I use them all the time for hydroponics. They are perfectly fine for keeping plants alive.
But honestly, either option is fine.
I would also recommend a couple of these to help with water level. If he puts these on the side of the basin at the bottom he can make sure there is a certain water level before it over flows. My experience is that neither home depot nor an aquarium store would have these. And would need to go to a hydroponics store or amazon.