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Hydroponic or aquaponic raft ebb and flow or Fixed air tank ebb and flow hydroponics!

I don't know if these are fairly well known ideas as I am not yet a hydroponic or aquaponic gardener but I have not seen them before so I thought I would share. They are fairly simple. One uses air pumped into an underwater tank to rise and lower the water level in a grow tub and the other uses a raft with a float underneath, you pump air into the float to rise and lower the float. The rising and lowering alternatively floods roots and lets the air at them. I think both can eventually be an alternative to the bell syphons that seem to be the universally accepted system. Thanks Brian White I have video to expain at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBNuoHrQIcM

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Permalink Reply by Mark Hall on August 19, 2013 at 5:34am

Brian...What material is the tank made of that alternately holds air and then water? Can you give more details about how air enters and leaves in the 2 scenarios? Valves?, Very interesting, but need more detail.

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Permalink Reply by Brian White on August 19, 2013 at 10:40am

Hi, Mark, thanks, I have not made one, but it could probably be a weighted down plastic container in the case of the fixed tank version. I have made a geyser in the past that was a 5 gallon plastic drum about 3 ft under can with pipes assembled so that it "Blew" when it filled with air and sent up a blast of "steam" (just fine water spray mixed with the air) and shut off and began refilling with air when it was empty. That could work either in the tank itself or beside it as an independent control. Currently this is just an imaginary system, but there are lots of other ways to control the air. I tried a very quick experiment with the rising and sinking raft idea about a week ago to do a feeble demonstration but I did not have a suitable "raft" at the time. I just used an old flexible pipe coiled underneath as the float but I did a poor job of it. I think the concept is fairly sound though. Brian

Mark Hall said:

Brian...What material is the tank made of that alternately holds air and then water? Can you give more details about how air enters and leaves in the 2 scenarios? Valves?, Very interesting, but need more detail.