Just gonna do this in list form: (Keep in mind that I understand there are more expensive/better quality/trendier products on the market, this is my starting point after initial research, hydro noob status and budget.) Thanks in advance! -> Sunhut XXL 4x8x7 -> C.A.P. Ebb n' Gro 12-site hydro system(would be adding an air pump/stone to res.) -> 1x 1000W HPS primary lighting -> 2x 200W(Actual) 2700k secondary lighting -> 2x 125W(Actual) 6500k supplemental (these may be left out, but already on hand) -> 6" 435cfm exhaust w/ 20"x6" carbon filter -> 4" 171cfm intake -> 2x 16" oscillating fans for circulation ->Great White Mycorrhizal bac. ->General Hydroponics Flora micro/grow/bloom ->for media I'm down to the obvious hydroton and the less obvious STG Deluge inserts ->both have pros and cons, but the cost effective route seems to point toward hydroton. ***Think that should be enough to judge whether or not I'm on the right track.
if i were you i'd make your own ebb n flow system. a lot cheaper. and 6" inline fan isnt gonna be enough for your light. unless its really cold where you live. you should look up lucas formula since your going with gh nutes. i could be mistaken but i think with lucas you only need to buy 2 out of the 3 part system.
oh an youre gonna need some meters and ph control of some kind. and i hope those inserts are some form of rockwool.
thanks, yeah I've read up on the Lucas formula and I believe it only uses micro and bloom, but its been a while since I looked so I may be wrong.
oh...if it wasn't assumed....the 200W/125W lights are CFL. Sorry thought I included that in the description.
Yep, I'd say you're on the right track... I have the exact same setup.. But I no longer run air stones in my res anymore... My PH kept climbing WAY out of range and after doing some research and talking to a few people at HTG supply, found out it was the air pump and stones.. Removed the air and no more problem.. Save your money.. Also, I used to use the GH 3 part nutes, but switched to GH Maxigro and Maxibloom, works just as good and cheaper.. It also saved on PH down because when I mixed the 3 part in my 35gal res I would have to PH down, but ever sense I switched to the dry GH Maxigro and Maxibloom, after I get done mixing the PH is right in range (5.7-5.9).. Depending on where you're setting up the res, you may need an aquarium heater too.. Mine is setup in a basement and the res temp was staying at 55-60F.. So I picked up an aquarium heater off fleabay to keep it 68-70F.. Also, don't be cheap on the PH and TDS meters, I learned my lesson and now have good ones.. Make sure you pickup calibration and storage solution as well for both.. You're going to need a good C.A.P. Environmental Control.. I got the CAP AIR-2, but wish I would have got the CAP AIR-4 because I want to add Co2 at some point.. The blower, you only need a 265CFM to exchange 100% of the room air in 1 minute.. So save some money on that one too... Here is a good calculator for you... http://www.hydroponicsdictionary.com/calculators/calc.swf Just click on the AIR and type in room dimensions.. It will also calculate cost of electric you will use.. Other than that, I think you're on the right track for some PRIME BUDS!!
Jakester- Thanks man, I appreciate the specifics. No basements here, or people would have indoor swimming pools when it rained hard! I'd be more apt to need a chiller...but, point taken. Also, the reason why I'm leaning towards the 6" inline is to match fittings on the reflector, plus ensure enough heat reduction on the 1000watter. Thanks again, good stuff to take into consideration.
Oh, you're going to use a cooltube... You want to get a 6" 250CFM inline duct fan to cool the hood.. Thats a separate fan... If you want NO heat coming from that lamp, get two, one sucking and one blowing...
I don't know what caused it... All I know as soon as I removed the air, no more PH climb... It would go from 5.8 to like 6.8 over night!! Now it maybe gets to a 6.1 in a couple days, just by removing the air.. But thats what the guy at HTG told me, as soon as I asked him, he says, you have air running in the res right?? I was like ya... He said remove it...
Hydrofarm daystar6 reflector...has 6" fittings on either side...so, kind of like a cooltube I suppose in the fact that it is set up for air cooling.
Ya, just get the 6" inline duct booster fans.. They come in different sizes, from like 235CFM to 250CFM.. HTG Supply has them for 35 bucks pre-waired with a plug.. I have a 15amp power bar plugged into my timer, which I plug in the duct fans and the lamp, so they come on and go off together..
i wouldnt hold off on putting air stones in your res, just because one person had bad expeirence with them. He probably didnt soak them in a proper solution or clean them well, as adding air should not cause bad ph swings. some of the cheap air stones break down and disolve , causing the ph to rise ..... they make airstones made specificly for hydro . don't cheap out and get them from walmart . also, the bacteria trades offs in your RES makes that a very poor solution IMO. He may not have bacteria now, but stagnant water is a breeding ground for it. just my 2 cents...
I bought the air stones from HTG Supply (A HYDROPONICS STORE AND THEY WERE NOT CHEAP!!) washed and soaked them in a PH 5.5 solution... This is not my first time out of the house You do not get stagnant water if you change you solution every two weeks like you should and wash out your res when you change...
Its just that you don't have a typical problem, 99 percent of the people using airstones don't have the same problem . Tried to google your problem and found some data on it, just not very much. I think the pros of the airstone outweighs the slight chance of sharing your problem. When I get home ill add a good link that explains why you may be having that problem.
What about using an air pump that doesn't require an air stone...I have one that I bought a while back that has a diffuser built into it.
I don't know... All I know is I have a 40 dollar dual output and two 1' air stones setting on my self collecting dust.. My plants are fine without it.. I change my res every two weeks anyway, so I honestly do not know what to advise on this one... All I can say, I was having a PH stability problem, the dude at the hydro store pin pointed it before I even said I had an air pump.... All I told the dude was that my PH would go from 5.8 to like a 6.8 overnight and asked what would cause that..... and he said "you have an air pump and stones in your res don't you".. So I only could assume he seen the issue a few times.. Now I removed it, no more problem and again my plants are fine.. When I change my res, there is no slimy feeling on the sides..
Yeah, its cool man..your information was helpful either way! I wonder if maybe the air stone was leaching some of the nutes or something...weird situation either way, but if you got it fixed and the changes are working for you then I say keep on keepin' on.
save your money on the 200 watt cfl. i have done a side by side with a 200 watt bulb vs 5 32 watt cfl and the cfl grew faster. those giant cfls and not very efficient.