yes the drip manifold and water pump should stay in your rez.because they have a tendency to leak,and if it does its only leaking into the rez and not on the floor.i would drill 1/4 holes instead of going through the pots.u can add air stones to the rez just like the 2 containers holding your plants. your pic looks about right.as for the dripper manifolds. they come in all sizes i think the biggest one is 8.they come with caps so if u dont need 2 use them they will be capped off.u might want 2 buy a larger one just incase one 1/4 tube per container isnt enough u could always add another 1/4 line per bucket should that problem come up.