Hey man,I know that you probably have plintily times said what types of lights and the wattage you have but please enlighten me. I have finally broke down and on my first try in a couple months im going to start with an 8x8 grow tent I think with 4000 led Watts or around 62.5 Watts per square foot. Im hoping to grow 16 pretty good sized plants in this 64 square foot areaor 4 square feet each or 2'x2'. What you think and also I still want the answer to my question. Since im going to have a big area at also 6.5 feet tall and 8 feet wide by 8 feet wide im going to start with just regular plants untapped but don't know what types or how many. I just know im thrilled. Also I want 2 8" fans and carbon filters with duct. Probably also going to use 20 liter air pots or fabric cloth bags five gallons each x16 in soil for my first indoor grow.
As for how many plants..16 plants is a lot of work. I'm on my 10th or 11th grow and I don't think I would take on that many. If I did I would put a business plan together and plan it thoroughly. If you don't have a lot of grow experience pick something bullet-proof like Northern Lights. I like Mephisto and am convinced that anyone can grow great meds if you follow their grow guide.
As for how many lights/watts...
30 watts per square foot seems to be generally accepted. Now..what the real wattage of the light is can be tricky to determine. Some claim 300 for example but only consume 180...so they are really 180 watts and not 300. You have to look at it that way.
As for what kind of fan...CFM times 60 divided by the volume of the space is a formula used in industrial ventilation for carbon scrubbers (my day gig)...a 4" centrifugal fan is rated for 184 cfm...multiplied by 60 = 11,040 divided by vol (512 cu ft) = 21.56 air changes per hour - for cannabis you need 10 to 15 ach, so a 4" 184 cfm fan is more than adequate. anything more powerful only pulls through the carbon too quickly and doesn't scrub the odor...an 8" fan will also make that tent sound like a jet engine.
As for types of lights...I have two (2) platinum P300 lights and a Timber 400 Vero 27 COB. The COB produces harder nugs...quite a bit harder actually...but you can still grow great cannabis wit the P300 type. I don't really have any experience with other brands.
I swear by fabric pots...but keep an eye on them as they dry out quickly.
Cheers!