help me design my grow tent

alright fellas i need some advice and thoughts. im moving out of my mama's house in 3 weeks and getting an appartment with my good buddy. now we had grown before. i had a stealth pc grow case that i did a bagseed and autoflowering low riders in. didnt have too much succuess but i did learn how to grow in soil and i did do some lst on the bagseed. how ever now i want to set up my game. for bill wise, (appartment electricity bill, alot of the appartments have the electricity included so i cant have a huge bill) i want to do a 400watt HPS in a grow tent. smell will be an issue so carbon filter is nessacary. now ive been researching and looking online at this point i think its gonna just be easier to get a grow tent kit deal... comes with lights filter fans ect. theres 2 that i have found.. one 3x3x6 one 4x4x6.5 oh and to add i plan is i really want to do a ScrOG maximize my yeild and top once too. here are the links

1. http://www.amazon.com/Hydro-Grow-Room-Mini-Complete/dp/B0012BMF5O/ref=sr_1_19?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1311219449&sr=1-19

2. http://buyagrowbox.com/comsystems.html
^^ the one with thats title is

I am certain you could get the individual items much cheaper than in a kit and probably get better quality. A few words of advice, a 400W light is only good for a 3x3 or smaller, a 600W will cover a 4x4 area. If you want to run a SCROG, make sure you can reach the furthest point of the area. If you get a 4x4, you will not be able to tuch the far branches meaning you will have either a large gap or an inefficient SCROG. If going hydro, make sure you can drain your setup without disturbing the plant. A DWC setup in one of those large10 gal totes raised so you can drain it would be ideal, the major problem being res temps which can get quite high in tents. A solution would be a recirculating DWC setup with the res outside the tent. Alternatively a flood & drain setup with the res outside would work. However for what you are thinking of, I would suggest checking out "Wilma" systems which are flood & drain with drippers. Green mojo dude. W

View attachment 1706742View attachment 1706739

I have to agree with Woody about the pricing (can get get better equipment for less), but I can tell you that a 400w light will be enough in a tent that 48x48x78,(but I agree u could go 600w,,,,but it might raise the temps a bit) as thats what I use in my GL120 growlabs tent, and you can see by the pics I have no issues with areas that dont get enough light. (pics are of Blackjack on day 28 of flowering) From the tents I have scene, Growlabs seem to make the nicest tents, they can be a bit more $, but I can say they are very HeavyDuty and very easy to vent. I use a 400w air cooled hood (square shaped not a tube) with one 6" 400cfm inline fan and one 6" carbon filter, my temps stay in the mid to low 70's and smell isnt an issue. I do organic soil grows, so I cant say anything about your hydro set up, but I can say that 4 topped plants in that sized tent is about perfect, my last grow I harvested 250grams of real nice bud and almost 200 grams of premo trimming and smaller popcorn buds that I use to make keif or bubble hash. I only grow for myself so needless to say this setup keeps me in high supply. Good luck on you set up, seems as if your going at it the correct way and should have a real nice setup once your done.

Stlmatt

well i gotta stick to a 400w and ok ill save money and go individually. i wanna go with the secret jardin tents herd alot of good stuff about them. also i dont know much about ballast's and companys of that sort what's a good 400 watt HPS set up, im lookin for a cool tube or aircooled reflector the rectangluar shape.
thanks for the help

edit: tent is either gonna be secret jardin Darkroom II Pro DR120 which is 4x4x 6'8" $260
or secret jardin darkriim DR 120 3'11" x 3'11" x 6'7 $187

http://cgi.ebay.com/MH-HPS-Air-Cooled-Digital-Grow-Light-400-W-Watt-400W-/330592430627?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf8d82a23

http://cgi.ebay.com/400W-WATT-HPS-MH-6-AIR-COOLED-HYDROPONIC-GROW-LIGHT-/250859710082?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a68676682

http://cgi.ebay.com/6-CARBON-AIR-FILTER-COMBO-INLINE-FAN-EXHAUST-inch-SIX-/270769668949?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0b214355

these are very similar to what I have and they have worked great for me, the bulbs that are included might not be the best........but will do fine for your first grow or two, then you could decide if you want to upgrade to a name brand $$$ bulb. I did grow some killer bud with the cheapo bulbs I think either tent would be fine, I dont see much difference in the Pro model, as far as your hydro set up I couldnt tell u much, as I am a soil only grower.....but I will say 4 topped plants in 3-5gallon pots (I like the 3-4gallon airpots) is perfect for that sized tent, you should have no issue harvesting 6-8 oz of fine bud per grow. Good luck and post some pics once you get rolling

Stlmatt

Stlmatt

Hope this helps or at least gives you a few options

thanks man that deff helps and what would be a good named company for the bulbs?

woodydude said:

I am certain you could get the individual items much cheaper than in a kit and probably get better quality. A few words of advice, a 400W light is only good for a 3x3 or smaller, a 600W will cover a 4x4 area. If you want to run a SCROG, make sure you can reach the furthest point of the area. If you get a 4x4, you will not be able to tuch the far branches meaning you will have either a large gap or an inefficient SCROG. If going hydro, make sure you can drain your setup without disturbing the plant. A DWC setup in one of those large10 gal totes raised so you can drain it would be ideal, the major problem being res temps which can get quite high in tents. A solution would be a recirculating DWC setup with the res outside the tent. Alternatively a flood & drain setup with the res outside would work. However for what you are thinking of, I would suggest checking out "Wilma" systems which are flood & drain with drippers. Green mojo dude. W

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some good points ,,,,,,but just to correct you a 600w will cover a 3.5x3.5 a 1000w will cover 4x4

okay 400 watt HPS in 3'11"x3'11" tent, cooltube or vented hood im not sure which one is better for the setup also my ScrOG screen will give about 3-4 inch space on each side.
second question or set of questions haha. since ive never done anything more than a pc case that i bought pre-made i really dont know much about setting up/putting togeather this stuff. i will be purchasing fans,filter,ducting ect seperately. what size fan do you suggest for the tent and what exhaust, and how do i set it up as in what do i connect to what fan to hood or cooltube to filter to exhaust? and where do i put intake and exhaust.. intake at bottom exhaust at top of opposite side?

FootClan said:

some good points ,,,,,,but just to correct you a 600w will cover a 3.5x3.5 a 1000w will cover 4x4

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Im not sure where you get info from, but a 400w HPS will provide enough light for a 4' x 4' area (footprint) a 600w HPS will cover
6' x 6' area and a 1000w HPS will cover a 10' x 10' area...........or atleast thats what it says in the Jorge Cervantes Ultimate Grow book. I can tell you MYSELF for a fact, that I have a GL120 Growlabs tent (48"x48"x78") and I use a 400w HPS for flowering and I have NO issues with not enough light. My pics are proof of that.



Stlmatt

stlmatt said:

Im not sure where you get info from, but a 400w HPS will provide enough light for a 4' x 4' area (footprint) a 600w HPS will cover
6' x 6' area and a 1000w HPS will cover View attachment 1708223a 10' x 10' area...........or atleast thats what it says in the Jorge Cervantes Ultimate Grow book. I can tell you MYSELF for a fact, that I havView attachment 1708221e a GL120 Growlabs tent (48"x48"x78") and I use a 400w HPS for flowering and I have NO issues with not enough light. My pics are proof of that.

View attachment 1708220

Stlmatt

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It will yield results but it is not OPTIMUN amount of light for a 4x4 space a 400w light is OPTIMUN for a 3x3 so it goes like this............ 250w=2x2 400w=3x3 600w=3.5x3.5 1000w=4x4 ....where did i get my info from?? called reading books you should try it sometimes...... How about "grow great marijuanna" by R logan Edwards or "home growers Manual" by billy mccann or how about "cultivating cannibas" by C.K.Watson or how about "Growers Handbook" by Greg Green.....Or how about "Oaksterdamn Course Text book" by Ed Rosenthal?? Or how about the fact that i WORK at a HYDROSTORE for a living and a CANNIBAS DISPENSARY aswell... Or how about the fact that i Grow my own and i know ........

THATS WHERE I GET MY INFO FROM..............

P.S. i left out Jeorge Cerv. books because he claims that a 1000w will cover a 5x5 and i disagree,, but i did read his books aswell i just do not prefer them........

Have you seen this tent?

Hydroponic Grow Tent

I'm in a similar situation and have been looking into grow tents myself. It seems like an excellent price for a tent that size, so I was worried it might not be as good as some of the others. Looks like it has all the bells and whistles though. I'm thinking about buying it.

sonar said:

Have you seen this tent?

Hydroponic Grow Tent

I'm in a similar situation and have been looking into grow tents myself. It seems like an excellent price for a tent that size, so I was worried it might not be as good as some of the others. Looks like it has all the bells and whistles though. I'm thinking about buying it.

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It looks similar to a "Dark Room" Grow tent but looks to be a cheap Knock Off.....Im sure its not as good and im sure it wont last as long but will it yield the same?? Id say hell yes it will yield the same ....Just probably not as good of quality but hey your saving lots of money to it makes up for that cheap knock off...... Id say buy it ......Im going to buy a 4x8 "Grow Lab" Tent they are very nice and i get Discount ...

I've got a knock off grow tent myself, and its held up pretty well, the stitching is kinda shotty but overall I am satisfied for only spending $90 on a 4x4x7 tent... this is what its producing with a 1000w hps...

Build your own grow box and it will pretty much cost you next to nothing.

