Tonight I bought a better gallon-sized water bottle for the reservoir. The bottom is mostly flat. We stuck the tubes and the bottles in, and were briefly disappointed when we realized it wasn't reaching the top of the bottles. I asked Lawrence if the pump was turned up all the way - it wasn't. So, we turned it up and WOAH, it pumped better than it did yesterday. The most influential factor may have been the higher water level in this bottle. We speculate it may produce more water pressure, letting the water rise more.
In any case, it turned out perfect. We used some more zip ties to hold the water bottles to the dowel/air tube. I also planted my seeds in the starter cubes. Our next step is to wait for them to germinate, sprout leaves, and grow roots. As soon as that happens we can transfer them to the water bottles! :D
Here's the entire setup:
Here are a few close-up shots (ok, so they're not THAT exciting...but I'M excited!):
