4/3/2022We ordered this system almost exactly a year ago. First off, it doesn't come with a reservoir, so we built one for it ourselves. Second, the sponges it comes with didn't work at all. We tried them in the first planting and all that happened was they developed algae which killed the plants. As a result we cleaned the system and switched to rock wool. Rockwool worked better, but only in the top row. We haven't had much success with anything in the bottom two rows and we have tried moving it to different places around the property to try and get it better light. The algae problem also came back, building up in the pipes due to the white pvc letting the sunlight through and water flow issues. We clean them out after each algae outbrak, which is also difficult due to the shape and nature of the pipes. In an effort to avoid this difficulty for the next season we decided to try and replace the white PVC with black, as this has worked in preventing algae growth in our other systems. However the PVC size is not standard and we haven't been able to find any matching sizes in stores and as a result we had to get more creative. Having seeds that are ready to be transferred into the system, and at this point having no system to transfer them into we decided to use black contact paper around the pipes to see if this helps. We are currently waiting on contact paper to arrive. Another note is there are no covers for the seed plugs, I tried to find some that would fit online and failed. Meaning the rockwool, or sponges if you're using those, is completely exposed to the light until your plants gets a little larger. We lost a lot of lettuce due to the algae issue that this caused, but I fashioned some myself by cutting plastic dividers to the correct lengths and slipping them around the plants to help prevent algae growth in those areas. I would suggest using EVA foam if you're going to do this yourself. My efforts were temporarily successful, but the growth of algae began happening within the tube itself, even though I had managed to prevent it in the rockwool. This season I'll be making covers out of EVA foam to try and prevent this, we will be covering the pipe with black adhesive vial or black contact paper, and we will be moving the system to a place with more sunlight to try and encourage the plants on the lower levels to live. Lids would do wonders for the parts of the system that we have nothing growing in. As it is I usually cover the empty holes so that sunlight cant get in, until the plants are ready to go in. As we have a mixture of crops we've tried to rotate in and out. Things which do better in the winter vs the summer. We've had the most success with black seed lettuce, though many types have grown well. Currently we are taking it apart again for cleaning before the next crop goes in. We've been using the leaves of the lettuce in the image all winter. However, as you can see in the image the hose pump has been corrupted with algae, and we'll have to either replace it or find a way to clean it. This is one of the most difficult things to fix as the material seems to have shrank around the pump, meaning it will likely need to be cut off so that we can clean it. On another note, I do not grow the rock wool inside the net cups for this system. That is near impossible as they will not stand upright like our other net cups do. Instead I grow them in the rockwool and put them in the net cups once they're ready to be transferred. However they also need to be cleaned from the algae build up, which is why some of them are missing in the image. As I said, we're taking it apart to clean. I was hoping we would be able to grow strawberries with it, but unfortunately none of them made it. We'll see how this next crop does, and hopefully I'll be able to update with a better review.Update: 4/12/2022The black adhesive vinal worked great for algae prevention. We also managed to pick up a black hose that fits it at an auto parts shop, so we hopefully won’t have to worry about it building up in the hose anymore either. There was one thing I forgot to mention in my original post, that being that we didn’t use the original pump with this system, not because it failed but because we read others reviews on it failing and decided to get a slightly larger one and to save the pump it came with for another project. I also had the idea to grow peas on the bottom shelf since I’ve had a little success with them in Kratky systems before… The peas I picked were only supposed to get 2 to 3 feet tall if they grew at all. This was just an experiment I did for fun, with no expectation for them to get big at all… Currently the peas are about six feet tall, and I’ve had to build a secondary trellis out of spare pvc and twine. The roots have clogged the system a couple times. I’ve had to go in and pull out some of the roots, and to my surprise the peas just keep going as if nothing happened. This has inspired me to make another system, with larger pvc, and deep net cups, specifically for peas. Unfortunately I was unable to buy Eva foam to make covers with, but we’ve had such success starting seeds under grow lights inside that it hasn’t been necessary. Since we moved the systems to the front of the house and covered them in the black plastic, all three rows have been producing like crazy. We’ve gotten compliments from our neighbors on it and neighborhood kids have even asked us to explain how it works. When asked we let them know where we got the system from.Due to the fact that working on this system has helped inspire us to build other designs, and the fact that the peas have turned into a jungle through living in it. I’m going to give it another star. This is in spite of the extra efforts I had to put in to reduce algae build up. To be fair, that is out of the sellers control, humidity and region have a lot to due with the amount of algae build up any system will get, and as annoying as it is to clean, it’s because the environment is prime for growing. However, I will recommend to the sellers that they start working with black PVC and black hose, as it does reduce algae buildup and will help others who may have this issue in the future. I would also recommend an appropriately sized pipe cleaner with a long reach for those who are going to buy it. Plan ahead for the cleaning process, it is far easier with a pipe cleaner. You may even want to try a pressure washer, though I haven’t yet. The black covering is honestly the best preventative measure you could take for cleaning, though it is time consuming. Along with this update I will be adding in more pictures so you can see how much better the garden is doing now. We’ve had success with Collards, various lettuce species, kale, and peas. Though I wouldn’t recommend the peas unless you’re going to stay on top of them. They love it, but like I said, the roots keep clogging the system.In the end, thank you for a lovely garden. Please start selling this in black. ^.^