A Bell Siphon is an elegant way to drain your grow bed in a flood and drain aquaponics system without using a timer to turn your pump on and off.
(Note: The design of this siphon assumes 12" of media depth. It will not work properly with less than 11" or more than 13")
Why use a Bell Siphon in your Grow Bed?
- No more timer - You will no longer need nor want a timer to control your pump. This eliminates:
- The cost of the timer
- The risk of timer failure
- The cost of the electricity needed to run the timer
- Pump runs continuously - Pumps that run continuously suffer less wear and tear. This may result in a longer pump life.
- More aeration - If you are diverting part of your water stream back into your fish tank for aeration, using a siphon to drain your beds will increase the aeration you deliver to your fish tank (since aeration based on diverting a portion of the water stream only works while your pump is running).