New grow... could use some help

I'm basically brand new to this but I was thinking of starting out with a gorilla grow tent 2'x2.5' is the size I was gonna get and the viparspectra 450w was the light I was gonna get. Not sure about ventilation as I've heard that this light runs very cool and won't need much venting. Was thinking of doing either soil or DWC or maybe 1 plant in each medium. I was thinking 2 plants to start as I'm not sure how many i should fit into that space. I'm also not quite sure on the strain i wanna start with, or if I wanna do seeds or clones from someone I know. Any help or advice is appreciated thank you

A 2x2x5 is very small and although it is manageable the lack of height will make it more difficult.
Especially if you have a filter in there.
You can fit two plants in if you like or even 4 plants as long as you keep them short.
The viparspectra is not know for been amazing, but the 450 which actually runs at 200 real watts it should do fine in that space.

You still need to ventilate, exchanging air is not just to remove heat it is also done to maintain a reasonable amount of co2.

Clones would be easier if you can trust the person you can get them off and know they are bug free. It would save you killing expensive seeds, although you will want to grow from seed sometime in the future.

For a first time grow you might be better finding a good soil. You can always try dwc later on when you have found your feet.

Personally I would go for at least a 3x3x6 or x7 if you can fit it in your space. Gives you much more room and far less aggravation.

To me that is a perfect size for a small personal grow and when you want to keep electric costs and heat down. You can do 4 small plants just trim off the first 6 or 8 side branches but leave two or three from the top and then start 12/12 and you grow large center buds this then gives you room above the light for a fan + a small exhaust. But in a small space trimming lower branches off helps keep good air flow in tight areas but also puts more of the plants energy into the center cola on the main stem.

coreywebster said:

A 2x2x5 is very small and although it is manageable the lack of height will make it more difficult.
Especially if you have a filter in there.
You can fit two plants in if you like or even 4 plants as long as you keep them short.
The viparspectra is not know for been amazing, but the 450 which actually runs at 200 real watts it should do fine in that space.

You still need to ventilate, exchanging air is not just to remove heat it is also done to maintain a reasonable amount of co2.

Clones would be easier if you can trust the person you can get them off and know they are bug free. It would save you killing expensive seeds, although you will want to grow from seed sometime in the future.

For a first time grow you might be better finding a good soil. You can always try dwc later on when you have found your feet.

Personally I would go for at least a 3x3x6 or x7 if you can fit it in your space. Gives you much more room and far less aggravation.

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Ok in that case is there an led light you would recommend that isn't too expensive? Also a good soil mix that can be shipped to Canada?

GrnMonStr said:

To me that is a perfect size for a small personal grow and when you want to keep electric costs and heat down. You can do 4 small plants just trim off the first 6 or 8 side branches but leave two or three from the top and then start 12/12 and you grow large center buds this then gives you room above the light for a fan + a small exhaust. But in a small space trimming lower branches off helps keep good air flow in tight areas but also puts more of the plants energy into the center cola on the main stem.

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Ya that's kinda my problem I don't have alot of space so that tent will fit perfectly in the area I was thinking of

I run a 2x2.5x7 Gorilla tent. Only one plant fits, but it's great for a personal grow. Forget that light you're considering and take a look at HLG quantum boards. I started off with a Mars Hydro and hated working in the garden due to the blurple color. With a quality white light LED you'll be able to spot issues more quickly when they arise and you won't have to rig up alternative lighting when it's time to take pictures. Plus it's a better spectrum for the plant and is more versatile for the future.

beginner420 said:

Ok in that case is there an led light you would recommend that isn't too expensive? Also a good soil mix that can be shipped to Canada?

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I cant help with the soil, its not something I use. I grow in coco.

BC Blondes do some great lights and are in Canada, but they don't do anything smaller than for a 2x4 tent.

HLG have a Canada site, here is a 135w QB. Although less watts it produces far more light than that vipar spectra.
https://www.horticulturelightinggroup.ca/collections/all/products/135w-led-board-kit

Not sure how that compares in price but its about as good as you can get for your space without doing a full DIY light.

If you have the space and haven’t bought the tent I recommend a 3x3x6 tent and a 315cmh. It’s just a perfect setup in my opinion. I’ve tried all different kinds of lighting from hlg quantum boards, hps,mh and nothing compares on quality to cmh I still run hps in bigger garden but most of what I smoke is out of the 315 tents. I think a 3x3 is perfect size also because it’s not so big you can’t reach the back of the tent but has enough room to actually fit quite a bit of flower in it.

Hey man I am no expert and am quite new as well but I can say I got a full set up in Canada with a 2x4 tent for just over 600$ tax in. It has 2x 400w cob cree full spectrum lights and all the fans. Prob spent another 200$ for pots, soil, co2 bag, seeds. I am sure you can do it all for cheeper however the ease of buying the full kit was what made it happen for me.

@robi22 I doubt very much that those lights are 400w each, its more likely that they have named them the max wattage possible form the number of cobs added up. Sneaky twats.
Looks like 2 cobs per light, probably 200w each light at the most.

