How to Choose the Best Hydroponics Reservoirs

It’s difficult to determine the best hydroponics reservoirs, especially when you’re a beginner, because they come in all shapes, sizes, and materials.

By storing a nutrient solution made of fertilizer and clean water, a reservoir provides plants with sufficient hydration and nourishment. This article will point out important factors you should pay attention to when choosing a hydroponic reservoir tank.

If you’re a beginner and seeking a decent hydroponics nutrient tank with a reasonable price range, Rubbermaid FG424288BLA is the best choice.

Not only is it weather-resistant, but it also comes in all sizes and shapes for you to choose from. The material ensures that leaks and cracks are minimized in all circumstances, and you’ll find it extremely easy to clean and drain the water after using.

Best Hydroponics Reservoir Review

Botanicare 707135 – Best Material

Botanicare 707135 is an excellent choice for hydroponics beginners due to its reasonable price range and qualified features. This item is made of durable BPA-free material, allowing users to keep it spotless under different circumstances easily.

Another good point about Botanicare is that it enables the pH level to stay balanced and avoid fluctuations in nutrients, so you don’t need to check now and then. Thanks to the lack of fungi and bacteria, your plants are always healthy in the freshwater.

What We Like

• BPA-free material with excellent durability
• Lots of space for your plants
• Easy to clean

What Can Be Improved?

• Easily scratched material
• Lack of porthole cover

Supersonics SUPPONICS8 – Best for Beginners

Because of its small size, Supersonics SUPPONICS8 can fit any space perfectly. This product arrives in a full package, including a lid system, net pots, an air pump, airlines, big air stones, a submersible pump, a drain tube, and a timer.

These accessories allow you to set up an entire hydroponics system in just about 15 minutes, not to mention that the float valve constantly lets you know the volume of water inside.

One of the best things about this item is that you can control the top feeding using the provided timer. In this way, there’s no need to keep track of the water level.

What We Like

• Perfect for Deep Water Culture systems
• Good at nurturing fragile small plants
• Easy water changes thanks to the extended drain tube
• All-inclusive package
• Compact size for versatile placement

What Can Be Improved?

• Loose fittings
• Difficult to connect pumps and lines

Rubbermaid FG424288BLA – Best Design

Rubbermaid FG424288BLA is constructed from a durable foam material, enabling it to avoid cracking and leaking under any kind of weather condition. For that reason, your plants will be protected at all costs.

There’s no need to worry about bacteria because Rubbermaid hydroponic tanks consist of a big drain plug, making it easy to drain and clean.

There are five sizes for you to choose from. The smallest one is 50 gallons while the biggest one is 300 gallons. No matter what plants you grow, these variants can suit all your needs.

The greatest thing about Rubbermaid is that its float valve ensures that the volume of water inside is always consistent.

What We Like

• Outstanding stability and durability
• Various sizes (50 to 300 gallons)
• Consistent watering level
• Effortless cleaning and draining
• Smart float valve

What Can Be Improved?

• Easily blown out hoses
• Poor design

DL 10-Pot Hydroponic VersaGrow – Best for Busy Gardeners

VersaGrow embraces an extraordinary design that prevents leaks and cracks on the outside. This item’s durable material makes sure that you don’t need to keep looking out for your plants to see if the hydroponic nutrient solution leaks.

Many beginners desire to set up a hydroponic garden with minimum maintenance, and VersaGrow is the excellent choice for that. The design diverts the leaked water solution back to the hydroponic nutrient reservoir, helping your plants stay in good health.

So, you can go away for a few days on vacation, and your plants will still thrive when you come back.

It is a suitable nutrient reservoir for growing herbs or leafy plants in general. The setup process is effortless as each crucial component connects with the other perfectly.

What We Like

• Competitive price range
• Weather-resistant plant tray
• Low-maintenance
• Takes up little space due to its compact design
• Perfect drainage system
• Most suitable for herbs and leafy plants

What Can Be Improved?

• Lightweight pumps
• Periodic disconnections between the system’s components

Viagrow V4DWCV – Best for Small Plants

Viagrow V4DWCV proves to be a perfect starter kit for beginners. Though you might not have any experience with hydroponics systems, the product design lets you connect all components within a few minutes only.

What sets this item apart from other competitors is the user’s ability to check the nutrient level without lifting the lid. Besides, Viagrow provides users with spacious rooms for the essential nutrients and a clean water source.

What We Like

• Most beginner-friendly
• Easy installation
• Easy to maintain the well-balanced concentration of nutrients
• Includes a pH kit to monitor proper levels of pH
• Durable construction

What Can Be Improved?

• Weak air pump
• Missing parts upon delivery

Hydroponics Reservoir Buying Guide

6 Types of Hydroponics Reservoir

Wicking System Reservoir

As a primary form of the hydro reservoir system, wicking systems date back to a few thousand years ago. Since it relies on a passive mechanism, water pumps or air pumps are unnecessary if you use this nutrient reservoir.

In such hydroponic setups, a wick can transmit water and essential nutrients to the roots of a plant. This wick is a crucial part of the system as it ensures that your plants stay hydrated and receive a sufficient amount of nutrient uptake.

