First timer with $4000 to spend on set up.

[Tonygreen]

I would really ditch those can fans for a whisperline if you are in an apartment, they sound like jets.

 

[Mister_D]

I give you my thoughts below.

Yah thank you. I think im going to try it without the AC and a passive cooling through reflectors with no filtration.

Finished the list if anyone's interested. The total came to $3077 pre tax.


Tent-Darkroom Wide II 8'x4'
Jiffy Greenhouse 72
Jiffy Pelts
Heat Mat

Forget the green house, peat pucks, and heat mat. Grab a couple 10 gal. fish tanks, or similar shaped clear rubber maid container/s from Wal-Mart. Mini rockwool cubes, an aerocloner, or beer cups of perlite are much better choices for transferring clones to hydrotron.

Lighting
1000 Watt Philips Agrolite bulb
2x lumatek 1000 switchable ballast
Sunblaster Flouroescent 4x4'
Digital Timer
Chains/Hooks
Maverick Sun Aircooled Shade

I'd suggest you do three 600's or two 750's instead. Using adjust-a-wings with ushio or hortilux hps bulbs, on galaxy or phantom digital ballasts. Mag ballasts work just fine also if you find you're strapped for cash.

Ventilation/Odour Control
6" Stealth fan (lights)
Canfan 6" (room)
25' 6"Flexible Air Ducting Insulated
4L Ona Gel Pro

Canfilter 50-420cfm (scrubber)

Only thing i'd change here is switch the "lights" fan out with an 8-10k btu window a/c. Stuff the a/c into the side of your tent or put the a/c in the window like normal. Then run the 6" duct from your tent to your a/c. Attach the duct in such a way that the cold air is blowing into the duct (cut a rectangle out of the side of the duct and gorilla tape the duct to the output of the a/c). then finish the loop back to your tent. Basicly you'd have your scrubber and fan setup like you were going to exhaust the tent, but instead you just blow air through a loop with the a/c inline, leading back into the other side of your tent just like a normal intake. Effectively giving you a sealed environment. Constant optimal environment is a BIG part of 1 gpw.

Hydro:
Flood Table Bio Zone 4x8
50gal res.
Mag Drive Utility Pump 350 GPH
Hydroton 50L
Coco matt
10ft plastic tubing
6ft wide plastic tubing
Marina Air Pump 200
Eco Plus Large round airstone
Net Pots 8"x55
GH FloraNova Bloom
Root stimulant
Milwaukee pH-600 Tester
Mondi Thermometer/Hydrometer

In an apt especially, i'd recommend two 4x4 tables over the single 4x8. Just a lot easier to move around, through doors, hallways, etc. Second, get 50 gals for each 4x4 or 100 gal for 4x8 (takes ~50 gal to flood a standard 4x8). Horse water troughs are cheaper and much more durable than hydro res's, but if height (~17" tall on the 100 gal. trough) is a concern that may be your best route. Drop the air pump and stone, ebb/flow creates it's own oxygen in the pots via the vacuum action inherent to the design. A small pond pump (mag drive), or power head/circulation pump from the pet shop, should be kept in the each/the res to keep all nutes mixed and in suspension. House and garden's Roots excellerator is the only root stimulant i'd bother with. 1ml per gal. makes roots grow like crazy.

Misc
Fire Extinguisher
Zip Ties
Doorknob w/lock
Dead Bolt
Weather striping
Sound Deadening

Guessing that will come out a little cheaper than what you listed. That's a good thing though, because there WILL be unexpected expenses. Kind of an unwritten rule in growing . Oh and you need to be sure you have enough power run to the room to control all of this, which you likely don't. Shouldn't be too expensive to have a sparky run you another 15-20 amps to the room. <---- goes in the unexpected expense category.

 

[onthaherb]

Thanks I know getting less than 1gpw is a likely reality but it's what drives me.


Does anyone think 2kw+fans, clone fluoros, pumps, ac and someone living in the apartment be too much power usage?




