My brother and I put our bigger system on hold for a bit while we try and find a suitable fish tank.

So, I started working on a smaller setup with PVC pipe, a 55 gallon drum and a grow bed I purchased from a local hydroponics shop. I wanted to run a river bed system and a flood and drain so I could test out various types of plants and see which ones worked the best for me.

I had a lot of problems getting it setup because the loop siphon would either drain too slow (couldn't really outpace the pump) or too fast (siphon would never fully engage because the pipe diameter was too large). The next problem was that the bulkhead seals were leaking (both on the 55g drum and on the grow bed) so I redid them with silicone sealant and now they're water tight.

So after a lot of trial and error I finally got it working, although I am concerned my cycle is too fast and the roots won't have enough exposure to air. I need to record the exact times and I'll post them here. If I have to adjust it, I guess I can just get a smaller pump.

Anyways, here are 2 pictures:





It's not pretty but it works.
Once I do some more tests I will pick up some goldfish and start the cycle.