All that said they are good lights and should grow you some fire.

coreywebster said:

@robi22
Sneaky twats.
Looks like 2 cobs per light, probably 200w each light at the most.
All that said they are good lights and should grow you some fire.

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They may have pulled one over on me lol... They seem to say actual pull is 100w each light and 400w output. idk is that possible?

robi22 said:

They may have pulled one over on me lol... They seem to say actual pull is 100w each light and 400w output. idk is that possible?

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Its a typical Chinese trick. Each diode has a max current to give a max wattage. But its not wise to run at max since it reduce efficiency and life span. Its been a thing for many years unfortunately.

Actually the max for each cree 3590 cob is 129w I think. so even if there were two at that it wouldn't be 400w.
Unless there are other chips in the light as well as the cree cobs.

Anyway I have seen a few folks run at 25w and less per foot so you should still get some great weed out of that space!
Trust me you could of been bamboozled a lot worse.

I love Gorilla tents. I have a Gorilla 2x2.5 and a Gorilla 2x4. You’ll definitely need a carbon filter and exhaust fan. I use 6” hydrofarm fans and Phresh filters. I know the fans are over sized but Its quieter to run a bigger fan a lower speeds. Also since you’re just starting out I recommend getting a SensorPush or similar (Ink Bird) wireless thermometer/hygrometer. It logs and downloads temp and RH to your phone so you can see how much control you really have over your environment.

robi22 said:

Hey man I am no expert and am quite new as well but I can say I got a full set up in Canada with a 2x4 tent for just over 600$ tax in. It has 2x 400w cob cree full spectrum lights and all the fans. Prob spent another 200$ for pots, soil, co2 bag, seeds. I am sure you can do it all for cheeper however the ease of buying the full kit was what made it happen for me.

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Do you mind me asking where you got your setup from? I'm shopping around a bunch right now just trying to find better prices and looking at everything that people are suggesting on here.

beginner420 said:

Do you mind me asking where you got your setup from? I'm shopping around a bunch right now just trying to find better prices and looking at everything that people are suggesting on here.

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For sure I got the full grow kit from growindo.com (they are also on amazon) but I went down in person as it is located close to Vancouver and got an even better deal. AND free shipping over 25$ so yeah. I went with the 2x4 option.

Honestly I would buy the kit again! great deal and the quality of the tent is much better than expected and has so many ports and holes I have my room completely dialled in at 75f and 65rh with just adding the humidifier. Easy to achieve negative pressure as that fan can clear that tent in a few seconds.

Also come with the small fan, digital temp and humidity shown in my setup and he even threw in a starter kit for nutrients with all buys of a tent. (still have not tried nor seen any reviews)

the tent fans and filter are amazing!... I also think they are very good beginner lights but time will tell for that lol. the seedling seem to be loving the lights so far.

For the rest I went to my local hydro shop. (4x 5g fabric pots, 4x1g plastic pots, Co2 bag and FFOF Soil, Perlite, Runoff trays) 150$
and for my humidifier and dehumidifier I used craigslist and facebook marketplace and got each for 25$ a steel.

Hope that helps.

coreywebster said:

@robi22 I doubt very much that those lights are 400w each, its more likely that they have named them the max wattage possible form the number of cobs added up. Sneaky twats.
Looks like 2 cobs per light, probably 200w each light at the most.

All that said they are good lights and should grow you some fire.

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Ok I ended up going with the 4x2x6 gorilla tent and I got the advanced nutrients jungle juice nutrient line as well as some fox farms ocean forest potting soil, I got 2 of those HLG quantum board lights as well.

beginner420 said:

Ok I ended up going with the 4x2x6 gorilla tent and I got the advanced nutrients jungle juice nutrient line as well as some fox farms ocean forest potting soil, I got 2 of those HLG quantum board lights as well.

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Sweet Man. Should be good with that.

coreywebster said:

Sweet Man. Should be good with that.

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How many CFM would you say I need for that size room?

beginner420 said:

How many CFM would you say I need for that size room?

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Im in the UK so moderate climate, I run same wattage in a 2x4x5 and use a 4" fan turned down to idol speed which is very little cfm.

If you give me your ambient temps where your grow will be I can give you an idea. Going on size alone is too variable, going on wattage and exceptable rise in temps is more accurate.

Need to know worst case temps in your room, summer time temp?
You bought 2x 135w kits?

coreywebster said:

Im in the UK so moderate climate, I run same wattage in a 2x4x5 and use a 4" fan turned down to idol speed which is very little cfm.

If you give me your ambient temps where your grow will be I can give you an idea. Going on size alone is too variable, going on wattage and exceptable rise in temps is more accurate.

Need to know worst case temps in your room, summer time temp?
You bought 2x 135w kits?

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Ok I can get a better idea of the ambient temps and extreme summer temps when I'm home in a couple hours, I ended up buying 2 of the 65w kits since they were ready to go and it said they were good for a 2x1 area which is why I got 2, also have another light and some cfls I thought I could supplement anything I'm missing with anyways. Was curious what your opinion is about 4000k or 3000k? Can I flower with either? Just realized both those lights I got are 4000k