HYDRO Layout idea's for new growing tent

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Hi all

I'll be setting up a new tent around september once the current grow of 4 auto white widow XXL's finishes.

So far, I've settled on the following:
- Tent: Green-Qube 1530 (1.5m x 3.0m x 2.2m)
- Air filter: RAM Pro Filter rated for 1080m3/hr (250mmx600mm)
- Extractor fan: Systemair RVK 250E2 Sileo rated for 860m3/hr (249mm inlet)
- Lights: 2x Lumii Solar 315W with ceramic-discharge metal-halide PRO (3200K) Bulbs (CMH)
- Buckets: 12x Black heavy duty 42L storage boxes with lid (500mm x 400mm x 390mm)
- Air stones: 24x 100mm round,
- Air pumps: 3x Hailea ACO-9630 Adjustable 8 Way Air Pump
- 12x 6" netpots

What I need to do is cut out a suitable sized hole in the lids of the storage boxes so the netpots will fit snugly, one netpot per bucket.

As far as my intended layout of the tent, buckets, lights and filter+fan goes, I've had 2 idea's.
Please see the attached drawing.

Top layout would allow easier access to the plants from the side, and avoid hitting heads on the filter & fan.
Lights placed closer together would make better use of the light.

Bottom layout would allow easy central access, a sort of aisle down the middle about 60'ish cm wide.

The intention is that each bucket is 'standalone', with 2 airstones for aeration of the nute water, one airpump for 4 buckets.

Would like to run the current idea's for the setup by you guys, and appreciate any input or other idea's.

My only concern atm is how noisy the extractor fan could be... its rated for 170W at 2500rpm.
I have yet to hook it up to the wall to hear how it sounds.

Thanks,
FDP

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Turns out the fan isnt that noisy at all.
wired it up this morning & turned it on - reasonable sound levels, and it moves air - lots of it !

[HappyDaze]

Sounds like you're having fun getting the new tent all geared up.

Knowing what sort of access the new tent has would help determine the layout. My little 3ft x 3ft tent only has a door on one side, so it's a stretch to service the plants in back.

In my flower room, I keep the rezs on furniture dollies so I can move the plants around, you might consider doing the same, You'd need to throw some plywood or something down on the tent floor I guess.

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Hey Daze,

link to the tent: https://www.green-qube.com/product/g...e-1530-gq1530/

they've some nice pics of it there.

[HappyDaze]

That's a premium tent. If the space it's going in allows you to access the doors on all four sides, it should be easy to maintain plants, whatever layout you choose. The center stile between the main doors would block access to your aisle in the second layout. If you wanted an aisle it would probably need to run the other direction. Not sure how that would work with your light footprints.

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Update on the new tent... its up & running.

also getting to grips with new maintenence routine but thats working out well.
submersible pump to the rescue! (about 110L now... with only 4 buckets)

so far its fairly simple cleaning this setup. Drain, clean with sponge, refill, add nutrients & air stones, done.

attached a few pics of first grow in this new tent.
plants may not look as best as could be but this is just the start (and i'm keeping notes as I go)... !!! 8 more of those buckets to fill up the tent.

plants shown as on day 23 after planting in net pots, after water change and gotten a foliar spray of nutrient water from the bucket.

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

So 5 weeks have passed, to my planning I've prepared another 4 buckets for planting the next 4 seedlings.

Pics attached of how the tent is starting to 'fill up'.

I've had some issues, but made corrections for G2 which is about to start...

[kingfish]

If I may make a suggestion. Get your light closer to your plant. You got quite a stretch going on. Also, if that is aluminum foil on the bottom of the plant, I would get rid of it. The reflection of light on aluminum foil causes hot spots on the plant. Just saying. I'm not a hydro grower, but it looks like you got it going on my friend.

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Hi kingfish ,
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll drop the light by a foot. Currently the light is at 5ft from the top of the buckets.
The Alu foil i put there is to avoid algea growing on the clay pebbles - did that last time with my white widow's, though that was under LED's.
This is a 315W CMH lamp, I may need to find something different...

[BuddMarsh]

I agree with Kingfish your lights should be lower and try and start all the plants that are under the same light at the same time so none of them are reaching for the light. If you are growing different strains I would try and group short plants together and taller plants together, which will make light management easier.

I can not tell from your pictures but are all the plant tanks under the same light connected to the same main tank? If so how do you adjust the nutes for each plant? Looks like you have plants that are started at much different times and if so they will need different nutes cause they start flowering and finishing at different times.

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Hi BuddMarsh ,

Thanks for your input. You'd be surprised but all of those 4 were started at the same time, all dinafem moby dick xxl's.
the small one had an unfortunate start... and has been slow from the beginning.

the tanks, are all seperate. the only thing they have in common is that they are connected to an air pump with 8 outlets, 2 stones per bucket.
water volume is 30L.
nice thing about the seperate buckets is as you said, each can be tailored to the stage of growth for nutrients.