That's one of my favorite setups also, but run to waste.
I tried a recirculating setup in coco before smartpots came out. I tied socks to the drains to keep the coco out of the reservoirs. It worked ok, but I ditched that idea after a couple crops.
If i'm rockin a top fed drip setup nowadays, its either 3x3's stacked on hugos, or 1gal mesh bottom pots full of croutons. I still go back to basket drip stakes in 1gal mesh bottom pots filled with coco/perlite here and there too though. Rockwool is just way cleaner, but I think the coco does do a lil better.
All those setups are too many plants for my rooms nowadays though, so i'm mainly in 7gal pots of a coco blend like tupur. 10 per 4'x8' tray.
I agree, rockwool is so much cleaner, and it's stupid-easy. I've found that plants do real well in coco, I like how it drains, I like how quickly it dries, and I like how it keeps the plants well anchored. But that's not why I do it, I do it because I can wash the smart pots and buy new or even re-use coco, for much less than buying new rockwool every round. But when you're renting, it's pretty hard to resist the stealthy and clean allure of rockwool. A big pile of used coconut coir and perlite outside is a dead give away to any landlord in Cali.
10 7gal pots in a 4 x 8 is pretty good still, a lot of people would go with 8 and grow past their 7gals root capacity. Nothing fucks coco up like going bone dry, not only does it kill off roots, which cannot be regrown half way through flower, but the pH will always be wild after that. That's why I love using drip on it.
