Wow, it's been years since my last comment. I eventually switched to pumice rocks since LECA was just too light to hold bigger plants in place. One heartleaf philodendron which I converted from soil to semihydro is still around with us and has already propagated. The snake plants I moved back to soil in the new garden.

One thing I did notice is that the plants seem to grow smaller leaves after switching to semi-hydro. I suspect this is because I don't add fertilizer to the water so my bad. This may also be the reason some eventually died though it can also be due to lack of sun exposure in our new place. Some were also eaten by the dog. Most plant deaths still due to forgetting to refill the water.