I built a super basic hydroponics setup using a cotton bag filled with clay pebbles in a bucket. I have an air bubbler in the bottom and pour a little water in every few days.
The bucket setup seems to work well and I’m able to grow Spinach and Basil. Any suggestions for improvements? My biggest concern is getting mold or algae from not having water flow.
Hey there 
So far so good. Not having water flow won’t get you into algae issues, as long as you have the air flow and you maintain water temp around 20-22 degrees +/- No light should reach the water in general.
Depending on what you want to achieve you could try different hydroponic setups, such as Deep Water Culture for example (and various other setups, NFT etc, check google)
You could minimize potential issues by upgrading to something like this
Most essential would be to have a good PH meter.
Share a bit more info what you’re trying to achieve.
Thanks for the advice!
I don’t have very defined goals currently and am mostly just experimenting. I’m hoping to grow potatoes in the future.
I haven’t seen many potato growing projects, but it’s definitely possible -
These guys are using aeroponics, and the main difference compared with hydroponics is that the roots are sprayed with a nutrient solution instead of being submerged in it, as potatoes won’t be quite happy to be constantly in the water I presume, and supplying even more oxygen. It’s a bit more advanced, having in mind that the spray is done on a timer, with pumps and nozzles and a few other details.
