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Anti-overflow hole in syphon is Oto killer
(I know this isn't a plant posting, but I think it may be of general
interest.)
There's an old trick in which you drill a hole in the syphon pipe of the
filter return line a couple of inches below the water line. That way if
a leak develops in your lines, only a few gallons of water get pumped
onto the floor before the syphon breaks. It works great -- all you have
to do is remember to block the hole when you drain the tank. Since a
lot of water gets sucked into the hole, I haven't been surprised to find
a piece of leaf stuck there every now and then. No big deal. But this
morning I found one of my Otos stuck to the hole, trapped and killed by
the suction :( The hole is about 3/16" (5mm) in diameter. If it were
smaller, I think the problem might be even worse (higher suction?), if
it was larger, it could suck in the whole Oto. I have blocked the hole
for now. I think having a syphon-break hole is a generally good idea,
but it probably needs to be a screened hole, like the intake, to prevent
trapping or ingesting fish. Anyway, just a cautionary tale... Sherman