Aquaponics - slightly more complicated no holes siphon

As I mentioned in a previous post on no holes siphons, in it's simplest form, it consists of a pipe full of water, with either end kept submerged in two different containers.

It's purpose is to allow the free flow of water between the two containers as if you had drilled holes in the bottom, and connected them with a pipe.

But without all the drilling and gluing and draining fish tanks that goes with regular methods.

A slightly more sophisticated form allows for greater flexibility.

Flexibility is a good thing.

Having some options when you are designing is also a good thing.

*One option is to take your two containers...

And create a simple no holes siphon....

Then stand its ends in small containers full of water. I chose to draw mine levitating, but you could attach your's to the side of the container if you find it easier.

"Why bother?" I hear you ask.

"Because then you could do this." I reply...

What this allows you to do is have the containers at different heights. I dont know why you want to do this, because I dont know you. But people have been doing this for ages. It's not as if its a new idea or anything. I'm guessing you are just like them.

But if you were to use a simple no holes siphon connecting the two tanks, the one on the right would empty into the one on the left and might just overflow.

In a situation where you were pumping water from the tank on the left to your grow bed, you could make it return from your grow bed into the tank on the right. This right tank would then over-flow into the left tank, but not so much that it drained.

So if you started with just the left tank but wanted to add another tank, you have two options. One is to empty your tank and drill holes in it and plumb it properly with glue, and the other is use a no holes siphon.

If you have some level issues with the new location of the second tank, this slightly more sophisticated version might be a solution.

Another method is to use bends in the end of your no holes siphon. These trap the water in the same way as the small containers, but might be easier to build, depending on your access to plumbing supplies.









The only downside that I can think of is the possibility for small air bubbles to accumulate over time. If these build up in the highest point in the pipe, they could eventually break the siphon, and allow the siphon to stop siphoning. A high water flow should move these tiny bubble as the form, but a slower flow, especially when the pipes get hot, could cause some problems. Warmer water tends to bubble a bit more.


*sorry I cant find my crayons. Even though I usually save them for aerodynamic diagrams, I wanted to use them here but they are packed away in a box somewhere in the shed. Crayons and aerodynamics go together for some reason. At least they do in my head.**


**it's a lot easier to read this if you triple click it with your mouse. Triple clicks work all over the place to select an entire paragraph, and I just thought I'd share this information.

Aquaponics - No holes siphon

A no holes siphon has no holes.

It also allows you to make the fluid level in two containers the same height in each, without having to drill holes in them to join them with a hose.

In it's simplest form, it's a hose full of water with both ends kept submerged, one end in each container.

As the level increases in one container, water siphons into the other. As long as the tube remains full of water, the two levels stay the same.






This can be a very handy solution to adding an extra fish tank or grow bed without having to empty your originals.

I used one to share the water between my duckweed tank, and my fish tank. As the level in the fish tank changes due to where it is in it's cycle of pumping water to the grow bed, the water flows in and out of the duckweed tank maintaining the two containers at the same depth.

My duckweed seems to love the fish tank water. In the past I have kept it separate from the rest of the system, but now it's moved into the glasshouse.










There are a few ways you can implement it, but the simplest is to submerge a tube in water, then block both ends with your thumbs.

Take one end and submerge it into one tank, and the other end in the other tank.

When you remove your thumbs, the tube remains full of water, and a siphon starts to equalise the two containers until their surfaces are at the same height. If one container is at a different height, the water will try to settle so that the surfaces are the same height, so if there is too much difference, one container might overflow.

Make sure there are no air bubbles in the pipe, as they will break the siphon, and the exchange of water between the two containers will no longer occur.

Another way to make one would be to submerge the ends of the pipe, one end in each container, then connect your pump until water is flowing freely. Disconnect the pump, making sure you dont lift either end out of the water, and the tube should remain full of water.