Siphona didn’t start as a product. It started as a class project with a pretty big goal.
A system one family could run
In 2023, the Global Challenges class at Bob Jones University set out to design a simple backyard aquaponics system. The idea was a setup one family could build and run themselves, adding fresh fish and vegetables to their diet in parts of the world where food is hard to come by.
That meant everything had to be simple, cheap, and easy to find. The class built the fish tank and grow bed out of IBC totes, the big plastic containers used to ship liquids all over the world. They used plain PVC pipe that doesn’t even need to be glued. And they used a bell siphon to drain the grow bed automatically, with no moving parts and nothing electronic to break.
The part that made it work
The bell siphon turned out to be the heart of the whole thing. It’s what makes the grow bed flood and drain on its own, which is what the plants need to thrive. It’s also the part people struggle with most when they try to build one themselves.
Where we come in
Later Global Challenges teams took that work and focused on the siphon itself, with one goal: a siphon that’s ready to drop in, so beginners can skip the trial and error. More on what we changed is coming soon.
With thanks
We’re grateful to Dr. Bill Lovegrove and the 2023 Global Challenges class for the work Siphona is built on. A lot of what we share in this journal comes straight from what they learned.
Up next
Aquaponics 101: how fish and plants grow each other
New to aquaponics? Start here. The whole system in a few minutes.
Adapted with permission from Simple Backyard Aquaponics System by Dr. Bill Lovegrove, Bob Jones University.
