First Grow Ever - CFL, Rubbermaid + Bagseed

So I had a bunch of random bag seeds from some dank as bud from about 8 months ago, decided to germinate them one day out of curiosity and here I am now, day 15 (since transplanting germinated seeds).

Specs:
BOX:35 Gallon Rubbermaid Type container (currently just one, will add a second for flowering)

Lights: 2x23 w 6500, 2x26 w 6500, 2x30 w 2700, 1 26w 2700; Total: 174 w
Running 19/5 right now, plan on switching to 12/12 when plants are around 1 ft tall, possibly shorter.

Ventilation:INTAKE - Currently have 4 Passive intake holes of varying sizes (still experimenting)
Outtake - 3 3.5" personal fans
One oscillating fan for movement inside container
One Large oscillating fan for closet space, supplemented with a smaller fan.
*Currently running around 80 F plus or minus 3-4 depending on the time of the day. Typically get a high of maybe 83-84, a low of 76-78.

Soil/Pots 3.5 Gallon Maxi Pots filled with FFOF. Currently watering with filtered tap water thats been set out for 24+ hours with a ph of about 6.8, runoff is about 7 (is that normal? im using the basic hydro ph kit so i just have approximates based on color)

Seeds: Bag seeds of some unknown dank... appears to be indica.

Goals: Learn the basics to growing some dank buds, hopefully get a 1/2-1 oz, but at worst, i have a decent setup for next time around with some fem seeds.

TODO: Work on lightproofing, ventilation, and a filter of some sort. All ideas appreciated.


Enjoy

-GB

Aites im sub'd up. I will probably be sky high when i see ur pics

cool look forward to the pics!

Bump for pics, sorry if they're a lil big, got too lazy to resize. will do that next time

you can just upload them to RIU, and they have a pretty good picture hosting system... when you post just click advanced and in there click * manage attachments

Wow, that's a pretty nice setup. How did you mount your lights?

Thanks for the info, i just didnt look hard haha. I have a power strip with some outlet fixtures and a couple y sockets. The ones on the right side have 1 y connected to another y, there's a single bulb in the center, directly on the edge of the two pots and another y connector socket at the end. I added one clamp light to the edge of the left socket to even out the wattage a bit. Eventually ill purchase another y socket and mimic the other side. I used a lil homeade zip tie harness to secure it all together, ill get a closer pic after the lights come back on later of that. I was kind of proud of the harnesses ^_^
-GB

Awesome dude. I think i need to find a new way to mount my lights. they are kind of flimsy, and im scared one will fall and start a fire =/

Yea, one of my set was like that for awhile and i just kinda sat around and stared at it till i figured something out. Ive used zip ties A LOT on this build, they are really convenient. Spent about 9 bucks on a HUGE bag of assorted sizes. Basically i formed two loops around the power surge, on each side of the socket fixture and then connected those two loops in the center of the Y. Tighten each one and that shit aint movin. I secured the power strip by just hooking two ties together and looping it through some holes i made on the lid.

I think when i do put the second tub on ill make a similar harness for the power strip out of some picture hanging wire and a chain.

Took a few pics and measured them fresh after waking up Temp at a nice 78 f. Still need to get a new therm with rh level. Added picks of the lights with them off so you can get a better view. They are pretty bright otherwise haha. Got a nice closeup of the zip-tie harness.

Your plants look pretty good man. Mine are looking wimpy.

Thanks man. Im glad mine are at least looking good, i feel like they could be a tad bigger but Im okay with it seeing as im gonna have limited space. They went through a couple different little grow setups but it won't change much from now on.

if you could get your lights a bit closer to your plants, they would love that..

looking good gingerbuddha, ill be along for the ride

Thanks twenty.
@waj : im always moving the lights around. I rotate the pots 1/4 each day and swap them every four days so they get a good mix up. Definitely still working on it though.

Day 16 update: Fresh after watering

Sick, sounds like you have a solid plan

Stay high

I've done a lot of reading and even more staring at the plants

So how close is too close? My second biggest one was under a light by about a half an inch... I preemptively moved it as this is the one that's been growing the tallest the quickest and i fear another 12 hours or so (when i was planning on swapping it with the other pot) under the strongest light (the 26 w 6500 k) would cause it to grow into the light. It was looking a little wilted but i think thats cuz i gave it a goood watering early (as you can see by the earlier pics. I tried to take a pic of it but it's hard to see how close the light is without leaving the lid closed.

I tried to show you where the plant is almost in contact. I rotated it 1/4 turn clockwise just to be safe but i might switch it back. This is a view through the corner of the lid, the light is actually probably a 1/4" lower when its closed.

Edit: on a side note I can now get a whiff of some skunky smell when i walk into my room. Gotta get to work on a carbon filter...

Smart, I keep mine and inch and a half to 2 inches for that exact reason. I've burnt many leaves, because the plant simply grows into the lights.

Thanks for the reassurance. Most of my lights are about 2-4 inches away from the plants. They haven't stretched at all so I think it's close enough haha.