[GpsFrontier]

Here is the whole system.

Yes the commercially built system is very expensive and is not worth the money to me. As long as you can place the 5 gallon buckets above the reservoir there is no need for the extra base reservoir and everything inside it.

5 gallon buckets $2.50 x12= $30
32 gallon trash can for reservoir $10 (WalMart issued)
Black vinyl tubing $20 for 40 feet. (although the the blue vinyl tubing from a hydroponics store will work the same and might be a little cheaper)
"T" connectors for vinyl tubing $.50 ea x12 $6 (I always have extra)
Through holes for inlet $2 ea x12= $24
Through holes for overflow $2 ea x12= $24
pump $45 (300 to 500 gallon per hour, with vertical height of up to 8.7 feet) I got it at Lowe's
Timer $15
Miscellaneous P.V.C. fittings and tubing $40 (that's probably overkill)
Both black and white spray Paint to light proof and then reflect light $.99 ea x30= $30 (although brush on paint might be easier and cheaper for that much painting, your finger gets tired)

Total about $240 or less for me to build. Well under half the price, and many less moving parts that can fail (pump and timer are the only moving parts).

You possibility may need a 40 gallon reservoir for 12, 5 gallon buckets. There will always be a small amount left in each bucket when drained, and the growing medium will take up some space. Also you wont be filling it all the way to the top either. All in all probably wont need more than 2 to 3 gallons of nutrient per 5 gallon bucket. However you do want some reserve nutrient as a buffer. If you want the larger 55 gallon drum like the commercially built system, you can get a 55 gallon rain water collection barrel for about $60. Although I would use 2, 32 gallon trash cans with a siphon hose between them (8 to 10 foot piece of garden hose), making sure both ends of the hose are waited down so there is no interruption of the siphoning action. This also allows you to split it into two different smaller systems later, if you get another pump.

This is one of the designs that I am planing to build. I am also planing to put the complete directions with all the little details like connecting the through holes to the vinyl tubing and P.V.C. to run back to the reservoir in pdf. form on my website. I also plan to show how to run this design as both Flood and drain (ebb & flow), as well as in a drip system.