Don't go nuts on the nutrients, kindness kills. Also, a warning about foliars, if someone hasn't already, don't spray it on the buds under any circumstance.

The hydroton should be deep enough that the weight of the balls is just enough that it doesn't float in your table. So I guess your outtake pipe decides how much you actually need.

Algae is extremely bad, it will cause you endless grief. It is a pain to clean up, it jams pumps and hoses, steals precious nutes. It can be easily countered by cutting off the light, I cover my table with a piece of black and white poly held down with velcro (for easy access). Mylar would work, but it isn't as durable and keep in mind you will have to throw it out eventually (trust me on this) so cost is a factor.

I would wash the salts out of the cubes, and change the whole reservoir. This should eliminate nutrient lock that is usually associated with reconstituting salts in water, get rid of a lot of loose algae and fix your climbing ph problem. I would not put this off longer than you have too.

Good luck, er, again.

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