Ebb & Flow Hydro Cab Plans, please review

[Pipe Camp Counselor]

I did some reading and threw together a plan. The dimensions will be approx 4' wide by 2' deep and 6' tall. I still have some more research to do, but I thought I'd run this preliminary plan by you guys.

My 2 biggest concerns were ventilation and keeping the reservoir cool. I think that with the ebb and flow system, my reservoir would be spared most of the heat from the lights since its separate on the bottom and room temperature air would be flowing in through the darkroom louvers. I already have the 400W light (my brother traded someone a hundred bucks worth of weed for it) so I'm locked into using it. It seems some form of cool tube is necessary, so I will make one with a round glass tube (candle glass or Pyrex bake a round). Does it look like I'll have enough ventilation to keep the cab and reservoir temps under control with a 400 watter in there?

Any other suggestions as well?

Thanks.

[BlueBear]

How are the plans coming along. It seems dueable if you get your ducks in a row. What kind of inline fan did you plan using? What size E&F table were you going to try using? Make sure you get your meaters, PH and PPM because they will be your best friend.
Adieu

[Pipe Camp Counselor]

BB,
I was thinking 4-6" diameter inline duct fans for the exhaust. I still need to find a suitable tray, one that would be around 4' by 2'. I'll check out the local hydro stores and will also look for large rubbermaid tubs that I could modify. Once I get that, I'll finalize the dimensions for the cab and begin construction.

With the 4x2 area, I hope to scrog 2 plants to fill 2x2' of screen each. That should yeild enough to keep me smoked up until the next crop. Any recommendations for an easy to grow strain that takes well to screening?

I do have a pH meter since I have had aquariums basically all my life. I will need to pick up a TDS meter to read dissolved solids.

[jamstigator]

I have very close to the same cabinet, except that I'm a soil guy. I think your plans will work very well. Let me recommend that you get a 6" fan and dial it down. That way, if you should ever need more ventilation power, just dial it back up.

As for strains that would work good with SCroG, I will recommend Nirvana's AK-48. I have grown it several times now (and will again in the future), and it's an excellent strain, easy to grow, forgiving of mistakes, robust, great buds that also *look* great, and the seeds are about the cheapest you can buy (got mine at seedboutique.com, $15 for a pack of ten).

[Pipe Camp Counselor]

Jamstigator,
Thanks for the advice, I was thinking of going with the larger fan since that's what you did with your cab. BTW, seeing your cab really inspired me to start one up. I hope that one day my grows are successful as yours :thumbsup: . Also, thanks for the tip on the AK-48, I'll give it a shot.


A few more Q's: since I don't plan on having a vegetation/cloning area now (maybe a separate cab in the future), would it be worth it to spend the extra money on feminized seeds? Do you flower them to see if they are female before training them to the screen, or should you train them while in the vegetative state? It would suck to train a plant and have it turn out male.

[notorious P.O.T]

just veggem through the screen long enough to see preflowers... then when all is good and you have no males, and the screen is about 3/4s of the way full .. you flower em...cloning works best for this because you dont have to worry about a male .. i think fem seeds are a waste of money..

[jamstigator]

When I start from seeds, I veg until I know which are females, then I put just those under the screen, and then fill the screen mostly before going 12/12. I haven't had to tear a male out of the screen yet; that'd suck, hope it never happens. Cloning is ideal of course, but SCroG is totally doable from standard seeds. I don't personally think feminized seeds are worth the extra cost either. If they were twice as much, okay, then it'd make some sense, but these companies tend to charge a LOT more for the feminized seeds, and even then they can't guarantee you'll get all females.

Oh, and you can usually tell the sex without flowering, from the pre-flowers. Just gotta be patient (that's the hard part for me, I'm not good at being patient), and eventually you'll either see bananas or hairs and know what you've got.

You'll love AK-48! I'm trying some Nirvana Blue Mystic this next grow, and after that I'm gonna try Nirvana Jock Horror. If neither of those is better than AK-48, then I'm going back to more AK-48 after that. Just figured I'd experiment with a couple other strains this fall/winter. So far, if I had to pick one strain to be stuck on an island with for the rest of my life, it'd be AK-48. ;)

[Pipe Camp Counselor]

Thanks guys, I wasn't if you could veg them that long before screening them.

Also, Jams, how did you dial down the 6" fan? Does it require some form of a dimmer switch? Thanks.

[BLaQLiGhT]

Hey Pipe Camp Counselor, your cab plans look just like this dream I've had on my mine for some time now. Have you seen this before?

http://www.gardenscure.com/420/attachments/hydroponic-grow-journals/179544d1158726631-hydro-organic-nl-x-nevilles-haze-5232dscn03291.jpg

http://www.gardenscure.com/420/attachments/hydroponic-grow-journals/179545d1158726631-hydro-organic-nl-x-nevilles-haze-5232dscn25631.jpg

http://www.gardenscure.com/420/attachments/hydroponic-grow-journals/179546d1158726631-hydro-organic-nl-x-nevilles-haze-5232dscn30141.jpg

Thats all ONE PLANT and over 16 ounces of bud. I think you can do it :p . GOod LuCk :thumbsup: ...

[jamstigator]

Here's a pic of what I use to dial down the fan speed. It's called Dial-A-Temp, and if I recall correctly, it's used generally to dial down the fan speed on fireplace fans and such. I can't remember where I got it, but it was online somewhere, and wasn't expensive. I got a fan speed controller when I bought the fan too (the fan's an Eco Plus 6" 440 CFM fan), but wasn't sure enough about the wiring involved, so I looked for a simpler alternative and Dial-A-Temp was it. The plug in the bottom of it, that's where the fan is plugged in.

[Bodom Children Of]

Here's a pic of what I use to dial down the fan speed. It's called Dial-A-Temp, and if I recall correctly, it's used generally to dial down the fan speed on fireplace fans and such. I can't remember where I got it, but it was online somewhere, and wasn't expensive. I got a fan speed controller when I bought the fan too (the fan's an Eco Plus 6" 440 CFM fan), but wasn't sure enough about the wiring involved, so I looked for a simpler alternative and Dial-A-Temp was it. The plug in the bottom of it, that's where the fan is plugged in.

that's badass, where'd you get it?:smokin:

[Pipe Camp Counselor]

jamstigator, thanks, that would be the easiest way to control fan speed. I like it!

blaqlight, I haven't seen that before, but thats the vision I have :stoned: . I'm glad you have confidence in me :D




I'm sure as I go I'll have more questions in the future.

[BLaQLiGhT]

oops, :p one week mistake. Here are those crazy pis, sorry about before:
Serious Seeds' Chronic, Over one pound on one plant grown SCROG method-

[jamstigator]

Wish I could remember where I got that thing. It was some specialty store on the net, not a big name at all, I'd never heard of them before (or since, heh). Wish I could be more helpful, but brain cells, memory problems, all that stuff. ;)