Aquaponics As a Food Source

[Irving]

I came back to this thread when I had time to click the links in the first post, and have become very interested.

One thing that I was struggling with, was the different ways to fill and drain the grow bed. I kept hearing the term "Bell Siphon" and people talking about putting elbows on them. Another video a guy had some electric pumps set on timers. I was starting to get pretty discouraged with the complexity of the whole thing. So here are some helpful videos I've come across that have helped me understand enough to keep me interested.

This is a Bell Siphon, or auto-siphon, and how it works:


Here is one with a clear cap to demonstrate one in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqTmHsSREJA

Here is what an Ebb and Flood system looks like in concept:


At first I was really turned off by the idea of an ebb and flood system because I thought I'd have to have some elaborate pump set-up, but once I understood how the bell siphon works, I'm back on board.

Finally, here is a longer video with a simplified and animated video showing a more complex set up. Notice in this one that with the extra tank keeps the water level in your fish tank level: