I needed a replacement T pump for my python water changer and this works> Just wanted to let everyone know.
I got this pump because a previous reviewer said it worked with the Python siphon. I needed to replace it. It looks exactly like it and the same size, but it's a different color (Python is green). This pump was a free shipping item and the Python pump was not, so I chose this one over the Python.
It hooks up to the faucet just like the Python, but make sure you keep the metal adaptor that came with your Python pump because the one that is on Lee's is plastic...booo. That can become weak and strip over time. Got everything hooked up just fine, but it was siphoning extremely slow. it took a while to get the water up the tube and to the sink and if I picked up the vac out of the water and then put it back in, the suction goes away completely. It won't suck up anymore unless I empty all of the water out of the entire line. Once it's all empty, I can slowly get my suction back. Oh, and if you hit the python switch to stop the flow for a second, the same thing happens. You have to empty all the water out of the line before you can start again. Very frustrating and takes a lot more time. It works but you'll be standing there for awhile. I have a 30g tank, so maybe people with smaller tanks have much more success. This is a great backup if you are in a bind, but I still suggest getting the Python pump for your Python vac.
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Just got this little venturi, put it on the wash sink in the basement, which has a faucet that is threaded for a hose. Then hooked a full length garden hose to the side port and stuck the other end in the sump well, in the other corner of the basement.
Turn on the faucet, you create enough suction to raise water a few vertical feet through all that hose, believe it or not!
A lot easier than bailing the sump, if the power goes out.
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Aquarium filters remove many harmful chemicals, but nitrates do accumulate over time, and the way to remove them is by periodic partial water changes, usually something like 20% per week. The old way was to siphon water out into a bucket, which was dumped down the sink, commode, or in the yard. The bucket was then refilled and poured back into the tank.
To change water in this manner was a little bit labor intensive on a small tank, and really time consuming on a larger tank.
I stumbled on my pump in a Thrift store, where I found it on a shelf for $1. In all honesty, I'm not 100% sure mine is Lee brand, as it wasn't in the original package, and there is no name on it. It may actually be a knock-off. Mine is made of blue plastic, and looks identical to the item pictured.
It operates by connecting it to a water supply, which can be either an outside hose spigot, or by using the adapter, a kitchen faucet.
Water flows through from top to bottom, past a venturi located where the side fitting is, creating a suction which will draw water out of the aquarium through a hose. I purchased 50 feet of clear vinyl hose from my local aquarium store, attached it to this device, and put a suction strainer on the other end to avoid sucking small fish into the hose.
In use, I drop the suction strainer into the tank, unroll the hose, and attach the pump to the water tap outside my front door. Opening the diverter (the blue collar) on the pump outlet, then turning on the water tap starts a siphon which removes as much water from my tank as I desire (water tap can be closed once siphon starts so long as the pump is lower than the tank, siphon will continue).
Closing the diverter on the pump outlet stops the siphon, and opening the water tap with the diverter closed refills the tank.
I can't imagine any way to make water changes any easier. I've been using this device for years now, and it still works great.
There are also attachments which allow you to vacuum the gravel with the water siphoning out of the tank, if you feel the need to perform this task (I never vacuum because I don't use an undergravel filter, because I use EcoComplete substrate, and because I have fish which eat any food which falls to the bottom, so for me, the need simply isn't there).
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It leaks :-( When I hooked it up to the faucet, it leaks out of the bottom. So, I am wasting water and not getting the suction that I need,
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I bought this skimmer to save some money, as many others have. I was prepared for the fact that I might have to modify it to get it to perform well but I haven't had to do so at all. I researched how a skimmer is supposed to perform, including watching videos of what skimmate should look like and this skimmer is perfoming adequately. I have to empty it pretty much every other day. The skimmate is dark and thick and some particulate matter is removed. The bubbles I get are tiny and plentiful and seem to be doing a good job.
