I'm new here and am in the process of building a make-shift BSF reactor. There are some nagging questions though...
For drainage, does the screen or mat or whatever need to have small enough opening to prevent the little maggots from escaping out the bottom ?? Or, will their normal behavior keep them in the upper layers ?? When there is a mass exodus they all try to go out the top; right ??
In case anyone is interested, you can get plastic matting which is very firm and will not collapse under the weight of the stuff above it. It also comes with various size openings. Google "matala and fish". The mat is used a lot in ornamental pond filters.
I was planning to put a lip at the top of the container to keep the buggers from crawling out until seeing the Velcro thing. Can they crawl upside-down on a horizontal surface (the overhanging lip) if it has condensation on it ?? Also, if the purpose of the Velcro is to break the surface tension, would a strip of 1/8-inch plastic mesh have the same effect ??
You guys say that the media/scraps/compost turns into wet goop and it's a problem when it gets too wet. But, if you could keep the media/scraps/compost friabe by adding enough wood shaving or something, would it then be too dry ?? Does that stuff need to be a mass of goop for the system to work ??
