had a goldfish knows that do not have a stomach (sort of) and all they do is eat and poop and poop and eat! They are the pigeon of the tank and just plain dirty. I know it is suggested that you change 1/4 to 1/5 of the tank water out every couple of weeks. Hauling 50 gallons of water, one bucket at a time, is horrible especially when two little kids are trying to help. To save us tons of grief and my hardwood floors from the risk of a disaster I thought I would siphon the water out the second-floor window, over my deck rail and down to the ground outside. Then I could fill the tank with a garden hose. Sounds simple. I did this once and realized there still must be a better way so I turned to YouTube. After hours getting distracted on youtube I came across a few pump products. After a week of doing my homework and debating what system is best, I selected the Python! How long of a system do you need? Wow, this sounds simple. Just measure the length that you need to reach from the tank to the sink you plan to use. Python sells the hose lengths in many sizes so you can get what you need without having too much laying around (or paying the additional cost). From looking at the Python system online I understood that it is available with hose connector segments with lengths of 10’, 20’, 25’, 50’, 75’, and 100’ long. Awesome! I measured what I needed and found that I did need the 25-foot long hose. I placed my order for the 25-foot system thinking… 25 feet plus the syphon tube and the hose that is connected would be about 28.5’ total – Perfect! When it arrived, I realized the hose is only 22’8” long not 25’ – OH NO!!!! I needed the full 25 feet!! I had sketched out (not to scale at all) the different parts of the system. All total it is 26’ 2” but that includes the 11” syphon tube which clearly has to be in the tank touching the gravel. I thought the 11” syphon and the 2’7”tube that is connected to it were in addition to the 25-foot long hose. I do not see anywhere in the details where it says that it is not – but it does not say that it is either. This was my assumption and my mistake but I was frustrated that it would not work right away because (for my use and distance) it was 3’ shorter than it should have been. In hopes of not having anyone else make the same mistake – I wanted to share the details of each segment so you are not standing there just slightly out of reach from your tank like I was! I hope the picture helps some. :-) This is easily fixed – I will buy an extension and all will be fine. After that, I will update on the goldfish poop removing! Update: it had been 4 years and I'm still using the Python to clean my tank. It works perfectly and I'm still pleased with my purchase!