- Mylar can be bought for around $20 to $30 for 20 to 30 feet
- Rubbermate containor(s) no more then $5 each with tax
- Cool tube is about $100
- Bulb and ballast is about $150 to $200 depending on the wattage you get.
- 4 inch net pots can be around $0.50 to $1.00 each use those for your moms.
- 2 to 3 inch net pots will be about $0.15 to about $0.30 each (use the small netpots that will fit a rockwool cube in it. If you can you can buy those Aerogarden DIY kits that ome with the basket, spoung and such and you can fit 4 of those in the same amount of space that a 4 inch netpot fits into and do a SOG flowering area
- 60 galon air pump of bigger is going to be about $50
- Air stones is no more then $5 each if you go for the flat circle ones
- Air hose , well this is just stupid cheap
- Fan well you can use just about any fan that can move enough air through the cool tube
- carbon filter well people have made their own and it doesn't cost over $100 like it would if you bought one from the store

FootClan said:

It will yield results but it is not OPTIMUN amount of light for a 4x4 space a 400w light is OPTIMUN for a 3x3 so it goes like this............ 250w=2x2 400w=3x3 600w=3.5x3.5 1000w=4x4 ....where did i get my info from?? called reading books you should try it sometimes...... How about "grow great marijuanna" by R logan Edwards or "home growers Manual" by billy mccann or how about "cultivating cannibas" by C.K.Watson or how about "Growers Handbook" by Greg Green.....Or how about "Oaksterdamn Course Text book" by Ed Rosenthal?? Or how about the fact that i WORK at a HYDROSTORE for a living and a CANNIBAS DISPENSARY aswell... Or how about the fact that i Grow my own and i know ........

THATS WHERE I GET MY INFO FROM..............

P.S. i left out Jeorge Cerv. books because he claims that a 1000w will cover a 5x5 and i disagree,, but i did read his books aswell i just do not prefer them........

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well your not the only person growing! what ever works for you. if hes having good results with a 400w then fuck it

Aaron Growman said:

well your not the only person growing! what ever works for you. if hes having good results with a 400w then fuck it

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Like i said it will still yield resutls but its not OPTIMUM for that much space.....lol are we still debating this? i thought that part of the thread was settled.......

as far as costs go don't rule out the fact that water power nutes time and little odds and ends will cost money through out your grow don't forget...

pattykakes said:

as far as costs go don't rule out the fact that water power nutes time and little odds and ends will cost money through out your grow don't forget...

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yeah thats why im just gonna do a simple soil grow for now i decided. im gonna be in an old apparatment building without central air so theres 2 separate units on my electric bill. plus the 400 hps im gonna have lol anyways the place has a huge walk in closet for the tent thats perfect. you guys think the best bet would be a scrog in the 3'11"x3'11"x6'7" tent?
ok and tell me if im missing anything or any comments or concerns

1. tent
2. http://cgi.ebay.com/400W-WATT-HPS-MH-6-AIR-COOLED-HYDROPONIC-GROW-LIGHT-/250861753372?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.OPJS%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D250859710082%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D1745574361338516075
400 watt setup HPS and MH hood hangers ballast bulbs
3. http://cgi.ebay.com/6-CARBON-AIR-FILTER-COMBO-INLINE-FAN-EXHAUST-inch-SIX-/270769668949?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0b214355
carbon filter and exhaust fan with ducting

then locally im just gonna get soil, pots, timer, and a temp/humidity guage deal and a clip on fan. thats all i really need isnt it??
now im still confused on the set up of where i put the filter exhaust fan and what connects to what with the ducting exactly if someone could help clear that up thanks guys

have you done a scrog before?? if not then NO i do not think it would be best bet for you................ If you are new grower do it simple and RIGHT.....your in a 4x4 so i would eather do 9 3gallon pots and harvest at 3ft tall or i would do 6 5gallon pots and harvest at 4.5 ft tall....... I would top ONCE after the first node giving each plant 2-3 large colas....... This is simple best bet and good yielding way of doing it for your size grow room.....I run 9 3gallon smart pots under a 1000w light in a 4x4 tent and yield 1.5lbs per cycle........ If you have an ACTIVE hydro system them maybe you could do a scrog but with out an ACTIVE hydro system scrog is a nightmare......How you going to water your plants once the canopy fills out?? you cant take them out or move them in a scrog once they grow into the netting.......see what i mean??

FootClan said:

have you done a scrog before?? if not then NO i do not think it would be best bet for you................ If you are new grower do it simple and RIGHT.....your in a 4x4 so i would eather do 9 3gallon pots and harvest at 3ft tall or i would do 6 5gallon pots and harvest at 4.5 ft tall....... I would top ONCE after the first node giving each plant 2-3 large colas....... This is simple best bet and good yielding way of doing it for your size grow room.....I run 9 3gallon smart pots under a 1000w light in a 4x4 tent and yield 1.5lbs per cycle........ If you have an ACTIVE hydro system them maybe you could do a scrog but with out an ACTIVE hydro system scrog is a nightmare......How you going to water your plants once the canopy fills out?? you cant take them out or move them in a scrog once they grow into the netting.......see what i mean??

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i understand what your talkin about ive grown before but nothing serious at all. gotta stick to a 400. and i feel you i just im so interested in the scrogs. i feel as if my first cylce grow i want to hop back into things on the easier soil note. then next time maybe a hydro setup. but how complicated would like a drip system or something be for a soil grow?? if not i should prob just stick to my comfort zone a normal soil grow like you said.

but still need some help about arranging and hookin up the setup

thanks everyone!