Hence, it’s best if you use a growing material for this wick, such as perlite, vermiculite, or coconut coir, to make sure this process happens smoothly.

Wick systems are the best choice for small plants because they don’t consume many nutrients or water. You want to consider using other kinds of grow tanks for larger plants since they need a more complicated setup to absorb substances.

Deep Water Culture (DWC) System Reservoir

A DWC reservoir stores a nutrient solution inside. In this small hydroponic setup, the root zone is suspended to constantly receive oxygen, nutrients, and water from the pumper.

This system also provides the nutrient solution with sufficient oxygen levels by pumping bubbles through an air stone and an air pump. In this way, your roots won’t drown for staying in the water for too long, which usually happens to beginner gardeners.

In this technique, plants typically grow their stems and root systems within the container’s top or a foam surface located in a net pot right on top of your hydroponic nutrient reservoir.

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) System Reservoir

The Nutrient Film Technique system reservoir is a part of a process that includes pumping a volume of nutrient solutions throughout different channels in which your plants grow.

The hydroponic solutions are transmitted in a recirculating manner and pour back into the reservoir when it comes to an end.

However, the root zone doesn’t immerse entirely in the solution, which explains the word “Film” in the name of this system. Like the DWC reservoir, you can place your plants in net pots that are replaceable.

Ebb and Flow System Reservoir

Compared to other types of hydroponic grow tanks, Ebb and Flow system reservoirs remain unpopular to beginners. In most cases, it’s not a good choice due to its ineffectiveness.

Unlike previous hydro reservoir systems, the Ebb and Flow system doesn’t submerge your plant roots in hydroponic solutions. Instead, gardeners usually fill a plant tray with any growing medium and place their plants inside.

To use this reservoir effectively, you need to supply it with a larger volume of nutrient solution regularly. The supply frequency depends on several different factors, including your plant size, water requirements, air temperature, nutrient solution temperature, and so on.

The nutrient supply mechanism includes a schedule timer, a water pump, and a tray to maintain the flooding cycle. Every time the solution pours in, it’s sucked down the reservoir, where an air stone and air pump oxygenate it.

The best thing about the Ebb and Flow system is that it’s flexible. The type of growing medium and net pot is not essential as long as you organize your plants in a way that stabilizes their roots.

Aeroponics System Reservoir

Aeroponics systems require high-tech hydroponic reservoir tanks to complete the setup. On the one hand, this kind of nutrient reservoir takes after the NFT system because the plant roots are also suspended in the solution.

On the other hand, an aeroponics system lets plants reach the nutrient solution by misting instead of pumping this solution into the channels.

Even though the misting part is also repeated in a recirculating cycle, this cycle only lasts for some minutes every phase. You can also choose to mist continuously, and it’s recommended that you purchase an excellent sprayer for oxygenation.

Plants growing in aeroponic system reservoirs become healthier than those in simpler systems, but not in all cases. If you plan to use this type of hydroponic nutrient tank, spray nozzles must distribute the volume of nutrient solution evenly.

Drip System Reservoir

In terms of commercial operations, drip system reservoirs are well-known for large-scale gardens. Nevertheless, it costs a lot of time and effort for smaller gardens, so it doesn’t suit recreational purposes.

As one of the active hydroponics systems, drip system reservoirs allow your plants to absorb water and nutrients via a pump regularly. Mainly, the nutrient solution drips down through small emitters over your plants, which is why it’s also called the micro-irrigation system.

What’s the Best Size for Hydroponics Reservoirs?

Specifically, bigger hydroponics grow tanks can accommodate more nutrients and water. Larger reservoirs also enable you to easily keep track of the pH level, temperature, and nutrient concentration level.

The recommended size for hydroponics reservoirs follows the rule of thumb. The details are as follows.

Plant size	Suggested volume
Small plants	½ gallon of water and nutrients (approximately 1.9 liters)
Medium plants	1 – 1½ gallons of water and nutrients (about 5.6 liters)
Large plants	2 gallons of water and nutrients (about 9 liters)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What’s the Best Temperature for Hydroponics Reservoirs?

The ideal hydroponic reservoir temperature is between 68°F to 75°F (or 20°C and 24°C). Within this temperature range, your plants can maintain consistent growth with good health.

2. Should I Place My Hydroponics Reservoirs Under Direct Sunlight?

No. It’s best to place your hydroponic tanks in a place that is far from direct sunlight. It is because sun rays might cause speedy changes in the nutrient solution’s pH levels and temperatures, leading to potential damages to your plants.

3. How Often Should I Clean My Hydroponics Reservoirs?

The cleaning process is a significant factor that keeps your nutrient reservoir in a good state. You’d better clean it every month to prevent the buildup of algae, mold, and debris inside the reservoir.

Reservoirs are the simplest part of a hydroponics system to build. This video will show you the basics to get your hydroponic garden growing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c7RPrxotS0

Conclusion

All in all, before choosing an item, it’s essential to decide what kind of plants you’re going to grow. It’ll be easier to select once you’ve made up your mind because you know what size and design you need to look for.

Rubbermaid FG424288BLA is one of the best hydroponics reservoirs so far on the market. This item’s design and quality ensure your plants’ consistent growth.

Last update on 2024-03-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API