just had a thought. we have covered our gully's with alluminum foil and cut it enought to fit around the plants as to not let any light into the gully, the white plastic lets in a little light and that can cause algae buildup which there is a bit of it. thought about your idea about the clear tubing so you can see where the clogs may start to build up.... then i wondered if the clear tubing allows too much light to the water going up and MAY help algae. i'm totaly NOT sure about this, just something to think about. ..... like there is not enough to think about already...LOL take care