Thats exactly what I was thinking of doing- Do you think you could throw me a couple links of what you think would be one best for me to mimic with an ebb and flow?

I was having trouble finding the whisper fan at any of my local hydro stores... are vortex fans very loud? can fans?

I'm almost done compiling my list. I will post it here for advice!

Cheers for the advice.

I wouldn't worry about the power as long as you are paying the bill. I Whisperlines are great but bulky, in my 2k stealth room I use 6" aircooled yieldmaster2's with a 6" maxfan (multispeed) set to low to vent both hoods. Then I use two additional scrubbing setups for odor control --- 2x 6" maxfan with canfilter 33's

Any 6" fan without a speed controller will be heard in the next room, maxfan's on low only move about 200cfm but the built in controller is a HUGE plus and its dead silent -- inline fans are not built to run with speed controllers and with time it can fuck up the motors, I tried not to believe it but I've had 2 fans fail this year because of it. At my grow store that would be 3x maxfans ($450) 3x can33 ($300).

If you are set on a tent I'd with with a 10x5 with an 8x4 tray inside of it. Whether you go hydro or not it will be nice to have a drainage
tray and your back will thank you as you will not have to bend over to tend plants (royal pain in the ass).

So environment is $750~
Tent $300~
Tray $250
Res $200
Lights $700 for both setups

That's $2200

I'm guessing you live somewhere that doesn't have central air so it doesn't get too ridiculously hot outside so a window A/C doesn't seem TOO necessary but it will make things easier/better and if you are serious about this hobby which it seems like you are, I'd go ahead and by a nice one.



oth


edit:

just read your list: you are going to be surprised at how loud those fans are you have chosen are without controllers --- and even if you put the scrubber on a controller you will be lowering the cfm of the fan and therefore only using some of the filter which is why in my setup I've sized down to a 33. Also consider the 10x5 tent because tending a 8x4 tray in a 8x4 tent will be hell on earth. plus the plants near the edge don't get to bush out because the tent is there AND a 1000w footprint is good up to 5x5 so you might as well use that extra foot on each side for walking around and upping your yield

Skip the cheap meter and get a Milkwaukee PH55 ($60) they make lab grade stuff and this model is waterproof which is REALLY nice. Also don't forget your 7.0 calibration solution -- you'll need it often.

And on the issue of stealth, I've heard of people running 6" insulted inside of 10" insulted to reduce even more noise from air movement.

gram a watt is ambitious but if you are doing flood and drain. Considering it is your first time I would go the KISS method, feeding 1tsp per gallon of Maxibloom all the way thru veg and flower. It is stupid simple and cheap AND a low chance of PH swings which will be enemy #1 in this setup -- I've set someone up with a setup every much like the one you are planning (down to the 8" netpots!) and he was fucking amped on the yield. Once you get comfortable you can start getting sucked into all the other snake oils. If you do this and are deligent about keeping the PH good you should have no problem reaching your goal (with good genetics).'

Last bit of rambles, consider MisterD's in using two 4x4 trays for the exact reasons he posted. Build each tray its own sturdy table ON WHEELS. 50gal res is not enough for a 8x4 unless you tend to it all the time.... When they get big they will be drinking nearly a res a day like that. Plus having little extra water means that as the plants uptake nutrients from the water, the PH will swing faster. Bottom line is you need at least 75gals of water, I suggest doing the two tray setup each with their own 40/50gal res OR get a 100gal EZdrain. Whatever you do don't get a ghetto res or you will have a flood, period (hope your on the ground floor!).

Good luck, feel free to msg me personally if you have any q's

 

[gonzo`]

- 2x1000w is good 3x600 also works fine

- You must be able to exhaust the hot air out of your tent and out of the room the tent sits in, similarly, bring in cooler/FRESH air from outside. I think this air in/out is the biggest problem in an apartment, figure this out and you're doing well.

