Decisions decisions, 600w or 1000w? 2x4 or 4x4?

[djcronos]

Hi all,

I'm moving away from my current grow setup (BC Northern Lights Producer) to an Aquamist setup, and I want to purchase a grow tent and light. Since I'm only going to be doing one Aquamist setup (2' x 4' 20 gal reservoir), I figured I would only need a 2' x 4' Grow Tent (I'm looking at the Growlabs GL80L). Would there be any advantage to getting the 4' x 4', other than the fact I would have enough room to place another Aquamist, if desired? I have a 10' x 10' room, so space is not an issue but I'm not planning on having more than one Aquamist Setup, so I don't see the need to get a larger tent. If there's any benefit to having a 4 x 4 tent, please let me know.

All my research tells me 1000W HPS is what I should be using for a single 2' x 4' area, but other people have talked about using a 600W. I'm planning on growing probably 8 sites in the Aquamist, so I wasn't sure if 1000W would be unnecessary and I could go with a 600W. I figured on getting a Lumatek ballast and Magnum XXXL Reflector with a 1000W HPS bulb.

With all that said, is my thinking of getting a 1000W HPS setup and a 2' x 4' grow tent setup OK, or should I think about other options?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Rolln J]

even though the footprint of your system is 2x4 you could ScroG your plants out to a 4x4 very easily - I used 2x4 trays for a long time when I did screen of green - 2 of them would be more then enough to fill a 4x8 canopy - so I say go for the big tent - get a 1000 watt light and rock that shit homie!

 

[resinryder]

You are gonna fill up that 2 x 4 tent with the xxl, hehe. I have 2 and they are huge and I love em. Hell of a light foot print. Your problem is gonna be heat build up in the space. Unless you can get A Lot of air flow through it I'd go with the 600. Nice bulb without the massive heat. You'll loose just a bit on the yield but you wont be heat stressing them. This is just my opinion by the way due to the small space it'll be in.
Also, my hydro guy just told me this past week that he has heard of 2 of the lumiteks with the super lumen function catching on fire here. And stay away from the xtrasun digital ballast to. Worthless piece of shit. Have been through 3 in the past 4 months. They just quit working for whatever reason.

 

[easypleasie]

I don't think the xxxl will fit in a 2x4 tent! I have a few and they're monsters! I'd recommend getting the bigger tent with a 1k light. You have to make sure you have proper ventilation as the 1ks will really heat up that space.

Magnum dimensions: 32 1/2" long x 26 1/4" wide x 7 3/4" tall

 

[altitudefarmer]

These cats are all correct- if you use the XXXL, I'd get the 8" flanged size over the 6". You can move more air with less noise. 1000w or 600w, you'll need to air-cool the light, so why not go 1000w? Especially if you ever intend to expand...

 

[djcronos]

Thanks for all the great comments!

I was actually thinking of expanding (maybe) down the road. I was thinking getting the 2x4 tent now with the 8" flanged size for the XXXL, hoping the 8" flange could expel all that heat without stressing the plants. Since these are air cooled hoods, I figured either the 2x4 or 4x4 area wouldn't matter.

Let me throw this q up in the air - let's say later down the road I do want another Aquamist System, and I go with the 4x4 tent. Would a 1k HPS light be sufficient for both trays? Or should I go with one 600W now, and then if I do decide to upgrade, get another 600W so I would have 1200W over two Aquamists?

Also, one aspect I'm not understanding is how I'm going to hook up my carbon scrubber. Is it best to hook it up to the hood, so all air inside the tent gets sucked in through the scrubber, through the hoods then out the tent?

Sorry for all the questions, but you guys sure are a lot of help! Thanks again! :)

 

[Rolln J]

screw the 600's stick with the 1000!

 

[djcronos]

Will the 1000W be enough for two 2x4 trays if I decide to go that route in the future?

 

[Rolln J]

yes 1000 watt is great for a 4 x 4...

 

[djcronos]

Okay, I'll stick with a 4x4 and 1000W HPS.

Thank you for all the help! Now time to create another post on mothers :)