The system is very basic. It can be great…..if you do the following: Replace air stones with quality air stones. Use silicone on all water connections (bucket to hose). I added a submersible pump for better circulation (not necessary but nice). I needed to drill another hole in the supply bucket but used the holes on the net pots to pump water into the plant buckets. After doing those things, system works great! Yes there are systems that can be purchased that need less alterations but for the price, this system is amazing.