3.5 0r 5 Gallon Buckets

Id like to thank you guy for all your advice to this point. I started out with CFL's and have since upgraded to a 400w Lumatek digital ballast with hortilux HPS for Flowering and also a MH bulb that i will use for VEG. I got a nice exhaust filter combo for airflow, temp control, and odor.

However my plants are still in the small hydro set-up i started with. Emily's hydroponic system. The problem with it is the reservoir only holds 2 gallons of water total. That isnt going to be enough once my plants get big. So im going to buy buckets from HTGsupply and put each plant (4) in its own bucket with air pump and airstone. My tent is 33 X 33 X 63" so i think 5 gallon buckets should fit fine but im not sure of the added benefit (maybe water temps staying down?)

Do you suggest the 5 gallon over the 3.5 and also does anyone know of an airstone they will stay at the bottom. Little bastards are hard to keep in place. thanks guys!

I am just finnishing up a grow with 5 gallon buckets with airstones with great success. A local gro bro of mine uses 3.5 gallon buckets with airstones with great success.

If you are limited on height, I would use the 3.5 bucket.

If height is not an issue. I would use the 5 gallon bucket.

You will have to change the res more with the 3.5 gallon bucket as it only holds about 2 gallons of water with plant. However, you can grow really big plants in a smaller bucket too. This is just my experience. I hope it helps.

What's up Chris !?
My tent is the SAME size as your.
Know for a fact that we can only fit 4 - 5gal buckets in there b/c they are 12 inches in diameter.
Good news is that leaves some room for the plants to branch out a little.
The 3gal buckets are the same diameter as the 5gal, but only shorter in height.
That's it, maybe a 6 - 7 inch height difference. They use the same size lids too obviously.
I'd just do like some of my homies and buy the 5gal cooler buckets from Lowes or Home Depot.
Like the work/sports coolers. Helps keep their temps in check w/ just a 20oz frozen water bottle.
Look up Weedler and BeaverHuntr in the DWC sub-section. Doing like 4 -6 APIECE.
I run the same HPS and ballast as well. Ambient temps 83F right now.
But with a Yield Master II Supreme reflector that's 7 inches in height so I have exactly 3ft of trees I can grow w/ 4" from the light.
I grow in 12gal Igloo Marine's coolers. TOTAL height is 14 inches from the floor.
I use 4 of the large air stones pillars (see pic), but mine are grey and not blue. Stand up fine if they have enough tubing slack.
They are 2" in diam and 4" tall. But I run 4 Wal Fart 14" air bars in the other 12gal cooler and see no difference really.

Enough for now, hope this helps a little.
I'm in the DWC section too.

So im using an ebb and drain system with 6" hydro pots. The roots are starting to come out and it looks like they are getting dried up when the trey is drained. Should I go with a bigger pot?