Need help picking setting up a grow! 500$ Spending.

I'm thinking of growing 4-6 plants in a grow tent. I'll be spending 200$ on one. The size is 55x55x79.
I would rather run a 400 watt light instead of a 600 because of the money difference for lighting bill
If the 600 would provide a much greater yield and be worth the money though I would, So let me know what you think!
Wouldn't I also need an inline fan of some sort? I think also I could buy a carbon filter/inline fan and then just buy ducting to manage the lights heat.
I plan on buying an aircooled light too.
Other than that what would I need guys?
Help is appreciated!!

There are a lot of ins and outs in this hobby, one thing i would not skimp on is a good centrifugal fan, as far as the other things go it depends on what type of grow you are planning on doing soil or hydro, either way you need a PH meter.

get a dimmer ballast .. then you will have the choice to run both 400 and 600W ..

get one that can run both MH and HPS .. then you will have a nice set up ..

can run a 400 MH in Veg to safe power and the 600W HPS in flowering .. or what ever you find out is best for you .. if you want more then 4 plants I would suggest the 600W .. atlest the HPS for flowering as the plants is both bigger and demand more light then in Veg.

bulbs wont cost more in the long run .. as they last longer when not run all the time .. and MH will work best for Veg.

and yes you will need a inline ventilation .. not just for heat control (tho that is important) but also to provide fresh air/co2 for the plants ..

for your space and a 400/600W I wouldn't like to go with less then a good 6 inch ..

and of course a carbon filter to match .. unless you want the hole street to know your growing once them 6 plants of yours is in full flower and hopefully have +20 OZ of fresh buds plus leaves aso

a good move and one I really would follow .. is the cool tube or hood (hoods provide best light cover so if money is`t short go for it .. now we are talking money and gear .. go for a inline ventilation with speed controle aswell if the 20$ more dont scare you)

I love my cool hood ..
in short it made the different between getting temperature rises from 75F to 85F without the hood ..
and now with it from 75F to 78-80 F

so my temps only clime them 3-5F now doing light hours (btw I run it at night .. not just Bc. its cooler but also Bc. its suite me better as Im home at evening/night)

Could you be so kind to possibly list everything I'd need for the complete setup?
I think I'll go with the 600 watt hps also.

Here is an extremely comprehensive guide to setting up a grow room for beginners, equipment list included. https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/468267-shopping-list-beginners-guide-v2.html

the 600w would give much more efficiency in growing, it is worth it. If I was short on money, I would invest in a good bulb and GENETICS. don't grow bagseeds to save some money. you can get away with using some old planting pots or used jugs, plastic containers or anything to fill up your growing medium, save money by handwatering etc... but don't go cheap on light and genetics. you could find a strong oscillating fan from your home and make a DIY job to transform it into an exhaust fan, and you can use carton, old wood and matt white paint to build a grow cab with same results as if you had a neat ready made cab, but you cannot grow good weed out of bad genetics or under poor light and photosynthesis. there are places where you can save money, and places where the investment pays off. I also advise you to save more money for more equipment in the future like a dehumidifier in late flowering, if you have big buds and humidity, you would need it to prevent mold. dont go into expensive medium and setup either, just get good light, good genetics, good ventilation, good nutrients which are cheap if you know what to buy, and you will get yourself a decent harvest from it. later, you can add more equipment to make your life easier, like automatic feeding, hydro setup or whatever...

Fat Sticky Nugs said:

Could you be so kind to possibly list everything I'd need for the complete setup?
I think I'll go with the 600 watt hps also.

Click to expand...

yea look at that link posted .. but in general .. get a good brand name for the expensive stuff (light)

look for a complete set if your buying online .. from a known shop .. shipping can add up and just one order from the "wrong" shop can spoil your safeings ..

I like to shop local if the price is`t to much off .. the little money safed online is often not wort it when you consider shipping .. broken stuff/stuff that never turn up .. the fact that you can't go back easily if sumthing is wrong .. and the service and advice is also nice and you get it right away .. Im usually also able to get some discount if I ask or some freebee`s

but in short:

a 400/600W MH/HPS ballast ..
two light bulbs to fit (400W MH and a 600W HPS)
a cool tube or hood (go for a hood if possible)


then you have light ..

then a nice ventilation 5 or 6 inch I reckon will do ..
and a active carbon filter to match (one that can take the CFM or more)
and of course some Alu tubbing to fit



then you have fresh air/co2 ... temperature and odour controle in order ..

a nice big table fan is also a good thing here .. to cool down the light from "out side" and lead the hot air away form the plant tops and also to give it all a nice air circulation in there ..

beside that all you need is that tent of yours and some pots and a grow medium (soil or coco) some good basic nutriens for that medium and of course the seeds/clones ..

