nice one for the feedback Potmaniac
shouldn't be a problem moving the balasts further away or raising them more.
as for the roots, i was advised in a different thread to put the pump on a timer to regulate how much water they get as it had just been constantly pumpimg water 24/7. so i guess that's been contributing to the problem with the leaves. i think what i need to do is add more clay pebbles and like you say bury the water ring so that the very top of the pebbles are dryer.
i wonder how difficult it would be to take the plant out at this stage, and replace it in a different position within the aquafarm so that i can get another plant or two in there? i'm guessing it would cause dammage to the roots though because of the movement of the clay pebbles?
good point about the bin. i just bought that one without any thought so glad i found out about that now. neither of the tanks will hold that much liquid but the idea was that i'd fill the NFT & auqafarm first and then as the liquid evapourates, top them up from the bin. so all i'd need to do before topping up would check and adjust the ph levels.
is there a better/easier way to top up the NFT & aquafarm?