DIY vertical "zip grow system"

[newtraditionsfarm]

http://www.brightagrotech.com/CommercialAquaponics.html

After looking at this system I'm wondering whether it would be possible to reproduce it using 3" PVC pipes filled with another medium, possibly a mixture of perlite and rice hulls or something similar? Holes could easily be drilled in the pipes to accommodate seedlings, and then system could be plumbed using drip irrigation parts, similar to the zip grow system. A trough or large pvc pipe cut in half and placed under the vertically hung pipes and placed at a slight incline to collect the excess nutrient solution and return it to a reservoir where it could be aerated and pumped back through the system.

Any thoughts? I'd love to install a large system like this down the center of my 40' x 100' hoop house for lettuce and greens. Maybe it could even by supported by the hoop house rafter pipes.