lookin good so far guys.
couple wee things ive noticed.
the plastic can let some light shine through, as long as its food grade plastic or better theres nothing dangerous gets through. just incase though, i covered the top of mine with silver duct tape.
also, whatever medium you use to start it in only has a ph shift if you dont clean it properly.
and finally, i think i might have mentioned this already but one of the main perks of hydro is you eliminate a lot of pest risks that come with soil growing so having one soil plant in the middle of a massive water garden is really asking for trouble. not saying it will happen but your chances of infestations would be massively reduced if the soil wasnt there.
oh, and a little bit of gunk at the start has been normal for me but its never persisted. it stopped both times after 2-3 weeks. no idea what causes it or why it goes away tbh but i havent emptied my dwc in about 8 weeks and shes sweet. : )