Date of this review: Mar 5, 2018

Reviews and rating so far: 4.6 stars in 2,795"¦ Woah! That's a lot of reviews and a lot of positive ratings.

The verdict: The product really IS that good! YES! It works great!

My rating: 4 Stars. Why? Read on.

The package arrived as advertised. I opened it up to find in it:
- One 10 inch gravel vacuum
- One hose (I ordered the 25 feet version)
- One plastic "pump"
- One flow switch

The pump did not connect to my faucets. I read up on Amazon and found this to be a common problem. To fix this, all I did was to take out my aerator from the kitchen as well as another from my bathtub's telephone shower and brought them both to Home Depot along with the Python Pump. The folks at Home Depot saw the items and gave me two adapters, one each for the kitchen and bathtub shower (they were different types). This was a hassle, not really a big deal, but one would hope that with so many people finding connecting it difficult, the product would at least come with a simple instruction that says: "In the event that the pump does not fit your faucet, don't panic. This is because there are many faucet sizes and the one we provided, while it's a common size, may not be the right size for you. In such a case, please consult your favorite plumbing supply store or our website." Oh, and if the system wasn't expensive enough, the adapter will set you back another $5, unless you go for the plastic version which I got at Menards for $1.36.

I will post photos with this to show you how you can easily shop for your adapters.

I didn't bother reading the instructions, and I think neither should you. Because when I was searching the web for my adapter, I ran into a video that does a great job of explaining how to use this easy to use product. Amazon doesn't allow posting external URLs, so I can't post it here, but just search for "Big Al's Python" and you'll find the 7:09 min long video. When watching this video, pause at 3:09 minutes. See how its picking up the waste in your tank? That's exactly what happened to me! That's the suction power and cleaning ability. IT WORKS!

A big disappointment for me was the 10 inch gravel vacuum. I used it on my 10G tank and got my hand wet - had to dip it in the tank to be able to reach the bottom. And that's on a puny 10G tank!!! Look, water changes on a small tank are really not that hard - a bucket of water, 75% full, suffices. It's not that hard! Where this system is really useful is when I use it on my 90G tank. And guess what, with a 10 inch vacuum, I am up to my elbows in water. Even in the video above, he ends up changing the vacuum. I can't understand WHY the company would only provide one default vacuum size with their product. Actually I take that back"¦ I used to be a consultant for consumer goods companies in my previous job, so I understand the business reasons ... SKU proliferation, cross selling, etc. But I think this is already a really expensive product (it's a hose and some plastic, people! That shouldn't cost 40 bucks!!!), and the company is just forcing people to have to spend on their "accessories". Another example is the hook that Big Al's video uses to fill the tank. It's a great convenience. But, it's a U-shaped green plastic pipe. NOT worth $20!!!

Lastly, my pump failed after the first use. It would work fine for the suction, but not so for putting water back in the tank. So I returned the product and got a replacement.

So, for all the above, I docked them a star.

Anyway, all said, the system works well. Buy it. I just hope that for such a popular product, the manufacturer could do a little more from a pricing and configuration perspective, and perhaps even offer an additional SKU or two. If not, a competitor is bound to catch up with a better, cheaper product.

How have I lived without one of these for so long!?! I've been hauling buckets for 2 years. It is a magical thing. If you have a tank, you should get one. If you have a large tank or more than one tank, oh for goodness' sake how much did you spend on that stuff? You HAVE to have one of these. I'm serious, it's a must have accessory. Save yourself back breaking labor, and you'll do your water changes more often. Your fish will thank you and so will your sciatic.

One note! I did not realize that the faucet attachment had male AND female attachments. I went to every hardware store in town looking for an adapter until I ran into a master plumber who worked at Lowe's, who pulled the little gasket out of the inside of the brass and showed me how to fit it on my male faucet. I felt dumb, but four prior hardware store employees didn't know, either. :)

This is the best tool for aquarium owners. Cleaning my tank is a nasty chore I often put off for too long (proof is in the photos).

This hooks up to the sink, and with the turn of a knob, water is moving in and out of my tank in minutes. I have a 55 gallon tank with River rocks on the bottom and I can't believe how much gunk collected under the rocks!!! And this thing sucked up even the chunkiest pieces of waste. (I have an eclipse catfish that's about 7 inches, he hides in a cave and he's very wasteful).

I even used this in my 10 gallon tank that has gravel rocks and this thing sucked the water out so fast I had to run to the kitchen to turn the water off before the tank was empty!!! What's different with the gravel, it allows the gravel to be cleaned without sucking any of the gravel up into the tubes.

It did leave my sink a bit dirty so a thorough clean is needed after using this. I put together side by side collage photos so you could see how much of the waste is collected. Each time i kept the tube in one spot until the tube was clear.

This is a great must have for tank owners and I plan on gifting one to my brother who has a tank with Oscars in it.

If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. Amazing product for an incredible price.
To give a bit of a background, I actually work for a pet store, and the aquatics department is my home away from home. At every location I've worked with(not to mention every chain, since I've worked for the big 3) we've always had the Aqueon brand gravel vacs. They're pricy, at 79.99 for a 50 footer(since 25' have been discontinued in most retailers), the tubing is rigid and kinks easily, and they need replacing just about once a year if not more frequently.
So for my tanks at home, I've been holding out for a better option, and then I came across this bad boy. The price drew me in, so I figured I'd give it a try. Now, after fumbling around a bit with the tap fittings( there isn't one they sell on here for the newer faucets with the shorter thread), I found the right one at Home Depot through trial and error. Once I saw this vacuum in action, I was in love. It makes quick work of a water change in my 120gal saltwater tank in the living room; and now that I purchased the 10foot extension, it also reaches my 20gallon nano reef tank in the bedroom. The suction is strong and constant, the hose is made of a softer rubber so it doesn't kink and bend, preventing water flow, and switching from drain to fill is easy with a quick twist.
This thing made a task that used to take all day, quick, easy, and enjoyable. Wish more people knew about this brand, because I know I would sell the crap out of this in my store!

One of the greatest aquarium maintenance products on the market! This thing allows you to do anything from a 5% water change to a complete drain and refill. Just a few pointers: add dechlorinator to your tank before filling if you have chlorinated tap water, try to keep temperature as close as possible to avoid stressing your fish, drain the tube completely before putting it away, and keep one eye on it while you use it. It's so convenient you'll want to multi-task while its filling and then you forget about it until you hear it overflowing on the floor. We've all done it (well, most of us). Bottom line is this thing saves a ton of time and labor not having to use buckets. Its not cheap, but it's life changing if you're used to doing it the hard way. Please click "Yes" if this was helpful, Thanks!