Opinions wanted on concept

[Ray]

I have a 20-gallon high aquarium that I am thinking about setting up for jewel orchids.

Here's my thoughts on the concept, so far:

Back - EcoWeb with automated watering from the top. I'll probably get some green moss established on it.

Bottom - a layer or two of EcoWeb, covered by sphagnum as the growing medium.

The idea is that the bottom will have a "standpipe" to keep the water depth no higher than the EcoWeb base, allowing the sphagnum to be watered by wicking from the bottom, keeping it loose and airy.

The stand pipe would drain into a small tank in the stand underneath, containing a submersible pump to periodically wet the back wall and refill the bottom's loss to evaporation.

[Grimm]

The sump is a good idea. Its an easy way to keep the perfect amount of water in the tank. Plus you can also use an external filter if needed.

As for the ecoweb...Is the water level touching the bottom on the ecoweb, or is the water all the way to the top of the ecoweb, just below the sphagnum? I havent used ecoweb, but my understanding of it is that it will not wick water as it is synthetic. It does not allow capillary action to take place as it would in a natural material such as tree fern or coco panels.
I may be wrong, but this is what I have read from others experience using ecoweb.

[Ray]

Thanks, Grimm. You're right, EcoWeb does not wick, so the water level would have to be kept pretty much to the top surface of the material to be in contact with the moss.

I suppose one could make it max-out below that, then rely on the pump flow rate being slightly greater than that of the drain, so it would "overflow" slightly when the pump was on to water the moss, then drain lower to provide more aeration (although that seems like a lot of effort).

Then again, I suppose the moss will "suck up" enough water to drop the liquid level slightly, achieving the same thing..

[Grimm]

Why not build the typical egg crate false bottom and save on the cost of the ecoweb?

[Ray]

Because, as the distributor of EcoWeb, I can use scraps that otherwise would have zero retail value!

[Royal]

Maybe a pile of Prime Agra in the center would do the trick. I know a good distributor you can ask.

[Grimm]

Originally Posted by Ray

Because, as the distributor of EcoWeb, I can use scraps that otherwise would have zero retail value!

Bahaha my bad. If I could, I would probably use a lot of it....Wanna send some worthless scraps up to me?

[Ray]

With some luck, I may have a Canadian distributor in the not-too-distant future.

[Ray]

OK. It is built, pretty much to the loose specs I mentioned earlier. No moss on the back yet, but the jewels are planted in a 3" layer of sphagnum that is wetted by the depth of the water at the bottom (1" EcoWeb, with a 1-1/16" standpipe. But I have a problem...

The standpipe is a 1/2" tube, and when the pump is on, it "gulps" repeatedly, which is sort of a nuisance as it's right next to the chair I sit in to watch TV. Right now, the pump runs 4 times a day for 15 minutes.

Any ideas how to stop the gulping as the water drains? I assume I need to smooth the water flow, but I'm not sure how to do that.

[Grimm]

Why dont you just shove some epiweb in the tube ...As long as it inst a huge pain to get at it.