Thanks for the warm welcome! I think I found a source for the tanks and grow beds. There is a large store I plan to visit called the Tractor Supply Co., and they have some really inexpensive things like this:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tuff-st...0-gal--2229862

I was going to get that for the tank, and then a few 40 gallon things for the grow bed (unless I see something better when I get there).

I first went to a local Hydroponics store, but as I feared, no one was in there except for a group of about 6 guys, huddled around the counter, and they all smelled like POT. There was a pit bull just guarding the area, and NOTHING had prices on them. It's a shame too, because the place looks like it had some decent stuff, but with the bad vibe I was feeling there, and the lack of pricing, it felt like I would be getting scammed.

Anyway, I will make a separate thread when I actually start my project. Before I do, let me end with a question:

Since the first thing I plan to do is drill a hole in the grow bed to make the siphon, could you tell me the official NAME of the parts I need? Is the plastic part that screws into the hole (on both outside and inside), is that called a CUPLING (or is it a bulkhead fitting)? I just want to make sure I know the NAMES of the actual parts so that when I go to the PVC section of my hardware store, I actually have some kind of checklist!

So if that's called the CUPLING, then I think all I need is the stand pipe (1"), a restrictor (1" - 1.5"), the outer bell pipe (2"), the bell top, and then finally a 3" GUARD to go around the hole thing.

Does that sound about right for starters?