Python cleaning

[Dirtydave]

When using my python, I get good suction for a few minutes and then it stops.Any thoughts on why?Ot is this way every time. 

[lefty o]

only time my python has ever lost suction is if it sucked something up into the line and plugged it up.

[BlackLabelCarling]

Are you using the Python water change system or one of their syphons attached to a simple hose? 

[Bentley Pascoe]

I get this really often when cleaning up my pleco tanks due to the amount of "gunk" left over from those messy fish and a little bit of wood the also munch on.  Typically what I see happen is a build up of the gunk I've been vacuuming up plugging up the tube at the actual connection to the sink (the green 3-way valve).  How I resolve this is by keeping my water draining then carefully, for only a few seconds, pushing the twist ring up (as if switching to fill a tank) then immediately dropping it back down to drain, this moves the gunk pile around in the plastic housing and helps to break it up.  That plastic housing is a bit more narrow than the tubes and can get clogged fast, especially if you accidently vacuum up a few smaller snails/old shells.

 

After you get used to doing it a few times in tanks that produce a lot of mulm - you can tell just by flow "oh, time to clear the clog!" and it has pretty minimal impact on your water change time.

[Dirtydave]

17 hours ago, lefty o said:

only time my python has ever lost suction is if it sucked something up into the line and plugged it up.

 

17 hours ago, lefty o said:

only time my python has ever lost suction is if it sucked something up into the line and plugged it up.

 

17 hours ago, Dirtydave said:

When using my python, I get good suction for a few minutes and then it stops.Any thoughts on why?Ot is this way every time. 

Complete system 

[Dirtydave]

Full system. Thank folks.Ill try bentleys tip.ps bentley I've started using brightwell vitamin F because of your review. I do believe it's working great.Im soaking Hikari shrimp food in it before feeding.

[Dirtydave]

19 hours ago, BlackLabelCarling said:

Are you using the Python water change system or one of their syphons attached to a simple hose? 

 

8 hours ago, Bentley Pascoe said:

I get this really often when cleaning up my pleco tanks due to the amount of "gunk" left over from those messy fish and a little bit of wood the also munch on.  Typically what I see happen is a build up of the gunk I've been vacuuming up plugging up the tube at the actual connection to the sink (the green 3-way valve).  How I resolve this is by keeping my water draining then carefully, for only a few seconds, pushing the twist ring up (as if switching to fill a tank) then immediately dropping it back down to drain, this moves the gunk pile around in the plastic housing and helps to break it up.  That plastic housing is a bit more narrow than the tubes and can get clogged fast, especially if you accidently vacuum up a few smaller snails/old shells.

 

After you get used to doing it a few times in tanks that produce a lot of mulm - you can tell just by flow "oh, time to clear the clog!" and it has pretty minimal impact on your water change time.

 

[Dirtydave]

I took the piece apart that connects to water and it was totally clean.Now I'm super stumped

[Andy's Fish Den]

Check where the ball valve to shut off water flow is, the hole in the ball valve is a lot smaller diameter than the hose as well. Another thing, it depends on the water level in the tank. It could be that as you remove water from the tank, the water level gets closer to the level that the faucet is, it is harder for the venturi to suck water out. Even if using it as a siphon, if you had two tanks stacked on top of one another, the top one will drain a lot faster than the bottom.