can i use??

ok im building my own dwc/bubbler system i have 2 air stones 2 air pumps in a 5 gallon bucket it holds 2 plants anyways my question is do i have to have net pots or can i just use reguler pots i only ask because it will be hard for me to get the net pots no hydro shop and i dont like to order things offline thanx for any help

also i forgot to ask how far should the water lvl be under the pots

net pots are kinda important, but if you cant get them you just have to come up with something that will work like a net pot. a friend had a setup where he used wire like what is used on reptile tanks. he just bent it up to fit the rockwool and it worked,,, well it worked better than nothing anyway. guess if you had a drill and the time you could covert a regular old plastic pot into a net pot by drilling 22,000,000 holes in it.
oh and about the water lvl,,, i keep mine even with the netpot bottoms untill the roots get big enough that they start to hang down in the res alil. then i drop water lvl to 1" under the pots.

you can get net pots at home depot or lowes in the garden section by the pond stuff or any nursery pretty much

thanks for the help and im going to lowes to get pots

swimming pools have skimmer that catch leaves and things, before it go through the filter.Some poeple call them skimmer baskets.There the same thing as net baskets. Peace

If you are cheaper than dirt, buy some plastic kitchen sieves or colanders from a dollar shop. Can't be more than a buck for something that acts a lot like a $2-3 netpot.

net pots are a must

As long as the depth of media is the same, a ~59 cent plastic colander should do just as well as a $2-3 netpot.

edit: Cheers to mogie for giving this item a FAQ entry under DIY & save $$$

Learn to love the FAQ. It works for all when you contribute good stuff to it.

I buy my netpots online for about $.20 cents each and they are pretty different then pool skimmer baskets

I think he's talking about the strainer baskets that go in the actual filter on the side of the pool, and they're a lot like net pots.