>>1227261>>1223354Yep, algae is a pest that will never go away completely unless you've blocked off every possible way light can get into your reservoir.
Pic related - we do the cups method, have to swap out solutions every few weeks or so. It's not directly detrimental to the roots, but algae will eat up the nutrients in hydroponic solutions so your plants don't get as much to eat, balance-wise. Also makes it look pretty nasty.
Not sure you need to wick the fluid up, the roots will do just fine in going down into the fluid. Just make sure there is an air gap between the root base and the fluid levels, never fill it up over the roots completely.
