My Indoor Grow Room ( 1500 spend limit on White Widow)

That's a pretty small fan it won't handle a very large grow space. Fit your equipment to your space not you're space to you're equipment. I used to use that 440 cfm fan in a 2'x4' tent I wouldn't have wanted a smaller fan and it wouldn't have handled much larger of a space. With you're extra cash I would suggest some better quality equipment. I replaced a couple ventech fans. The bearings are junk. Might possibly look into a quality carbon filter. Even in a legal state the smell of a grow may not be wanted 24/7. A 600 will not cover a 10x10 more like a 3x3. Are you going to have a perpetual set up with a veg and a flower area?

To find out what size fan to use length X width X height gives you cubic feet. I like to be able to turn my grow over a minimum of 5 times a minute so L x W x H x 5. With a speed controller you would want to double that. So I would personally want somewhere around a 1000 cfm fan and matching filter. Having the larger fan will do 2 things. 1st the extra power will give extra environmental control. 2nd a larger fan ran at half speed is a ton quiter then a smaller fan ran at full blast.

 

Don't forget your magnification (checking trichomes), with that much budget left I would sugest a USB microscope (because they are cool).

 

A bit ambitious, don't you think?


I recommend starting by growing in a 2 x 2- 4 x 4 space until you get comfortable growing and with hydro. See my DIY Mini-Me F & D tutorial, or click on my signature


Instead of hot hps, consider an Amare Technologies LED, either a SE 350, or SE 220, either of which you can expand as you are ready.


I will be using a SE 220 in my new grow

 

My Amare SE880 arrives tomorrow

 

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET

 

Agree with the edited OP. Killset is a skilled grower and gave you some solid advice.

 

OK for starters a 600 watt light can cover a 4.5'x4.5 5x5 grow room easy. I'm using a 400 watt and I'm covering almost 4x4 and do t tell me thats impossible I have light meters. And I use a 190 cfm with a tent that is 4x5x6.5 and it keeps me at 77-79.
Not trying to come off that way but don't give out information that is false it just irks me

 

that light wont cover that area well my man. No way a 400 is covering a tent that size corner to corner. That's way to small of a foot print. Plus that small if a fan is only turning the air over just over 1 time a minute. That's not supplying your plant
With enough co2 to maximize your grow. The small light and fan will work just not optimum for that space. Turning it over 3 times a minute us the minimum recommended. You're not the only one with access to a light meter. You can get irked all you want. You are not maximizing your yeild for that space. I would prefer atleast 2 600 watt lights in that size tent or a minimum of a single 1000 watt. Not everyone likes growing at the minimum acceptable level, some of us like to actually pack tge tent full of tight ass buds corner to corner.

 

I had a chance to look at you're grow journal and noticed you just started growing. Some get irked by noob growers pretending to know what they're talking about. I'm not one of those I understand it's just over enthusiasm for a new grower. You'll learn what I'm talking about with experience. You got some nice plants but your tent is nowhere near full. I pack my 2'x4' tent fuller then what you got going on. I could use a 400 watt light in as big of a tent as I wanted, doesn't mean it's covering well.

 

Here is a bit of advice. You can take it or leave it. Most new growers (and I mean NEW growers...no experience) have a VERY difficult time with hydro. If this is your first grow, go with soil. It gives you the opportunity to learn the plant during all stages of it's growth and it takes longer than 12 hours to kill your plants. LOL Soil is just more forgiving than hydro to the new grower. When you reach the point where you can take a clone and run it through the entire process all the way to harvest without any problems, then maybe think about trying a hydro setup. But until I got some real experience with the plant, I would run from hydro like the plague. If you can't be deterred and insist on going with hydro from the beginning, for goodness sakes, get yourself an experienced mentor who will travel the journey with you...someone who doesn't mind answering a ton of questions because you'll definitely be having them. LOL Good luck on whatever you decide to do. If you want to compare prices on some equipment, check out the Grower's House web site. I recently doubled the size of my flower room and had set a budget of $1,200 for all the new lighting and other things I needed to do the job. A friend told me to check Grower's House and compare pricing (go to their website...growershouse.com I think). I was able to buy everything needed for around half my budget and they also have a referral program. If the person who referred you is a prior customer, they will cut them a check for 5% of your purchase. It might be worth a look just to compare. Good luck with your grow. I started a little over two years ago and around 10K spent and all this time, I finally feel like I have a grip on the whole thing. LOL Happy growing!! TWW

 

Go to the organics soil threads and mix yourself a no till soil. Go with LEDs, couple smaller ones instead of one large one. With that kind of budget and this kind of setup you'll have a great grow area with a minimum maintenance. Spend your money on a better light and better soil instead of them pH meters and hydro junks, not to mention the endless buying of nutrients. You can thank me later

 

I have been growing for a little over 7 years I just started on here like 3 years ago I'm not a new grower yeah I've had difficulty in the beginning because using cfls and indoor was new to me. One of my good friends grows with a 400 watt in a 4x4 tent and packs it full with amazing yield. I may not have been on here for 10 years like most folks but I'm far from a new grower.
And I'm only using the 400 for now I will upgrading to a 600.
And it's always nice to have some room to move in a tent because packing it full gives more room for error.

 

i see now. 1st run with a 400, my apologies. But that goes to show 1st run and your already looking to up grade it. like I said you can put any size light in any size grow space. I'm sure your buddy gets a nice yeild but like I said some of us maximize our grow spaces. He's not. Same reason your moving up to a 600, to maximize your space right? If you weren't then why not just stay with a 400, Less heat, less ventilation, bulb's/ ballasts are cheaper. I'm not going to argue with you there's only 1 reason your moving to a larger light which proves my point and is why I'm suggesting getting a bigger light in the 1st place. The footprint just isn't there to maximize that size tent. I think you're misunderstanding me I'm not saying it won't work, there's just better options. I'll always suggest skipping a smaller light and going straight to the setup that works better. I hate waisting $$$, saving $$$ is so much more fun. Plus you can always get a dimmable ballast if you don't want to fill the tent or just really pound the light to the few plants in there. It would irritate me running a smaller light, while watching others yeild so much more from the same space. When it could be remedied by simply grabbing the next size light as long as the space can handle it. I'm not sure how filling a tent causes more trouble except for with light issues. Bigger light (environment permitting) fixes that. Some prefer to take advantage of what space they have, personal choice. I want quality above all but I also want maximum yeild per watt and size of space.

 

Nah I just didn't have enough money for the 600 watt Now all I have to do is buy a bulb and ballast. I didn't want to come off rude it just seemed like you were saying it wouldn't work. I personally want a 600 and I'm still only going to do 5-6 plants thats all I'm legal to do

 

And I'm a big guy so I need room to move in my tent and head room due to back and leg injuries

 

exactly..still goes to show the 600 would have been the option you would of choose if it wasn't for $$ the 1st time. You can stick 6 plants under a 400 but a 600 will yeild more. That's all I've said. You didn't come off rude. We're saying the same damn thing you just took the extra step of buying a smaller light 1st to get there. Now you need more equipment. General rule of thumb that's past around on GC for hid is 100 watts the 1st plant 50 watts each additional. So that's roughly 5 decent size plants under a 400. But you need to factor in your space and the foot print of the light. A 400 won't cover 5 plants in a 4x4 filled to maximize the space. 5 smaller plants yes...I would never do 5. Not enough light for the size I grow or my space. That's not saying you can't put 15 solo cup plants or 1 big ass plant and everything in between . Everyone grows different size plants. You and me for instance, mine are larger when I flower. So we can only really suggest a general rule of thumb