Hey whats up, you said you were looking for ideas on your hydro setup. Our system is relatively compact and uses tupperware from wal-mart. They are combined as you can see from the picture, and are joined by a fairly large water tight passive tube from one tank to the other. The two tanks together make just about 24 gallons. The other side is the same fitted connection but with a hose attached that goes up to the ebb/ flow tray. The two water basins measure approx 9" off the ground all together and are almost completely under the tray. This is a very compact setup. BTW the tray is 2'x4'. The tray drains directly into a hole we punched out of the lid of the tupperware tank. The other tank has a hole cut out as well for the cords of the water / air pumps.

NOTE If you plan on doing anything similar to this with the double water reservoir setup, you will need to make sure that the hose that connects the two tanks together is wide enough for a good volume of water to pass through! If you do not do this, the transfer of water from one tank to another will not be fast enough to keep up with the water pump.

Also, since this picture we have duct taped up the reservoirs both up completely to keep all light out (no gunk algae build-up) and also the lids but these pics give you a good idea of what its like. Good luck!