You can screw it down to wood by the feet. The water chugs out because air bubbles lift the water up the pipe so it's like air in the pipes.
Looking forward to this grow! One of the few actually.
great looking brewer bmac! you should throw up a pic on the airlift brewer thread in the organic forum!
i've found that if i suspend my air pump it quiets some of the vibrational noise. those things are loud as fuck tho.
the splashing is what gets that oxygen level up! in my latest brewer i have my airlift exactly the height of my 5 gal bucket. i use a quick snap lid with a hole cut out so i can see what's going on in there. i used a cable tie to connect the top of the airlift to the lid, and it all stays very secure.
flow can be negatively affected if the lift is not perfectly vertical. also you'll find there's a sweet spot for the water level. if you get it right the flow is maximized. for my brewer it's about 2" under the airlift's outlet. your air pump kicks mine's ass tho.
i've never used that manifold design so i can't give you any tips on that end of the brewer.
also i'd agree with others' suggestions to get a mulch on those pots ASAP. i feel that it's especially important w/ vertical lighting as the soil is much more exposed to direct light then in a horizontal set up.
i'm all about a diverse and nutritious mulch. when you get to certain point that's really all you have to add to your pots to keep them happy.
in the mean time, anything will help keep the top strata evenly moist. a paper plate, a circle of plastic, hydroton, coco chips, buckwheat hulls, etc.
a nice seed-free alfalfa hay is awesome. i've used sphagnum peat moss like for hanging baskets that i mixed up with EWC, canna trimmings, and bio-accumulating herbs like nettle and comfrey.
sometimes fungus gnats like that environment but a little top dress of neem meal under the mulch will take care of them.
Im also going to look around for an answer but if anyone has one, feel free to post. What is the difference/benefit of using compost in teas vs EWC? I have both and used EWC in the last one and am contemplating using the compost (SeaSoil) in the next one. Im off to look for answers.