# Pay attention while using Python :(



## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Just a warning about something that seems kind of "duh" but you might get complacent about. 
Yesterday I was taking water out of my 20g brackish tank in order to move it. My figure 8 puffer had always been nervous of the Python and stayed away from it so I didn't worry. I stepped away to do something else and a few minutes later, I heard the water noise change to what it sounds like when it's clogged.
I went right to it and Odie was stuck right where the tube meets the hose 
I got him out quickly and he seemed to come around but there must have been some internal damage. He just died. He was a really cool fish and I feel like crap :-(
Please be careful...


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

sorry to hear that.. maybe put some mesh over the hose with a zip tie to prevent this tragedy from happening again.. :\


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Unfortunately, that stops any but the smallest debris from being sucked in, and makes it difficult to plunge it in to the gravel to deep clean. Although I did this when I had shrimp, it would be a bad idea with messy puffers. 
I think the key is simply no NEVER walk away while using it. I f***ed up big there...


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

awee crap... I did that with a goldfish at work.  I bawled because when I sucked the fish up I thought I could save it.. Panicked and reversed it but the way the fish was and the direction it ripped his gills apart. 

I totally feel ya.. :/ I use a mesh on my python now all the time. I also don't leave to do anything and make sure that it's not draining right over the drain of the sink.  Flooded my old kitchen that way..


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## Holidays (Apr 18, 2010)

Sorry to hear that, I've never gotten any fish into the phyton but I did overfill the tank and spill water all over floor a couple of times. Tried to multi task by but end up taking more time doing the tank maintenance...I never could have more than 3 tanks...lol


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## mrobson (Mar 5, 2011)

im sorry to hear that ive noticed you talking about him a lot on the forum, the last time i did a water change i forgot about mine while i was filling. I didnt notice until it was pouring over the tank all over my hardwood floors


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*pythons*

i did the same i did it to my black veil tail angel and the sad part is i am reminded about him every day cause hes still alive , he swims really akward now since i sucked him in he still fends for food and eats but sometimes i really wish he didnt make it .sad but kinda true i dont have the heart to euthenize him ,and hes been going for almost a year and a half now


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Aw thanks, guys. Not that I'd wish this on any fish or person, but it's a little comforting I guess to know I'm not the only one who's done it...


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

Hey Carmen,
Sorry to hear about your loss.
Try one of these:
http://www.aquariumsupplies.ca/ultimate-gravelvac-cleaning-claw-p-5839.html
--
Paul


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Thanks...
That gadget is pretty cool, didn't know it existed. I'll have to snag one the next time I go...


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Ya me too... I am still trying to get used to pythons and sand


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## AquaNekoMobile (Feb 26, 2010)

I've never used a pythn before but do have an idea on how it works. I've always just used a about a 1 meter long hose as I've got a 10gal myself. 

Carmenh awww  I'm sorry about the loss there. At least it lived a good life in your care before this happened. 

Just an idea here. As someone mentioned about mesh over the cover. I was thinking something else say if you got a small PVC pipe and glued that into a larger PVC pipe you could drill big fat holes into it while sweeping the gravel bed for the debris to enter into it and less chance of suckage like what happened with the puffer there getting stuck in the main tube.

I've had a couple incidents where the fish avoided the tubing while I was vaccuming out the solids but one of them somehow dashed into the suction area and got side sucked. Another time was when I put the AC20 intake tube on a bit of a 'V' so I could have the lower filtered slot suction and on the top near the water surface have a non slot suction well one of the fish swam on the top and got sucked to that 'V' crack I made when I was away.  Thankfully it survived.

Come to think of it...if you have a dremel (check Can.T for clone/knock off brands for cheeeeaap) use that disc cutter and cut your own slots in the PVC tubing or PVC hose tubing over the python hose so when you're moving the suction at the bottom you'll have the slots for debris to flow in but if say a puffer got too curious or another fish the slots would (in my mind thinking) give larger surface space so the damage would hopefully be less. Think like lying on a bed of nails for humans. If you lay on 10 nails you'll be accupunctured as opposed to lying on say a bed of 2000 nails. Or take a filter intake from a Aquaclear and fucktape it to the python for the slots.


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Hmmmm, that's a neat idea. Kind of the same concept as the gadget Paul posted, but possibly better at digging deep into the gravel. Gotta think about this...


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## AquaNekoMobile (Feb 26, 2010)

carmenh said:


> Hmmmm, that's a neat idea. Kind of the same concept as the gadget Paul posted, but possibly better at digging deep into the gravel. Gotta think about this...


I'll have to draw it and upoad the image. The forum format messe dup the ascii drawing I made.


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## azotemia (Jan 28, 2009)

carmenh said:


> Aw thanks, guys. Not that I'd wish this on any fish or person, but it's a little comforting I guess to know I'm not the only one who's done it...


sorry for your loss...

this happened to me about a month ago when i was doing a water change, looked down for a second to check if the bucket is getting full and then i hear a vacuum type sound. When i looked my clownfish got stuck inside the tube. Luckily my brother was around and asked him to pass the scissors so i can the tube and work from there. Fortunately, he is still alive and swimming =), although i dont think he learned his lesson... everytime i do water changes, hes still swimming around the tube and checking to see if he can escape for me to find him .

again, sorry for the incident


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## default (May 28, 2011)

sorry for your lost, stuff like this are scary to almost anyone who have fish. but i guess more to anyone who keep species that are more prone to this because of their curiosity, movement, or agility. i use a aqueon that i got from petsmart, same concept, and i have it connected all the way down in my basement reaching to my aquarium on my main floor. i hated turning the water on for it to start a vaccuum effect so i would always fill the tube beforehand and shut the valve and start it again when i reach the tank,- too much sudden suction without that method. but i house dwarf cichlids, tetras, shrimps, and various catfish in that tank and some do tend to wander into the tubing. but usually i shout the valve or just simply slant the tube vertically and give the fish enough of an angle to swim back out easily, but i was wondering, if you use a very course sponge big enough to take in debris without clogging, would that be an effectin method of eliminating the risk? and it'd be washable and reuseable. just an idea.
again sorry for your lost.


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## mrobson (Mar 5, 2011)

hey just a heads up big als oakville has gsp's for $2.99


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up!  But I think I'll just focus on my new cube for the time being...



mrobson said:


> hey just a heads up big als oakville has gsp's for $2.99


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