Hell if buying dimmable buy a 1000 watt system. Guaranteed in no time you'll be using it and wishing for more. Maybe not in that tent but you'll be dreaming bigger before the first ones ever flower. Run with the big dogs or pee like a puppy.

Considering I'm trying to keep it low profile and for my own smoke why do I need to be running a 1000 watt system?
Hell, with all the buds in my hand I'd want to turn it into some cash But I'm not trying to do into that lol.
I was thinking on buying the tent from htgsupply.com and It's called the agromax window grow tent size large 55x55x79.
What's a name brand lighting brand I could invest in? If a hoods better for cooling temperatures I'd go with that. Definetely going with something with something aircooled as of now.
Also, I already have good genetics from some seeds from attitude seedbank All feminized. I have been using fox farms ocean forest soil and their trio of nutrients. I plan to keep on using them with this setup.
Thanks for all the feedback! I will continue researching!

is a 600 watt hps too big for a 55x55x79 grow tent?
Also this is what I have picked out so far.
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Grow-Tent---Size-L-55-x-55-x-79---Silver-Lined.asp
http://www.htgsupply.com/Files/Products/Large Tent Gallery1.jpg
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Digital-Greenhouse-Dimmable- 600w-Grow-Light.asp
http://www.htgsupply.com/Files/Products/Digital_Greenhouse7.jpg
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-A-GrowBright-6in-Inline-Fan-&-Carbon-Filter-Combo.asp
http://www.htgsupply.com/Files/Products/6inch_Combo.jpg
http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-6-Inch-Flange-and-Coupler.asp
http://www.htgsupply.com/Files/Products/6 inch FLANGE Gallery1.jpg
Also how many feet of ducting would I need to run this?
Thanks again for the feedback!

yea I would believe so .. 55 inch wide and deep .. thats less then 2x2 feet .. I would say a 250W max a 400W .. is it for veg ?
then I would run a 250W MH in there...and the 600W dimmer with a HPS in that big tent .. with that fan and filter .. all look good to me

about dutching .. normaly comes in 10 meter packets wher I shop .. and its cheap (20-30$) so better get a little to much then be short ..
can always find a use for it .. I used my +6 meter left over to run my intake to another room to "collect" cold air ..

the other I used from my vent to my hood and from my hood to my filter ..



pics is from Veg tho so have`t added my filter yet .. no need to use it up (carbon last about a year if you run it 24/7) when the plants don't smell yet .. and the ventilation is also about 20-30% more effective with out it on .. also why you need to go for a slightly bigger ventilation then you think you need .. both filter .. tube and bends make it less effective ..

What size tent do I need for about 4 plants? As of now I think I'll go with the same size and probaly a 400 watt system.

No a 600 isn't too big at all. The tent is 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 feet. I would run a 1000 watt in that tent. I run two 1000's in a 4x8 tent. Look on amazon for a smaller tent 3x3 for half the money if you want to stick with a 400. You don't need a mh and an hps. Stick with the hps for now it'll veg plants just fine, I've done it for years. You can get a conversion bulb later.

So here's a list to get you started for short money.
3x3 tent. $100 on amazon
400 watt light htg supply $120 with a bulb
4" fan and filter about $150
a few small clip fans at Walmart $ 10 each

Use the rest for soil and seeds soil and pots.
You can do it for 500 if you stick to the basics

Good luck

As dude said above 600 would be fine in that, i agree with pretty much every thing dude said but i would go with an air cooled hood, also htg is an alright site but you could get every thing some what cheaper else where, use google shopping or ebay to piece together your set up and your wallet will thank you, dchydro is a great site for cheap grow equipment.

as far as veg goes you could go with CFL's to save some money on power or get a cheap MH bulb the prices on them really aren't to bad

I think I'll go with the tent I linked above and a 600 watt aircooled hood system from htg.
What yields could I be expecting from 4 plants vegged for 2 months, all getting topped multiple times, and flowered under a 600 watt hps?

.5 grams per watt per month, for an efficient grower.

.5 gram per watt, is that a bit much more is that ratio accurate?

.5 grams per watt per month is probably over estimating a bit for a noob grower but for some one who has there shit dialed in it should be achievable.

I've got a room I could use so I figure I'll buy the 600 watt hps and weather strip the door so it's airtight.
I'll be hoping on yielding about a pound over 4 plants.
Let me know what you guys think.

you should try looking on amazon.com for stuff. A lot of times they have good deals and it will end up being cheaper than htg supply, especially considering amazon has free shipping and they guarantee everything. They have good deals on fan/carbon filter combos. Just make sure you read the details closely to make sure the fan is already wired to be plugged in. I ordered an inline booster fan and i had to wire it myself. It wasnt bad and it came with instructions, i just wasnt expecting to have to do it.