overflow slits, considered intakes needed to be covered for RBTA

[DMK]

i'm gonna cover my TUNZE stream and MJ intakes w/ screen, but what about my corner overflow slits at top of water? i don't think so but just checking.

 

[raoul]

We don't have power heads in the display tank, but we've got drains/overflows/intakes whatever you want to call them made out of pvc that runs the water to the sump. We have plastic covers with grooves or slits in them to let the water pass. This is what I saw a BTA stuck in at a store. It had wandered up the glass and was stuck, so ours are covered - same needlepoint canvas you're using for your power head. You'll have plenty of it left over
We may be talking about two different overflow set ups though, in which case my answer would still be to protect the nem from anywhere there's suction, but I have no specifics

Good luck!

 

[O'Man]

I had a Ritteri for close to 4 years before it got torn into pieces in the overflow. I figure anything you can cover without causing problems helps.

 

[DMK]

it was torn to pieces at slits in OF, where water goes over, or down in overflow box in return tube w/ slits?

 

[O'Man]

Where the water goes over, but I had widened the slits because they kept clogging up with algae. I have since changed things.

 

[DMK]

do u think it would have happened if u did not widen slits?

 

[Anemone]

I've had several RBTAs torn up pretty badly going through fairly thin slits in my tank's overflow. On the plus side, I ended up with some additional splits. On the negative side, it's a real PITA to get my hands into the triangular-shaped overflow on my tank, so getting damaged clones back out was not fun.

I keep a fairly close eye on my overflow now, and remove any clone that gets close.

Kevin

 

[DMK]

damn, u mean the small slits at top of overflow before water goes over...? i can't even imagine how to prevent that besides watching.

 

[O'Man]

do u think it would have happened if u did not widen slits?

Maybe. . . a big piece of it was ripped underneath the return line. Tank is an AGA 90, and water drains around/over that segmented return line. I think the regular slits are probabally ok. I have since closed off the area around the return with screen and the wide slits are covered somewhat also.