- Don't make the same mistake as 90% of new growers and think nutrients are be all and end all of any grow. Unfortunately there is no magic bottle that will give you a massive yield, stinky tight nugs covered in frost.. it just doesn't exist. To achieve this you need to grow well. Environment and genetics are the two biggest factors in growing LOTS of QUALITY bud.. So my recommendation is to pick any good base nutrient that you like to work with.. for example if you recirculate house & garden aqua flakes is good.. as is floranova bloom as you're going with...

- Learn about pH, you can make nutrients more/less available to plants by manipulating your pH.. a swing in pH from low to high values over a day or two is a good thing, opens up nutrients at different levels.

Good luck!

 

[OldSSSCGuy]

Brother molemandan, consider a different perspective. If you've not grown before start small and keep it simple. If you wanted to learn how to snow ski you can spend $5k on a basic setup only to find you hate the snow. But if you just put in a warm coat and hat and try some rental skis first - you learn what you really -need- to do it right.

You are getting some great advice here... But learn how to walk first and save thousands of dollars before you run. Don't bite off too much theory and advice - just start some plants and find out how much you enjoy it. One small success will motivate you to learn and expand. Biting off "too many mind" at the beginning can lead to failure as you get overwhelmed by the details...

You've got the right perspective in some ways... But don't sweat the details!

 

[bombadil.360]

I'd drop the hydro part, use soil + coco, go organic, and get leds.

OldSSS gives you amazing intelligent advice.

good luck whatever you do.

peace

 

[FoCo(No.Co)]

You're gonna have to watch out for a bunch of things before buying all those things.

First of all, you should figure out how many amps your breaker can handle in that room and whether you're using 120v or 240v outlets.

If you have 240v outlets, you're one lucky person cause 240v stuff uses way less amps than 120v ones.

Make sure to calculate how many amps uses each things you wanna buy & are already in the room.

The rule of thumbs is to use less than 80% of your breaker's capacity.

Example, if your breaker can handle 15 amps, you should only use 12 amps to be safe.

PS, i am not an electrician so take my advice with a grain of salt

Where did the damn helpful post rating buttons go?

4L Ona Gel Pro

Ona is a huge waste of money if you already have a proper carbon filter. Paying to add smell doesnt make any sense to me when you have a scrubber taking all the odor out of your air anyway.

 

[Tonygreen]

Hey guys people who have heard my whisperline are shocked by how quiet it is, literally quieter then a standard box fan people use for cooling.

I have had guys tell me how quiet there fans are but they are LOUD as fuck. lol

It may be a pain to find one but order it if you have too, a weeks wait is totally worth it.
I got mine from an electrical wharehouse that sells wholesale to the public. $200 out the door. If you can get a hold of one you will love it trust me.

Get the 440cfm one it moves a fuck ton of air and is dead silent except for the sound of moving air, you wont hear it if you stand next to the room with the door closed and try to listen for it!

 

[fungzyme]

How much prior grow experience do you have? If none or not a lot, I'd shelve that gpw goal for now and start smaller. Maybe with 1 x 1000 or (better) 2 x 600w. Once you see what your temps are like, what the particular strains you're growing prefer, get an idea of the best growing style for you/your space and for the strain(s) you want to grow, then you'll have a better idea of the additional grow equipment you want/need. Don't be in a rush to spend the $4K, I guarantee you'll accumulate a bunch of grow crap you don't use/need eventually anyway I imagine most here fit that description, as do I.

 

[molemandan]

I've always wondered how does one purchase that much worth of equipment? Did you simply put it on your credit card? I guess if you are in a med state it doesn't matter. good luck bro, seems like you got a good understanding of what you need.

Purchasing cash through 3 local hydro stores. I'm from Canada and growing juicy tomatoes for my grandma. In a tent.

 

[onthaherb]

CAN FAN 33 with flange with a recomended airflow of 100 CFM..
Bungee cords(ratchet straps are better) to attach filter to top of tent.

