Aquaponics Bell Siphon Pump - Aquaponics Basics

This article will cover what function the aquaponics bell siphon pump has in a system along with general aquaponics basics. In an aquaponic system you have a grow bed for the plants which needs to be watered and drained. The aquaponics bell siphon pump is a device that drains the grow bed and actually manages to keep it watered at the same time. It's a constant system that is driven by the aquaponics bell siphon pump.

The aquaponics bell siphon pump is made up of the following components:

- a standpipe.

- a bell.

A standpipe is what actually travels through the bottom of the grow bed section of the aquaponics system. The bell part of the siphon is the part that is fixed above the standpipe. When the aquaponics bell siphon pump floods the system's grow bed it draws actual pure oxygen into the bottom of the bed. This oxygen is very important to stop the plant roots from rotting and eventually killing the plants.

The actual cycle of flooding and draining the grow bed is run by a timer or it can be fixed permanently on. The length of time the drain cycle works over depends solely on the size of the systems grow bed and how fast the water is pumped in, therefore, a smaller grow bed will drain a lot faster than a larger one.

All this process aid and produce bacteria which is very important to the system. The bacteria process the fishes waste and turns it into nutrients which are essential to the plants roots systems. If you think about it this is why aquaponics is so well designed as it acts as a mini eco-system which does not need the intervention of any harmful chemicals or pesticides.

An aquaponics bell siphon pump works tirelessly night and day without ever stopping and is driven by pure, natural physics. You can go to your local store to purchase a bell siphon pump ( or you can pick one up online ) but a lot of aquaponic enthusiasts prefer to design and build their own. I must admit I have not had much luck producing my own bell siphon pump and have always ended up purchasing one but there are a lot of plans out there which will aid you in constructing one for a fraction of the price.

There we have it, the aquaponics bell siphon pump is an essential part of the aquaponics system and is needed to keep the grow bed oxygenated and safe for plant life.