Ya hydroton (clay balls) can be cleaned and reused. They also make cubes out of coco like these:
http://www.planetcococoir.com/coco-grow-cubes.php
There are quite a few brands, I’ve never tried any so can’t say which might be good but could be something to look into. Coco could be easily broken up and mixed into your garden.
I am getting ready to start a new grow and I am thinking of using lava rock
Reminds me of the old Krusty Buckets. He used lava rock as his medium if I recall correctly. 
I grow almost exclusively using ebb and flow gardens, and I recently stopped using rockwool cubes because of cost. I decided I wanted something cheap and easy, but could be picked up from the local hardware store. I have returned to the trusty old vermiculite/perlite mix, and my gardens haven’t suffered whatsoever. That’s my suggestion.
But lava rock is also an excellent medium for ebb and flow, so you can’t go wrong there. I’ve even used those glass beads they sell in the arts and crafts stores, because a bunch were gifted to me, and those actually worked well. Expanded clay balls, as already mentioned. There are some really good options. Rockwool used to always be about convenience for me. Always. Not now, though, because I’ve had to tighten my belt, and rockwool cubes aren’t exactly cheap.
I’ve been using coco chunks in my E&F. They work great, easy to reuse a couple times. Then to dispose of them I just toss it in the compost heap.
Hydrofarm Growt AD113000 Coco-Can Croutons, 28 Liter, 28 L https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049XGVVQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_t.oeDbBDH5Q0Q
What kind of stones are the white bricks???
Where is the rockwool, can’t see any 
how do you use vermiculite/perlite with ebb and flow. Do you have special pots where you put that stuff into?
I looked quickly into clay pebbles and it seems to be some effort if you want to reuse them. I have many small plants. I think its too much work. Also I have very limited water resources. I can’t do stuff like a salt builtup cleaning with flooding fresh water.
I am thinking about using some kind of coco blocks maybe as this probably looks like soil. But I am not sure about the price yet…
Or something like vermiculite/perlite… with the right sized pots for ebb and flow. Or what do you think about vermiculite/perlite?
Actually can I use soil in ebb and flow?
Stacking masonry from Home DePoop.
Been a while since I have used any rockwool, but a cloning venture is upcoming. Here it will go when its ready.
After about 2 winters, its pretty much broken up into little strands of stone and back into the gardens with the compost.
its mortarless stacking???
Yes, there is a small lip at the back of each brick, they stack with a slight tilt and lock together with the small lip.
Cheap compared to true masonry work.
Built this a couple years ago.
very good looking wall. how is the winter, there? has the wall to withstand rain and freeze?
Fabric pots. Don’t bother with net baskets. Use fabric pots. I wouldn’t use coco, tbh. It has a high CEC factor, which means it holds too much nutrient, making the frequent flooding of an ebb and flow system counterproductive. I would imagine using soil as your e&f medium would have the same problems.
I still recommend perlite/vermiculite in fabric pots.
sounds pretty good… 
What is the problem with net baskets?
Vermiculite and perlite particles will come out and eventually kill your pump.
This is the house we rebuilt. The wall should go about 20 years before the mortar starts to give up. The rocks?..
The roots will go through the fabric pots? Or the fabric pots are a barrier which also protect the plants roots from light?
I’ve been thinking, fire? Soaked and then sun dried, they’d probably be good fire lighters. You know what I mean…
Bit off topic but always fucks my head seeing how Canada and the US build houses. We do it totally different here in England 
nice work as per though
16 inches on center framing and it just gets stranger from there 
Holy shit, real plywood??? It’s sad that that is now considered ‘high end’ building. I don’t think I’ve seen a house not built with OSB in years…