Is it better to run lower?

 

[molemandan]

I give you my thoughts below.



Guessing that will come out a little cheaper than what you listed. That's a good thing though, because there WILL be unexpected expenses. Kind of an unwritten rule in growing . Oh and you need to be sure you have enough power run to the room to control all of this, which you likely don't. Shouldn't be too expensive to have a sparky run you another 15-20 amps to the room. <---- goes in the unexpected expense category.

Thank you for your advice! I was initially worried about the 4x8... I don't think it will be an issue to get to the room. 2 4x4 tables were considered but wouldnt it end up being more $? More pumps/equipment. AC unit instead of a passive fan = more $ + power?

I have looked at aero cloners. I really want to get the 64x EZ Cloner ($350+). I would also like to attempt to put my initial 64 clones into about 10 days veg. Take a cutting from each and pop them into the ez cloner for 2 months (trimming to maintain size). Then put the ones I just trimmed into flower right away. Continue this cycle and have no need for a mother plant? Seems like it would work.

The room currently has 2x 15amps running through the room. I have yet to complete my amp numbers but will install a new outlet myself if I need to on a different circuit.

The apartment will be semi-lived in as a chill pad/office for me when I want to get away from the wife ; ) Power usage should be down some more from that.

 

[molemandan]

I wouldn't worry about the power as long as you are paying the bill. I Whisperlines are great but bulky, in my 2k stealth room I use 6" aircooled yieldmaster2's with a 6" maxfan (multispeed) set to low to vent both hoods. Then I use two additional scrubbing setups for odor control --- 2x 6" maxfan with canfilter 33's

Any 6" fan without a speed controller will be heard in the next room, maxfan's on low only move about 200cfm but the built in controller is a HUGE plus and its dead silent -- inline fans are not built to run with speed controllers and with time it can fuck up the motors, I tried not to believe it but I've had 2 fans fail this year because of it. At my grow store that would be 3x maxfans ($450) 3x can33 ($300).

If you are set on a tent I'd with with a 10x5 with an 8x4 tray inside of it. Whether you go hydro or not it will be nice to have a drainage
tray and your back will thank you as you will not have to bend over to tend plants (royal pain in the ass).

So environment is $750~
Tent $300~
Tray $250
Res $200
Lights $700 for both setups

That's $2200

I'm guessing you live somewhere that doesn't have central air so it doesn't get too ridiculously hot outside so a window A/C doesn't seem TOO necessary but it will make things easier/better and if you are serious about this hobby which it seems like you are, I'd go ahead and by a nice one.



oth


edit:

just read your list: you are going to be surprised at how loud those fans are you have chosen are without controllers --- and even if you put the scrubber on a controller you will be lowering the cfm of the fan and therefore only using some of the filter which is why in my setup I've sized down to a 33. Also consider the 10x5 tent because tending a 8x4 tray in a 8x4 tent will be hell on earth. plus the plants near the edge don't get to bush out because the tent is there AND a 1000w footprint is good up to 5x5 so you might as well use that extra foot on each side for walking around and upping your yield

Skip the cheap meter and get a Milkwaukee PH55 ($60) they make lab grade stuff and this model is waterproof which is REALLY nice. Also don't forget your 7.0 calibration solution -- you'll need it often.

And on the issue of stealth, I've heard of people running 6" insulted inside of 10" insulted to reduce even more noise from air movement.

gram a watt is ambitious but if you are doing flood and drain. Considering it is your first time I would go the KISS method, feeding 1tsp per gallon of Maxibloom all the way thru veg and flower. It is stupid simple and cheap AND a low chance of PH swings which will be enemy #1 in this setup -- I've set someone up with a setup every much like the one you are planning (down to the 8" netpots!) and he was fucking amped on the yield. Once you get comfortable you can start getting sucked into all the other snake oils. If you do this and are deligent about keeping the PH good you should have no problem reaching your goal (with good genetics).'

