Equipment Review and Discussion :: Help with python

[SarahH]

My son and I were very excited to get a python since people seem to really love them, but when we tried it this weekend it took a REALLY long time to drain our little 20 gallon tank. It filled it up in a snap, but draining was really slow. Are we doing something wrong? I had to get a 50ft, since the 25ft was going to be a bit short. Is it too long to maintain the suction?

I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

[steve]

The length and height do play a role. I had that issue as well so I now siphon it out the door.

[jenaero]

When draining, the suction increases as you turn the tap on higher. Try it next time

[megcornell]

I have that issue as well. I have a 25ft one and while it's perfect for my one tank, the other tank is much closer to the sink so there's a lot of lag in the tubing.

I find that by making things as taut as possible (I loop the tubing over the kitchen chairs) it improves the suction.

[meltedspork]

Make sure you are pulling the green thingy down as far as possible (the part that you twist up to fill and pull down to drain)... the first few times I used mine I thought I had pulled it all the way down, but my tank drained really slowly... turns out I hadn't pulled it all the way down... pull hard! And turn your faucet up as high as it goes.