nothing wrong with perlite...

I do like hydroton the best,,and it is so reusable after cleaning and soaking in florakleen.

you'll like dwc, just take it slow, buy the right stuff, not homemade remedies, because the one real important thing in DWC is keeping the ph balanced. You don't want to constantly have to open'er up and adjust ph...believe me. that is a pain in the ass. Get some pro or GH ph up/down, and you will be glad you did

lw