Last bit of rambles, consider MisterD's in using two 4x4 trays for the exact reasons he posted. Build each tray its own sturdy table ON WHEELS. 50gal res is not enough for a 8x4 unless you tend to it all the time.... When they get big they will be drinking nearly a res a day like that. Plus having little extra water means that as the plants uptake nutrients from the water, the PH will swing faster. Bottom line is you need at least 75gals of water, I suggest doing the two tray setup each with their own 40/50gal res OR get a 100gal EZdrain. Whatever you do don't get a ghetto res or you will have a flood, period (hope your on the ground floor!).

Good luck, feel free to msg me personally if you have any q's

Thank you for the input. Believe me I'm making some minor adjustments. It sounds like you know what I need!

 

[molemandan]

- 2x1000w is good 3x600 also works fine

- You must be able to exhaust the hot air out of your tent and out of the room the tent sits in, similarly, bring in cooler/FRESH air from outside. I think this air in/out is the biggest problem in an apartment, figure this out and you're doing well.

- Don't make the same mistake as 90% of new growers and think nutrients are be all and end all of any grow. Unfortunately there is no magic bottle that will give you a massive yield, stinky tight nugs covered in frost.. it just doesn't exist. To achieve this you need to grow well. Environment and genetics are the two biggest factors in growing LOTS of QUALITY bud.. So my recommendation is to pick any good base nutrient that you like to work with.. for example if you recirculate house & garden aqua flakes is good.. as is floranova bloom as you're going with...

- Learn about pH, you can make nutrients more/less available to plants by manipulating your pH.. a swing in pH from low to high values over a day or two is a good thing, opens up nutrients at different levels.

Good luck!

Thank you- I was thinking of running the duct to the window, then have the fan pull air from outside and across the lights (in sealed reflector) and out the otherside of the tent. Should not need a scrubber since it does not come in contact with the plants. The fan pulling from inside the room will have negative pressure with a carbon scrubber.

As far as keeping it simple- I only plan on buying a couple of nutrients and sticking with lucas formula.

Cheers!

 

[molemandan]

Brother molemandan, consider a different perspective. If you've not grown before start small and keep it simple. If you wanted to learn how to snow ski you can spend $5k on a basic setup only to find you hate the snow. But if you just put in a warm coat and hat and try some rental skis first - you learn what you really -need- to do it right.

You are getting some great advice here... But learn how to walk first and save thousands of dollars before you run. Don't bite off too much theory and advice - just start some plants and find out how much you enjoy it. One small success will motivate you to learn and expand. Biting off "too many mind" at the beginning can lead to failure as you get overwhelmed by the details...

You've got the right perspective in some ways... But don't sweat the details!

Thank you for the input. I have grown A plant before. It was great and I loved every minute of it. I have always been passionate about growing and followed techniques and such just for fun. Now the opportunity to do this has presented itself and I plan on going all out from the get go. I am fully prepared to accept any failures that may come along the way. These will hopefully be minimized by the help of people here and immense research.

 

[molemandan]

Hey guys people who have heard my whisperline are shocked by how quiet it is, literally quieter then a standard box fan people use for cooling.

I have had guys tell me how quiet there fans are but they are LOUD as fuck. lol

It may be a pain to find one but order it if you have too, a weeks wait is totally worth it.
I got mine from an electrical wharehouse that sells wholesale to the public. $200 out the door. If you can get a hold of one you will love it trust me.

Get the 440cfm one it moves a fuck ton of air and is dead silent except for the sound of moving air, you wont hear it if you stand next to the room with the door closed and try to listen for it!

Thank you I will be looking for, and only running, these fans!! I do not need a jet engine in the room.

 

[Tonygreen]

 

[Tonygreen]

Thems the stats for the big 400cfm one I have. Cheers.

