Budget build.

[Basil1]

Trying to get started as cheaply as possible, using things I have around the house as much as possible. Making progess slowly as weather, finances and health allow. Doing some leafy greens inside in my fish tank. It's a 120 gallon with a few large messy fish. Water changes were a pain, at least 50% once a week just to keep the nitrates at an acceptable level. Took a plastic tote, drilled it full of holes and set it in on one side. Sheet of styro, with holes and plastic cups cut and slotted into them. Piece of napkin down to the bottom of the cup, leftover aquarium rock around it and spread napkin across top. Have a CFL fixture from when I had a planted tank for lighting.

For outside I have the remnants of an old 2x4 and dowel pond. 48x48x16 with an EDMP liner remnant from years ago. A submersible pump that I used for water changes circulates the water. Putting together a couple of old totes as GBs. Just need to do bell siphons and get gravel, the only big thing I don't have on hand. These will house tomatoes, peppers, butternut squash and what ever the mutant plant is that I can't ID yet for starters. If all works well will expand next year, again as health and finances allow.

Pictures will follow as things progress and I am looking forward to comments and criticisms of my budget build.

[Basil1]

Question. One of the things inside is a gourmet lettuce mix. Just put the seeds in on Wednesday and sprouted a quarter inch already. Is this normal for lettuce?

[Bioritize]

Yea, I grew basil and lettuce full size in under 1 month. This process rocks out the lettuces and leafy greens.

[Basil1]

Here's a pic of the pond. As I said, very cheap and rough.

[Basil1]

Few pics, the lettuce that is coming up and the crew powering it.
Lettuce
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Oscar
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BGK
[attachment=0:ckemtjih]IMG_0339.JPG[/attachment:ckemtjih]

[Basil1]

The rest of the crew

Convict
[attachment=1:1c974d5u]IMG_0340.JPG[/attachment:1c974d5u]
Fire eel
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They were not feeling photogenic today and the IPOD is not the best camera in the world for these type of shots, but there they are.

[Basil1]

Finally got a siphon built and working. Empty test of 23 gallons showed 14 minutes to fill and 8 to empty. Doing some tweaking of drain now and filling with rock. Should be ready for planting soon.

[davidstcldfl]

Cool...aren't bells fun. We can stand there and watch them for...well, too long...
Once your media is in, your fill and drain times should end up being about the same...

[Basil1]

Cool...aren't bells fun. We van stand there and watch them for...well, too long...
Once your media is in, your fill and drain times should end up being about the same...

It's just as well that no one was watching. We can be fascinated by the simplest of things while others think you lost your mind.

[urbanfarmer]

Finally got a siphon built and working. Empty test of 23 gallons showed 14 minutes to fill and 8 to empty. Doing some tweaking of drain now and filling with rock. Should be ready for planting soon.

The bell siphon or any auto siphon has 2 events:

1) When it "kicks" on to start the siphon

In case you want to speed up the testing phase, you don't have to wait the full 14 minutes to see what it does. If you help fill it up to JUST BEFORE the water level reaches the top opening of the inside tube, you can speed up the process and see what it does. It doesn't matter if you pour water in to speed it up because what will matter is the rate of water flow from the pump to create a vacuum by with fast enough water flow to purge out the air in the siphon line. DON'T add water though to help it create the vacuum. You can stop an inch or so (whatever is easy for you to see) before the maximum water level.

2) When it "cuts" off to stop the siphon

The same kind of thing here. You don't have to wait the full 8 minutes. You can take water out until just before it starts trying to break the siphon with air. The water flow of the siphon coming out is competing with the water flow of the pump pumping in. You basically want to see if the flow out overcomes the flow in by allowing air into the siphon to break it.

All in all, this should save you 20 minutes each cycle for testing purposes.

Or you can grab a book or go do something in the other room and observe the specific events of different cycles independently. It should yield the same result in the end.