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Post by robthered on Jan 8, 2010 21:01:36 GMT -5
Hey everyone! Hope you all had an awesome holiday. I got some T5 HO 54 watt 4 foot tubes for chirstmas and now I'm in the process of setting up a new grow area. Here's a pic of the shelving unit where I'm going to setup the whole thing on. If you click on the image you can see all my measurements listed in the pic. img339.imageshack.us/img339/5619/mvi1326.mp4My t5's are going to be running along the bottom of the top shelf and the t8's running under the shelf below (see screenshot). Here's what I need help with. 1 - How much space should I put between each T5 fixture? I was thinking 4.5 inches between each one. 2 - What should I use for a reflector? I was thinking tin foil or maybe some black/white poly and mounting it under the shelf? I also want to wrap the sides and back with black and white, is this a good idea? I was going to originally use mylar but I hear it rips easily and black/white is pretty reflective and durable. any thoughts? 3 - The space between the T5 bulbs and the tops of my plants would be about 8 inches. Is this too close? I dont want to burn my plants, so should I move the second shelf down more? The space between the shelves is 18 inches, I figured about 10 inches is the height of the biggest plant leaving 8 to the lights. Any thoughts? Any thoughts or comments would be amazing. Thanks all. Here's the pic of my current setup and the lights i got.
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Post by robthered on Jan 23, 2010 11:41:06 GMT -5
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Post by blokeman on Jan 23, 2010 17:15:40 GMT -5
SWEET! Very nice setup, what's great is that it is completely enclosed and not blinding like my setup is... What do the airstones do? Which seedling do you have going? *CoughTradeCough* Keep up the good work, you're definitely on the right track!
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Post by robthered on Jan 23, 2010 17:50:21 GMT -5
Thanks blokeman! Ya I love how it's completely enclosed, looks really cool too lol. I have the airstones and water in there to raise humidity. It works pretty well. I have a constant 80%-90% humidity during the day. Also there is a little slit in the plastic near the fan which i open to let in fresh air. The only thing i'm worried about is that i think that my raff might be getting leaf burn. Here's a pic of it. is it burned or just the way the plants leaves get? The lights are about 8 inches from the top of the plant. too close? I have a ton of drosera seedlings going right now, I'll PM you a list if you like. I have some sarracenia to be planted soon too.
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Post by blokeman on Jan 23, 2010 20:19:57 GMT -5
My Raff does the same thing, starts off with bright green leaves, and they get spots and 'burns' but i think that is 'normal'. I had it under full afternoon sun inside, and then under a T5 4-5 inches away and same deal for both locations. It gives it character! hehe
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Post by vraev on Jan 23, 2010 23:53:49 GMT -5
fantastic setup man!! wow!!
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Post by robthered on Jan 24, 2010 11:43:13 GMT -5
Thanks Vraev. Today I'm picking up a 4 foot aquarium for it! . I was one which i had in storage and forgot about. Think i might get a humidifier setup for it soon. I forgot to show the other fan i have in the bottom left corner shelf which blows air up along the left side of the Unit which meets the two CPU fans which then blows it across and out the other side. Now all i need are more plants hehe. Coming spring I'm gonna be ordering some. Blokeman, you can see the list of seedlings i have in my growlist. i recently added the drosera i had in the fridge and they're sprouting already. Also I should be planting my sarracinia over the next few days.
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Post by madman on Jan 31, 2010 23:13:05 GMT -5
Where can I get the T5 lights in Toronto?
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Post by robthered on Feb 6, 2010 0:39:40 GMT -5
Where can I get the T5 lights in Toronto? try any hydroponic shop. they usually carry them.
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Post by vraev on Feb 6, 2010 0:42:15 GMT -5
The most common ones are the single tubes sold by sunblaster. I used to find them at a local hydroponics store in hamilton. However, they closed down so I have to find another place to get some myself. I think if you can make a good reflector, those single tubes are very convenient and can be bunched up to form a series.
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Post by madman on Feb 6, 2010 22:41:11 GMT -5
Really nice setup. I decided myself on using some 24' dual T12. I would have gone for the larger size, but for now that is the space that is available for mine and my sons plants. Very soon I am going to be converting the space in my sons closet for our plants. The closet is well over 4 feet long by about 12-18 inches wide. So I am thinking of using 2-4 4 foot either T12 or T8s on each shelf. I would use a T5 but I don't really feel like going all over Toronto to find the fixtures and the bulbs, and from reading comments about them, they are very expensive and they heat up the area quite a lot, and my place is already very warm.
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