I am more than happy to answer your questions, if I know the answer. There is a troubleshooting section of RIU that is great, and you can use that to reference, it is pretty reliable. If their description does not help, then post a question. That is the beauty of rollitup, usually, someone here has gone through the problem before, and posted a great how-to on it. For the flies, sounds like the tape is good, I have heard of using some type of spider to control those also. No pest strips are probably the best bet. Some people say sand on the top of your soil, but in my opinion, that may keep oxygen from getting to your roots.
Ultimately, dude, you are going to learn a TON in the next year, and as long as you observe what you did, and the results, and adapt accordingly, you will most certainly improve! Growing is a passion, and you seem to crave knowledge, so you are off to a good start. Just be patient with your posts, it sometimes takes even a couple days to get flooded with answers. And every time someone posts on your thread, it shows up in recent posts, and is more likely to be viewed. Good luck!