 

[Mister_D]

Thank you for your advice! I was initially worried about the 4x8... I don't think it will be an issue to get to the room. 2 4x4 tables were considered but wouldnt it end up being more $? More pumps/equipment. AC unit instead of a passive fan = more $ + power?

Two 4x4's will cost a little more, but you could just take that out the money I saved you on reflectors, fan, greenhouse heat mat, etc or build them yourself out of pondliner and lumber As for the pumps aspect, yes you'll need two but you can still use a single 100 gal. res. So cost wise, not much difference. A/c vs fan isn't going to save you much if anything on initial equipment cost. Will cost you a bit more in power, but that will easily be more than made up in the extra herb you will produce as a result of having perfect environment 24/7.

I have looked at aero cloners. I really want to get the 64x EZ Cloner ($350+). I would also like to attempt to put my initial 64 clones into about 10 days veg. Take a cutting from each and pop them into the ez cloner for 2 months (trimming to maintain size). Then put the ones I just trimmed into flower right away. Continue this cycle and have no need for a mother plant? Seems like it would work.

Aerocloners can be tricky to master. If you are wanting to go that route, there are several tutorials on this site that will teach you to build your own for less than 100 bucks. Plenty of other DIY options on here also. You plan with not using a mother plant will work other than you can't keep a plant in an aerocloner for two months. Basicly you are very likely to have root problems the moment roots hit the bottom of the ez-cloner. Keeping mothers/soon to be flowered plants on/in an ebb/flow table/bucket is probably your best option.

The room currently has 2x 15amps running through the room. I have yet to complete my amp numbers but will install a new outlet myself if I need to on a different circuit.

You will need at least one more 15 amp circuit run to the room safely.

The apartment will be semi-lived in as a chill pad/office for me when I want to get away from the wife ; ) Power usage should be down some more from that.

 

[Benjamin Check]

As soon as I saw the title, I knew it was bad. You'll be one of those people on craigslist trying to dump all that equipment in 4 months. $4000 on equipment and you're a first timer in an apartment? Why don't you take that 4k and put it toward a house you own? That's instant security. I'm far from a pro, in fact, I'm on my second grow, greatly expanded from the first with 2 600 and one room, to trying a perpetual style SOG with 2 rooms and actual hvac. I managed to get a pound and change without 4 thousand bucks of gear; 7 plants, 2 600 watt I power batwings and a window fan. My house reeked, but it's MY HOUSE. Dude, you need to walk before you fly, setting up a perpetual grow on your first time is madness. You don't know how to diagnose deficiencies, you are unfamiliar with your genetics, you have never cloned so don't know your propagation rates, or how many mothers you will need. You just said 1gpw (which is rockstar status per plant) every 2 months like you have already selected your mothers and have 40 clones ready to go every 2 weeks. Not to be too much of a dick, but you seem like the guys on the brand new 1000cc bikes every spring with all the matching gear from the Kawasaki rebate but have a 4 inch chicken strip. You do not need all that bike/gear until you can actually ride. You'll just end up crashing out and selling the parts. Take that budget down to $1000, get you two cheap lights, a decent fan and filter, start in soil so that when you fuck up, you don't fuck up ALL the plants like you will in hydro. I lost a few plants my first go, had it all been in hydro I'd have lost the whole shebang. Soil is forgiving and gives you a few days to correct mistakes. Hydro is instant disaster. I'm not going hydro until my third run, and then only 1/4 the flower room until I have it down to a science. Growing marijuana is easy, growing great marijuana, or making it worth the expense takes expertise. I read for months before I started, thought I knew something, got halfway in and realized I didn't know jack. I knew enough to grow some decent weed, but knowing what I do now, I'd have grown 3x as much. If you are determined to throw money at the situation before you have any knowledge, that's your call, but when you fuck it up (notice I didn't say if), you'll just get pissed off standing there looking at your $4000 pile of gear, the 6 spindly plants that survived, and 4oz of airy, grassy tasting buds.