Reddit reviews Camco (22484) Water Bandit -Connects Your Standard Water Hose To Various Water Sources - Lead Free

The only gadget like thing i have that people might not know about, and im sure some people here would, is a water bandit.

Now its up to you to figure out your ethical ground, but you can buy the tool you need to use those faucets.

You can also buy a thing called a water bandit that lets you hook up a length of hose to any faucet, even unthreaded. I will use it in gas station bathrooms to fill an aquatainer (with permission).

Or this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000EDOSKG

Also depending on what the faucet actually is like the may be a part of it that can be temporarily detached to reveal a part that is threaded after all.

Use a water bandit

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-22484-Water-Bandit/dp/B000EDOSKG/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=13XCZCPCYBNSY4CKS00F

i have a 150w in my 46 gallon and it barley keeps up, have to have it cranked to max (86 i think) to keep the tank at 78) I'm going to move up to a 200 soon, or probably just adding a second heater.

price difference is negligible between 150 and 200 for the most part.

I use this instead of the python adapter, half cost, same thing, add a $1 hose clamp if you want but you may not need it, the pressure doesn't get to high out of inside faucets honestly. You don't need the hook in all likelihood, I do my changes solo without the hook just fine.

If you want to save even more money, you can DIY the whole thing for cheaper as well, just search around on the youtube channel of a guy called king of DIY

Don't spend $26 on test strips, strips suck, spend $22 on the api liquid test kit, it will last longer anyway

the bacteria quick start is real hit or miss, all brands, so don't put too much faith in it, you'll still spend weeks cycling probably. remember to get a source of ammonia ($3 for a bottle, get pure stuff, without anything added, if you shake it and there are lasting bubbles, its not what you need)

plants get expensive FAST, so 150 for plants, decorations, fish is gonna be tough. Pool filter sand is great easy substrate though, so is black diamond blasting media if you prefer black, both are probably in the $10 range for enough to cover your tank to the proper depth. driftwood and nice rocks can add up fast.

/r/PlantedTank has a weekly giveaway thread but its not too filled ever, r/aquaswap can get you some good deals on plants too. aquabid.com is aquarium ebay and can get you some good deals too.

I just looked back up and saw you didn't actually say plants, but plants are cool and help your tank stay stable and healthy, you'll probably want some eventually. But you will probably want a better light for live plants as well. That can be down the road I guess.

If you are buying from petsmart, know that they will pricematch their own website, the instore prices are outrageous. Online has to at least compete with other places though, so have the products pulled up online on your phone when you check out. petsmart also has an app, make an account and play their dumb little treat game. Right now if you beat it on hard its 20% off a single item, which is great for your tank stand combo. Easy and medium gives you a 10 and a 15% off as well. Its a simple enough concept, but beating it on hard can suck, I definitely get the feeling it just lets you win after a while though (10ish tries, quit for a day and try again and you'll get it quick)

For stocking it, a couple dwarf gouramis if some kind, honey or powder blue or whatever you like. maybe a schooling fish like cardinal or neon tetras. mollys or platys are colorful and will breed, corys for the bottom. a nerite snail, play around on aqadvisor.com and see what you can safely stock together and the basic requirements. Dont take it as gospel, just a good baseline and jumping off point for more research.

If it's not marked non-potable and doesn't have signs saying not to do that (some places have limited water), then yes. Just remember that other people may have done unsanitary things to the spigot, and recently I heard about a guy that found worms in one. I always run it first, look into it, then connect. A fill tube with a screen is a good idea also. I use this, and added a screen to it:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006IX850

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A water bandit will help you connect to arbitrary water sources that don't have a normal screw connection, such as faucets at fish cleaning stations:

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https://smile.amazon.com/Camco-Connects-Standard-Various-Sources/dp/B000EDOSKG

Around here the spigots are mostly threaded though I did buy one of these just in case.

Check out water bandits for cases like this: http://www.amazon.com/Camco-22484-Water-Bandit/dp/B000EDOSKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459265676&sr=8-1&keywords=water+bandit

With the shape of your faucet you may be able to use something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-22484-Water-Bandit/dp/B000EDOSKG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372024562&sr=8-1&keywords=water+thief

> I used mine last weekend, since it was the first time I've been to a place that had a dump station that still had the end on the hose.

The spigot where the water comes out hook up to? This gizmo is awesome for those situations. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-22484-Water-Bandit-Lead/dp/B000EDOSKG