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bell siphon -small - How-to - DIY bell siphon
With just a few parts you can make a 3/4" siphon that is ideal for small media beds @ 15 cubic ft or less.
13" of 4" pvc
12" of 1-1/2" pvc
10" of 3/4" pvc
3/4" reduced to 1/2" threaded bulkhead. (this is very important! the reduced bulkhead is the secret to getting the siphon to start)
3/4" threaded male pvc connecter
10" 3/8 ID flexible hose
the grommet and elbow are optional
make a cut every 1/2" on a 4" pipe to make a media guard.
Cut the 3/4" "stand pipe" two inches below your media. (normally @10 inches)
The 1-1/2" "bell" is cut so the bottom of the cap is the same height of the standpipe.
Install the "snorkel" into the cap of the bell.
Cut teeth on the bottom of the bell at 1/2" tall 1" wide for a total of 1" of "inlet"
a good rule here is to drill or cut the teeth to total the pipe size in between the stand pipe and bell.
in this case, 1" -as the standpipe is 3/4" and the Bell is 1-1/2" (this is important! the amount of "inlet" controls how fast the bed drains - too fast is not good- too slow and it wont start)
Cut the length of the snorkel 1/4" above the teeth.
Media Guard
Bell and Snorkel
Standpipe and Bulkhead
The only other item is the pump. The correct pump size is important.
In the 20 gallon tote example pictured, I used a 120 gph pump. this sounds like too much pump I know, but with these tiny pumps the 3 ft or so head height really knocks it down to much less than the rated flow. Too much pump and the siphon wont stop. Too little and the siphon wont start. I will try to document the pumps I have in use on what size siphon.
Water melons love AP.
However, unless you have a huge supply of high nutrient water from another fish tank to use for topping off, i dont recommend melons or tomatoes in a small reservoir at all. In August, this thing had 6-8 melons and needed 10-15 gallons per day.
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