Hey, nice. Looks like your plants came along nicely. I like the spirit of invention. I can only recommend one thing at this point, but it's a biggie. At least in your new experimenting, you should consider buying a big air pump and adding as many air stones as the thing can power. You've touched on this a little already, but it's the best thing you could do for your grow. You want to try and supply as much air to your roots as possible. They should stay as dry as they can without stressing the plants. Adding more air stones will most likely eliminate any problem with root rot, and your plants will grow much healthier and bigger to boot. Also consider an innoculant and microorganism booster like Subculture by General Hydro.