It took a while to set up this product. Just wanted to pass along a couple of tips to help. It's easy to use and does waste some water, but it's much better than hauling buckets and trying to keep them clean.
1. Don't connect the hose to the part that goes on the faucet (water flow assembly) until after you have it screwed into the aerator hole. It twists much more easily.
2. Make sure you remove all of the coils out of the hose so that it lays flat before using each time.
3. Make sure your faucet is facing down. We have one that pulls out so you can spray with it, and it tilts to the side unless we put it in facing straight down. (oh, and if you have this type, there IS an aerator hole on the bottom of it, just flip it over and look -that's where it hooks up).
4. Buy a second thermometer so you can get the water temperature of the water from the faucet. Your water flow assembly will have to be open. When you're done, turn it off to fill up the hose. Make sure your vacuum is set to off. Once it's filled, turn water assembly to on first, and then vacuum to on.
5. If you don't want to waste as much water, you can reduce your water flow to a point where there is still suction, but lower water output.
6. Before you start to refill, turn vacuum to off and manually raise hose starting at tank so that all of your dirty water is out of the hose before refilling tank.
Think that's it.
I own both this and the Python equivalent and it is painfully obvious that the Aqueon is way better made. The Python leaks horribly at the faucet connection and has snapped apart from the faucet multiple times. They're basically the same product, but the Aqueon is better quality and so I recommend it.
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Received this item a few days ago and tried it out. Here are my thoughts.
Hose Thick and sturdy not flimsy like a lot of other vacuum hoses. Won't crease on you during use which is important. I believe it will stand the test of time.
Vacuum Attachment Thick and wide enough to do the job. Won't break apart as you scrape it through the gravel to suck up the crap buried in it.
Faucet Attachment Comes with several different attachments. Fit on my faucet easily with no leaks.
Use Put the vacuum end into the water. Open the valve at the vacuum and open the valve at the faucet while running the faucet and the auto-siphon will begin. Make sure you turn off your aquarium filter so you don't burn it out and remove any plants/decorations in the water so you can do the job right. Might also be a good idea to clean out your sink of dishes, etc because all that crap will be coming back to your sink and going down your drain. Get down into the gravel and watch all the crap start lifting out from between the rocks. After you're done vacuuming simply lift the vacuum out of the water and let all the water suction out of the faucet end until the hose is empty. To fill the tank back up, simply close the faucet valve and the water will flow freely into the tank back through the vacuum end.
Easy enough and definitely worth the money. Good luck!
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The Aqueon water changing system is a simple device that makes aquarium maintenance a snap. Back in my younger days, I used to use a cheap gravel siphon and buckets to change my water. This took up a considerable amount of time, was often very messy, and would stress my fish out.
I later upgraded to a sand substrate instead of gravel (don't have to siphon the the bottom floor anymore, just skim the top :)), bought a python system and was finishing my weekly water change in less than 15 minutes. However, the plastics in the python system wore out over time and I was having issues with leaks. The problem with the python system is that it uses plastic threading to choose either suction or fill modethis part of the system wears out very quickly, especially if you use sand because it grinds against the thread when you are constantly twisting. I personally think the python manufacturer designed it this way so that the owner has to buy new replacement parts, which often cost almost a third of the entire system.
After my python system became useless, I bought this Aqueon system to see how it compares and it's MUCH better in terms of reliability and build quality. The aqueon system plastics will not wear out as quickly as the python system because the suction/fill selection uses a switch to turn it on or off. There is no pulling or twisting to be done here to turn suction on and off, so the threading is not worn out.
I really don't know why the Python system is so much more popular, the Aqueon system is far better in my opinion. I've owned both systems, and you cannot go wrong with the Aqueon system!
Spend the extra 15 or 20 dollars over the cheapy gravel filters and buy a real system like the Aqueonyou'll be saving lots of time, stress (on yourself and your fish), and workload.
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I recently moved my two goldfish from a 10-gallon tank into a 55-gallon tank, so the water changes have more volume and are more time consuming. Their tank is located in a bedroom that I use as a home office. The nearest sink is in the kitchen and isn't designed to accept a screw-on fitting.
I got the 50-foot-long hose because the only place I could think of that I could hook up the valve was at the laundry sink in the basement. The question was how to get the hose from the main floor to the basement. My husband thought of using the laundry chute. It worked like a dream. I was able to hook it up and syphon and add water without a second person. This marks the end of using a 5-gallon bucket to change the water. When I was done, my husband helped by picking up the hose and feeding it down the chute to me so that the hose could be drained into the sink.
I believe I will change their water more often because this makes it so much easier. Attaching the tubing to the valves takes a bit of effort, but there were no leaks.
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I purchased this product for a small pond that was very algae-ridden. It cleared the algae to some extent, but it returned before the next dose was due. When researching pond care, one is advised to change up to 1/3 of the water on a regular basis, yet this product warns against letting any of the treated water out (contain all outflow). It also is identified as a cause of cancer and you must avoid contact with skin and eyes (yet it's safe for fish?)
