First Grow - 4x4 Tent

Hey everyone,

First time grower and first time poster here although have been reading for a long time. I'm planning out my first grow, have not bought anything but seeds yet. I'm about to move into my own place which I own so I will be able to grow without fear of inspections from landlords and stuff, however it's still very illegal to grow in my country so I am not planning anything crazy. I will be planning to use a spare room as my grow room.

I'm currently looking at getting a 4x4 gorilla grow tent as I really like the quality, and the extra height. They have the IR blocking roof, thicker material and good zips and good amount of ducting vents I think. I know they are most expensive but I am prepared to save up and pay for the quality as stealth is also a big concern (smell, noise, light leaks) due to the legal issues if anyone should spot my grow. Inside the tent I want to use a 3x3 flood and drain tray to house my plants. I'm planning on raising this off the floor a bit with some kind of frame so I can fit a res and stuff under it.

I have not decided on a hydroponic system to use yet, but I am thinking coco run to waste to begin with as I don't want anything too complicated for my first grows. I am open to suggestion though. For this amount of space I am thinking 4 plants would be a good starting point. I also like the idea of top feeding coco and using air pots/rocket pots for improved root development.

I would like to use COB LEDs as I think they are proven to be good and so looking at getting a kit of 10x CXB3590's to cover the area. My other considerating would be a 1k HPS as it would be cheaper to purchase initially although I would like to do at least 3 runs a year so thinking the COBs will pay for themselves pretty quickly despite the higher purchase price. Heat is also a concern in the small tent and I live in a hot climate which has me leaning towards the COBs.

I am still undecided on what size carbon filter I will need and what size CFM fan I will need too. I would like to get a strong CFM fan, maybe some kind of 6 or 8" inline fan, which can be speed controlled to allow me to control the climate more precisely especially when it comes to flowering and controlling humidity. So far I am looking at an 8" HyperFan and 200x500mm carbon filter which I can get off ebay at a good price. Even at half speed and with the filter attached should move more than enough air. The tent will be about 120 cubic feet and the fan is advertised at 710cfm, but only 300cfm with a filter and so at half speed should be around 150 cfm which should still be good right?

I have some concerns about methods to raise/lower the lights easily so I can keep it at the optimal distance, what kind of hanger systems do people use to make it simple? I've seen the rope ratchet style hangers which look pretty simple and easy to use so leaning this way.

Genetics and nutrients I am not sure if I should discuss in this forum section, but I have some blue dream, green crack, girl scout cookies and a few other free seeds to get me started. Nutrients would probably be canna coco as that seems pretty idiot proof.

I know this is probably a cookie cutter type setup which is one of the main reasons I am going this way, it can't be too hard to go wrong. I would like to be able to pull at least 1lb per flower run from this setup.

Let me know if you guys have any suggestions for me or anything I may have overlooked. I won't be making any purchases for a while still in the planning stages so appreciate any advice. Most specifically around what kind of hydro system to use for this kind of setup.

Thanks,
Outlaw
 
Last edited:

HotBunz

Active Member
My advice on a carbon filter is to avoid generic brands and spend the extra money on either a CAN or Phresh brand unit. It will go a long way in helping you control odor. I myself run CAN brand. It is doing more now even at over 1 yr old than the generic brand filter did when it was nearly new.

What are you using for PH and PPM/EC monitoring?
 
Thanks mate, the Hyper Fan deals on ebay I was looking at also come with a 20x50cm Phresh filter which seems decent as you said.

For PH I have a cheap ebay pH pen (the yellow one) but I have some calibration liquid too to keep it in check.
For PPM I also have an ebay TDS meter which does the trick.

Cheers for your reply!
 

sierranevadaca

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone,

First time grower and first time poster here although have been reading for a long time. I'm planning out my first grow, have not bought anything but seeds yet. I'm about to move into my own place which I own so I will be able to grow without fear of inspections from landlords and stuff, however it's still very illegal to grow in my country so I am not planning anything crazy. I will be planning to use a spare room as my grow room.

I'm currently looking at getting a 4x4 gorilla grow tent as I really like the quality, and the extra height. They have the IR blocking roof, thicker material and good zips and good amount of ducting vents I think. I know they are most expensive but I am prepared to save up and pay for the quality as stealth is also a big concern (smell, noise, light leaks) due to the legal issues if anyone should spot my grow. Inside the tent I want to use a 3x3 flood and drain tray to house my plants. I'm planning on raising this off the floor a bit with some kind of frame so I can fit a res and stuff under it.

I have not decided on a hydroponic system to use yet, but I am thinking coco run to waste to begin with as I don't want anything too complicated for my first grows. I am open to suggestion though. For this amount of space I am thinking 4 plants would be a good starting point. I also like the idea of top feeding coco and using air pots/rocket pots for improved root development.

I would like to use COB LEDs as I think they are proven to be good and so looking at getting a kit of 10x CXB3590's to cover the area. My other considerating would be a 1k HPS as it would be cheaper to purchase initially although I would like to do at least 3 runs a year so thinking the COBs will pay for themselves pretty quickly despite the higher purchase price. Heat is also a concern in the small tent and I live in a hot climate which has me leaning towards the COBs.

I am still undecided on what size carbon filter I will need and what size CFM fan I will need too. I would like to get a strong CFM fan, maybe some kind of 6 or 8" inline fan, which can be speed controlled to allow me to control the climate more precisely especially when it comes to flowering and controlling humidity. So far I am looking at an 8" HyperFan and 200x500mm carbon filter which I can get off ebay at a good price. Even at half speed and with the filter attached should move more than enough air. The tent will be about 120 cubic feet and the fan is advertised at 710cfm, but only 300cfm with a filter and so at half speed should be around 150 cfm which should still be good right?

I have some concerns about methods to raise/lower the lights easily so I can keep it at the optimal distance, what kind of hanger systems do people use to make it simple? I've seen the rope ratchet style hangers which look pretty simple and easy to use so leaning this way.

Genetics and nutrients I am not sure if I should discuss in this forum section, but I have some blue dream, green crack, girl scout cookies and a few other free seeds to get me started. Nutrients would probably be canna coco as that seems pretty idiot proof.

I know this is probably a cookie cutter type setup which is one of the main reasons I am going this way, it can't be too hard to go wrong. I would like to be able to pull at least 1lb per flower run from this setup.

Let me know if you guys have any suggestions for me or anything I may have overlooked. I won't be making any purchases for a while still in the planning stages so appreciate any advice. Most specifically around what kind of hydro system to use for this kind of setup.

Thanks,
Outlaw
Greetings from California. Sounds like a good plan bro! I like it, looking forward to seeing it come together. Congrats on the home.
 
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