Personally I’d go with the black 3.5s for sure. Not so much bigger that you’ll be wasting nutes, and you’ll almost certainly be glad to have the extra space sooner or later.
Those pails will be flimsy, probably not totally lightproof (thin plastic), and your lids won’t fit on nice and snug like with standard size. Just my 2 cents…
Also, how many cfm is that lil pump… hopefully enough power to ESKETIIIIT lol
Small pots work fine, assuming everything works fine. The extra space is a buffer against failure. Pump failure, leak, etc. More water/media volume is less subject to swings in temperature, pH, EC, etc.
All things being equal, go for more space. But if you’re having consistent success and things ain’t broke, no need to fix it.
@beacher - 
BWAHAHAHA!!! You’re the first. Congrat’s! 
Yeah, I used Paint3D and did a search for a pump…I saw the one I used in the large reservoir, then I noticed the image of Lil Pump and HAD to use it, too! BTW…that lil’ pump is measured in GPH, not CFM, and at 400 GPH, it has plenty of capacity to ESKETIIIT!
Lil pump is one of my guilty pleasures lol. Harverd dropout biatch!
How does the single work? I was running 250 double buckets in one room last year.
@Viva_Mexico, I place well rooted plants into buckets filled with hydroton. No lids required. I feed and drain from the bottom through the 1/2 inch lines attached to the barbed T’s inserted into the 1/2 inch grommets in the buckets.
TBH - I have no idea if this system replicates what someone or some companies have manufactured. I doubt it’s an original idea, but the “system” concept just came to me as I was laying in bed one night. Getting the timing of the pumps dialed in to ensure I didn’t overfill the buckets or didn’t properly drain them took a little time. But once I got that all figured out, it’s an extremely user-friendly setup.
I have always used two buckets to have a little rez in the bottom never tried just one. Depending on the amount of buckets I use 3/4" hose and t’s
black or white buckets shouldnt be an issue as I covered mine,though black,with two layers of foil.To block light but also prevent radiant absorbtion that can raise bucket temps to a sub optimal temp…Cheap and it works…Also there is the simplest trick in the world to dial in your pump flow output and return feed,assuming you arent running drain to waste…In the drum or whatever you use as your feeding reservoir start by placing 2 micro L,s in the feedline 2 inches above the starting water level.Turn the pump on and gauge your feed and flow returns and adjust the barbed L,s accordingly,basically if the buckets are overfed and there is an unworkable lag in return flow-place more L,s…1 at a time until you hit the sweetspot…This downward and powerfull pulse agitates the nute level just above the pump,with adequate evidence that this enriches the feed line with more available oxygen…killing 2 birds with one stone…I ran heavier pumps than my systems needed purely so I could,by use of the downward pointed L barbs,enrich the feed reservoir directly above the pump and find that sweetpot of feed and return…Im not sure if you know who I am and its not overely important,but the above advice is from YEARS of bucket experience and has been implemented by over a dozen ongoing commercial grows…
LOL…
Hahahaaaaaa excellent post and warranted…The thing is I was kinda stuck,say nothing re my experience and the post may have appeared written by an 18 yr old lb per plant kook,explain who I am and come across as a knowall cunt…If bucket tree growing with vert bulbs is your thing then fuckhead or not for saying so,but I am wellknown in that arena of criminality…Overgrow ref,REAPER…NO’ONE…NITROUS IN MY VIENS…JALISCO KID even KRUSTY who I was an utter cunt to,they will vouch…3 lb minimum per plant,7 week flower,4.2 lb nth lights cross BCBB shipped from BC by air to SPOONTA and I to Australia,yielded from 3 inch clone to maturity in 11 weeks…Look man,everyone relates me to the dogchow mix,which I doubht I invented but certainly was the first to implement and perfect in the rooms where 24 7 feedings had to much margin for error…Now I seem like a silly cunt sayn all of this,but ya know,it is what it is…hit up Reaper on these boards or Jalisco Kid ,not sure if anyone else from the early 2000s are here…Im more than happy to give my input and open to insults and abuse doing so…
When I wrote I DONT KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHO I AM,simply refered to if the guy had any relevance or knowledge of the old OVERGROW bucket tree grows…my handle was Acry4hellp…
Nice dude. Do you still have the NLxBB cutting? If not, what are you rocking these days?
I moved to Sth America years ago and am completely out of the game…indoor here isnt worth the effort as the price of A grade is basically free…About $20 an ounce…