Hydrofarm MGSYS Hydroponic Megagarden Ebb & Flow System in a 22" x 22" x 10" size Container,Black

I owned one of these from WAY back in the 1990s. There have been some subtle but helpful improvements since then, with this design nearing perfection for how it's used.Updates: v1 had 2x the footprint with the flood tray NOT above the reservoir, it also was missing a water level indicator, and flood prevention...plus a bunch of 1" tubes no longer needed.Cons: Instructions werent in the box, but online, and should include more general hydro setup best practices; pre-drilled holes were about 1/16" diameter too small, requiring use of a dremel to complete setup (this can lead to mistakes and then leaks!)Pros: LOVE being able to move all my live potted plants to the side, pull up the flood tray, give it a scrub, put it back and NEVER touch my grow media (clay or rockwool)...some days I even move my (15) 5" pots outside for a few hours of natural sun.Would buy again. I may buy a second one!

I bought one of these things because I had just bought a 2x2 grow tent and couldn't find a DIY ebb & flow setup that would fit in there properly. So even though I felt like this system was overpriced, I bought it. And BOY HOWDY am I glad I did! I'm still using the thing 7 years later, and it's gotten so much mileage that I've lost track. It's easily the perfect size setup for so many applications, such as the kitchen herb garden I'm planning right now, which is why I'm about to buy my second Megagarden.I initially decided during my first run with the unit that using the included square pots and hydroton media gave me sub-par results. So I ditched the pots, repurposed the hydroton for my terrariums, and began using 4-inch rockwool cubes. These are the perfect swap-outs for the square containers that came with it. They have the same dimensions as the bottoms of the square pots, so you can use the same number of them (15 or 16... most people eventually figure out that you can put a 16th pot on top of the access hole and it will be stable enough not to worry about it). I'm just a huge fan of the convenience of rockwool cubes. But whenever I want to grow one single tree in this unit, I actually use a single fabric pot filled with 50/50 perlite/vermiculite, right smack on the middle of the flood tray.Anyway, I'm just taking the time to do this review because I'm a huge proponent of "credit where credit is due," and this system has truly taken care of me for a long time, and it just keeps on ticking. It's solidly built. Obviously I've replaced the pump by now. In fact, I believe I'm on my second out-of-pocket replacement. But that's to be expected. They're cheap anyway, at every big box store these days. So honestly, I just want people to know that if you are hesitant about buying it, because it *is* kind of pricy for the size unit you are getting, DON'T BE! It's totally worth it. I've been using mine since 2012 and I'm about to press the button to order a second one because this thing is tried and true.

Highly recommended,coming from a beginner hydroponics fan.I ordered and received my MegaGarden within a couple of days and began set up this weekend. The assembly was very easy in my opinion and instructions helpful. There are only a few things I would clarify that didn't stand out as being straight forward:1) I did find the instructions confusing regarding the pump outlet and what exactly you were supposed to remove using pliers. As pictured, the outlet is permanently attached, so don't try and remove this. I'm assuming they are referring to the smaller adapter that comes with the pump that was separate already in my kit. The instructions say you don't need it, but I found that the 1/2" flexible tubing didn't fit snug over the outlet, so I used it. It's still a little loose; however, the pump pushes water upward, so I didn't find the fit to be an issue. You can add your own adjustable gaskets to resolve this if you want or if find your pump moves and dislodges over time from the tubing.2) The instructions do not specifically tell you where to place the second small "drain hole" filter, which is not described anywhere. I did locate a possible indentation in the flood table on the diagonal corner from the first. I suspect I need to drill a small hole similar to the one in the red "porthole" cap. That said, it seems to drain just fine without, so I'm leaving out for now.3) I also found that the instructions were not clear (to me at least) as to which drain hole to attach the pump. That said, the taller is considered the overflow drain and the short should be used to attach the pump to fill the flood table and maintain the proper water level. I found that the water level will cover the bottom two side cut outs and not the upper third hole in the 5.5 planter baskets. This is fine and the clay pellets become moist eventually at a higher level. It's important that your seedlings have developed roots to about two inches length so the nutrient water reaches the roots and will wick up. You can add a piece of soft cloth to help if needed to accomplish this as well.4) There are no instructions for a recommended timer schedule, but the important thing is not to allow the roots to dry out for a prolonged period of time and be mindful that this could happen during power outages.There is a helpful assembly video on YouTube called "New MegaGarden" by rwkleinman that I would recommend as a guide.For the start, I'm using some 4" planted herbs from my local nursery and have some seeds started to add later. The instructions suggest starting your seeds separately as well, but does include rock wool squares to start seeds. Just be sure that that you set this low enough in the planter basket (1 1/2" deep) so the nutrient water will moisten the wool during periods of flooding.Since I have aquarium supplies laying around, I am also adding an aeration pump, tube, and airstone that is recommended by a lot of folks on YouTube to help prevent unwanted bacteria development in stagnant water and promote growth to my plants.More to come when I see how my root systems develop...

Item works great for growing, not all parts fit well together.