Roots?

How far into the water should i let the roots go. Its one plant in each: 4x 5gal buckets. each w/ a 12" airstone placed pretty much vertically. a 20-60 gallon pump from walmart. should i trim roots w/ dwc?

No, let the roots do their own thing unless there is a problem like root rot. You have plenty of rootspace for one plant in a 5 gal bucket. BTW, vertical??

the bucket isnt 12" long but it is 12" tall so thats why it's verical. how many autos could i do in a 5 gal bucket 2? LST foliage seperate directions. Thanks

I'd use 2 smaller airstones and get them on the bottom. Yes you could do 2 smaller plants in that bucket.

If you are worried about roots and stress use Nitrozime or Superthrive they help de-stress roots in any grow cycle. Use accordingly I think its 1ml per gal. Also I would throw another 12" airstone in if you can fit it or at least a 6". More bubbles the better. If you only have a single air line output on your pump you can t nozzle an extra airstone to the single line.

my pump has two outputs. so 2 hoses. thanks guys. do i need airstones? i have 2 and could buy 2 more, but i read that use can just run the hoses into the bucket and use a 1/8" drill to poke holes in the hose itself. or should i just use airstones. I'm very new to dwc. i grew skywalker in FFOC last year but soil is pretty different. anyone know what kind of feeding chart i should follow. Its autoflowers btw.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Culture-20-60-Gallon-Double-Outlet-Aquarium-Air-Pump-1-ct/10532634
what's with the check valves? when i install them the stones don't bubble. Do i NEED hydro nutes specifically or can i use the regular FF trio i have? if the main problem with this clogging, i have a spare toothbrush that i can clean it with. I will be using 3% h202 the whole grow\
ANYONE???????