I've used a gravel vac and buckets for water changes in my 55 gallon tank forever. It's really no big deal, but I recently set up a second 55 gallon tank for goldfish and I anticipated more frequent water changes for that tank. So, I ordered a 50 ft. Python hoping that it would make the process quicker and easier. First thing that happened is that it does not fit my kitchen faucet. Be warned that if you happen to have a pull-out sprayer on your kitchen faucet, even if you remove the spray head, the fittings may not work with the Python. So, off to the bathroom, where I did managed to hook it up to the bathroom sink. My intention from the beginning was to begin the siphon process at the sink and then move the hose outside to drain the tank. Even though it's at a pretty extreme downhill angle, the water drains so slowly from the tanks that there isn't enough suction to clean the gravel.  It took at least twice as long as using buckets. Filling was faster, though. After the water change, the hose sprang to life when I attempted to recoil it and it was the battle of the century to tame the beast. All in all, it was more work with the Python, because I still had to use a bucket and gravel vac to clean the bottom of the tanks. The second time I attempted a water change, the plastic ball valve switch broke. I am waiting for a replacement valve from Python, and will still try to use the system a few more times, but I'm not hopeful that it will be an improvement over the bucket method.
I've used a gravel vac and buckets for water changes in my 55 gallon tank forever. It's really no big deal, but I recently set up a second 55 gallon tank for goldfish and I anticipated more frequent water changes for that tank. So, I ordered a 50 ft. Python hoping that it would make the process quicker and easier. First thing that happened is that it does not fit my kitchen faucet. Be warned that if you happen to have a pull-out sprayer on your kitchen faucet, even if you remove the spray head, the fittings may not work with the Python. So, off to the bathroom, where I did managed to hook it up to the bathroom sink. My intention from the beginning was to begin the siphon process at the sink and then move the hose outside to drain the tank. Even though it's at a pretty extreme downhill angle, the water drains so slowly from the tanks that there isn't enough suction to clean the gravel. It took at least twice as long as using buckets. Filling was faster, though. After the water change, the hose sprang to life when I attempted to recoil it and it was the battle of the century to tame the beast. All in all, it was more work with the Python, because I still had to use a bucket and gravel vac to clean the bottom of the tanks. The second time I attempted a water change, the plastic ball valve switch broke. I am waiting for a replacement valve from Python, and will still try to use the system a few more times, but I'm not hopeful that it will be an improvement over the bucket method.