Jon has the right idea, dig a well or resovoir that is capped at the bottom.

We find 4 to eight feet is great. 

It takes 1/2 PSi per foot of depth to get the air lift started. After the air is displacing the water, the water is lighter and it takes less air. A 5 psi pump is the strongest we have ever used. 5 psi will inject air in at 10 foot depth. 

We use TWO inputs on heights over 20 foot. 

Dig the well to say four foot, pump the…

Sylvia has posted my drawing of bucket siphons, air pumps and tea makers at http://aquaponicscommunity.com/page/glenn-martinez-aquaponics-manual. Enjoy. Some of the designs are "patent pending" but only for manufacturing rights. Individuals, non-protits and educational are free to make their own devices for use. It just when you cross the line to manufacturing that we need an agreement. Enjoy, these devices…

I have been working with air lifts in Aquaponics and wondering if anyone else is trying them. 

We first tried the air lifts to deal with a problem of theft at school locations. Submersible pumps were being stolen regularly. So we put the air pump in the class room, a super quiet model, and ran the air line out the upper window to the fish tank. We had to invent our own pump because we could not find a commercial model.

If anyone is interested I will email them…