hey palerider7777 thanks for posting and learning! A lot of people just ask questions that have been asked a million times but at least you take the time to read a learn a little. Sounds like a good setup you have there with the sprayers and all that. If you started a thread and posted some pictures it would be very cool to check out! If you are having trouble with algae then you are taking the right precautions it sounds like. The first step is to block out all possible light (zero light being best) and the next step is to keep the reservoir temperatures below 78F being ideal. This is something I'm guilty of myself but for us DWC growers there is very little we can do due to the limited space in the reservoir. The best that can be done is put reflective material also on the outside of the buckets or reservoir to lower the temps 1-2 degrees and also you can frequently put ice in the reservoir rather than topping up with water. Or, when you do top up you can use the coldest water you can find (which is mainly what I do, in the form of refrigerated water).

To answer your other questions, I do think that your plants are ready for the DWC by the sounds of it. If you say you have thick white roots poking out the sides then they sound like they are ready. As far as the topping goes, topping is a very simple process that only seems complicated. All you do is wait until you have about 6 or 8 nodes and cut the top most sprout off just above the node. This lets the lower growth have all the light and it branches into about 4 or 5 colas instead of just one big cola. It is better use of the light is all. The best way to tell when you are ready to top really is dependent on the light you have. We have a 400W so we wanted to make sure the top got good light and also the sides, and also the underneath bud sites as well. Granted the lower growth won't get as much light but you cut your losses at some point ya know?