Hydrofarm RS5GALSYS Root Spa Deep Water Culture Bucket System, 5 Gallon, black

Someone mentioned these grommet type fittings always end up leaking. I spent 15 years running a 300 gal saltwater tank. These wont leak even if you wiggle or bump them, they are tight. The bucket is tight and forces air through the medium. Cons: If you run air through the viewing tube, you can not tell how much water is in the bucket because the air pushes it back. Do yourself a favor and drill an airline hole above the water line with 1/4 rubber grommet, and drop a 2 inch air stone in it. It works without an air stone, but it will sound like an 8 cylinder engine idling and glugging. If you want a true effervescent spa that can be easily drained and checked.. drill a new hole for an air stone. The included pump can handle x8, 2 inch stones. Works great with washed lava rock, its so fizzy it will mist your glasses from a couple feet away and you wont even realize it. Pros: sturdy buckets, hoses, and connectors. The net pot lid is and exceptionally tough material that fits air tight. The air pump delivers the perfect amount of air for stones or raw bubbles.

Perfect grow system. Super easy to put together and it’s literally all you need to grow hydro. I did elect to add an additional air stone to each bucket but it wasn’t truly needed. Super easy to add. A heads up, Be sure your micro tubing is completely settled into the blue drain tube when assembling. My very large and stalky plants are thriving. 😊 easy to assemble. Good quality and a true value for your money. I was first going to make my own hydro set up but this was actually more cost effective for better quality than the black tub containers I was planning to use. Thank you for the product. 😊😊😊 Very pleased. Would post pictures of how amazing my product is from this system but ehhhhhhhh. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

This is is a great little DWC Hydro but you need to read the description at top you cant look at a picture to make your choice. the pump works very well if you setup it up right and yes there is no growing medium but that is because growing medium is a personal choice there many different types of growing medium. and the blue tube on the side.is for viewing the level of the nutrients not for connecting the air hose. you need to drill a hole in the top of the lid or in the upper part of the bucket above the water line and put the air hose through it. Connect a air stone to the end of the hose. But the air stone type is also a personal choice since there many to choose from. I myself added 3 way splitter and 2 x 3" tubes with 2, 1" air stones so the I have better coverage. but the choice is up to you. I did some research before I made my purchase. research is very important in hydroponics. if you you need to know something there are many tutorials on youtube that are very helpful. I will be buying another one in the near future.

If you're considering hydroponic DWC growing, this is the kit to buy, although as you'll discover, you can use it as a guide to build your own system for less. The sight gauge is actually useful in that you can clearly see the water level, the elbow fitting doesn't leak, and you can run an air line through it to agitate and aerate your nutrient solution. I give it four stars only because of the slight potential for leakage. Setup is simple: Run your air line (stone optional) through the sight gauge tube/elbow assembly and install in the pre-drilled hole in the bottom of the bucket. Install a check valve on the air line. Connect the air line to the electric pump. Fill the bucket to 20-22" with your nute solution. Turn on the air pump. Place the basket on top of the bucket and fill it with your media of choice - coco, clay pellets, etc. - and pre-moisten the media. Carefully place your transplant in it. The bubbles from the air line will gently mist the media and your plant's root ball.

Buckets and fittings and hoses are nice. The pump came loose in the bucket and was banged up with some damage. I used my old pump which was better and system is doing a nice job. More detail to packaging is needed but still like the buckets not sure if I would buy again because of way package is poorly sent.

True “hydroponic “ systems get very pricey. This dwc (deep water culture) is great way to go. I have purchased a few of this system in the passed. The air pump holds up extremely well . I’ve been lazy in the passed and left it running outside and uncovered. I don’t recommend that at all. But it lasted over a year on the ground out in the elements. Bang for your buck can’t be beat in my opinion. I had purchased this from Walmart in the passed. Had nothing but issues. Pieces came broken , customer service was a joke at best , deliver was way off. This was a much better experience here on Amazon.

I order this back in November 2014. Due to the holidays and other events I only opened the box in March of 2015. When I pulled the items out a small metal ring fell to the floor. It happened to be the nut that held one of the outputs on the active aqua air pump.Then as I pulled the buckets out the bottom two buckets were cracked 3 to 4 inches into the bucket. They are unusable. I continued to hook up the remaining 6 buckets to find that only 5 of the 8 ports worked on the active aqua air pump worked. Based on reviews of this pump on amazon it is a fairly common occurance. Well, I guess I didn't need the cracked buckets after all!! The connections for the hoses into the buckets are snug and don't leak.The baskets are standard 10" baskets and also work fine. The 5 buckets that are hooked up are working very well. It is a very basic system and a great way to get started in hydroponics. It is just a shame that the overall quality is so poor. If you are just starting in hydroponics it is a good simple concept.

I would not mention other names but I have had some bad luck trying to get the best price and finally stumbled upon this that arrived in perfect sturdy well fitted condition. The air pump works well for one plant only obviously, which is very good for beginners like myself.