good to see you again to opie! i will be making a trip to the new hydro store in the area to have a long conversation with the owner about my options. from what you posted i seem to be on the right track with my ideas so far. what are your thoughts about the areoflo or other areo set-ups. i personally like diy stuff but as with you time is my most limiting factor as i have 2 young children and a small business to take care of. i am toying with making a nft table with vynl gutters from home depot but i'm not sure if the have covers or how i will even secure the plants over the gutter. this whole hydro upgrade idea of mine has only been seriously thought about for a week now so i have plenty of research to do before i start to make anything ayway. i gotta go to bed now but i will check out you thread in the plant problems forum to see if i can help in any way. thanks for your reply opie.