new and need advice for first system

first of all this website is awesome and i am new so
HELLO!

I'm planning on growing some hydroponics as soon as possible but i need advice on what to get...

i was looking on eBay for something similar to this T5 FLUORESCENT GROW LIGHT & 6 PLANT HYDROPONICS KIT DWC - eBay (item 200212509240 end time Apr-07-08 12:31:47 PDT)

It looks nice and comes with a light. Not many systems come with a light on eBay. Do you think this would work? It looked perfect at first but then after looking at the dimensions it seemed a little small, it measures 16"X 13.5"X 7".

Ive been reading forums and websites constantly for what i should do then i decided why not just ask. Every website tells me something different. If this system works, i was planning on getting on of those tents to put it in but i can never tell what will work for growing weed and what is just for growing hydroponic tomatoes and such. What else will i need besides the light the system and some kind of housing for the system. I've been reading about ph meters and all kinds of meters i have no clue about. thanks!:stoned:

Where to start ? start reading, there are alot of good and inexpensive systems to build, easy too. Dwc is a good way to go but search here and you will find all you want to know..

Put your money in the light. The biggest you can stand and no flouro's. Metal halide to veg and high pressre sodium to flower. That is why you don't see good lights on e_ay. Digitals are great and save energy but cost. Get a horitlux or sunmaster HPS light when you do.

General hydroponics 3 part and some cal-mag plus, some PH up and down. A good PH meter and EC or TDS meter.

A few beans and your on your way. Oh yea keep the PH right and the water temp right and a fan to blow air across top of plants.

I just looked at the ebay thing. You can make the bubble for about 20 to 30 bucks. The yeild off that light would be very little to none. The bud is in the heat of the light.

The best thing about hydro is total control. When you see a problem starting you can get help here and stop the problem.

Your taking your first step into a larger world.

thanks man!
after i looked around a bit i liked the idea of those hempy buckets. I think i'm gonna try that since it seems the most simple. As for lighting would there be a certain type of lighting that would work fine for both veg and flowering instead of having to get two different lights? I'm on a pretty low budget but can dish out the extra bucks if needed:D

I have that same hydro unit minus the light. I use a 175 MH for light.
The hydro unit works good if you want to keep your plants on the small side. Its a quality unit reasonably priced.
The nice thing about this unit is it is compact, so you can put one light over it and get good results.
One thing I did was plumb it into a master reservoir so changing the water or adjusting the ph is much easier.
Actually I have two units.......one of the 6 plant and one of the 8 plant.
I would suggest you get a MH either a 175 or 250 or a 400 watt.
Another thing you can use a MH all the way through the cycle. I know everyone says you need a hps and its true you will get bigger heavier buds......but you can get big heavy buds with a MH only too.
The reason I know that is I have done many times.
Also if you change your nutes every week and keep the water topped off.......you dont have to worry about ppm......the reason people here monitor the ppm is because they want maximum growth at all times.
Or they may want to keep an eye on the water quality.....a lot of people have very hard water.
Hydrponics is the best way to grow and its not rocket science when your doing it on a small scale like most of us.
Good luck and keep us posted.

there's been good stuff said here but if you're on a budget, well some of that shit is PRICEY. the meters for instance are gonna run you over $100.00 and that only if your lucky or cheap.
the reason you use MH for vegging and HPS for flowering is the different spectrums of light and you CAN get decent results with CFL's, not as good but still good, and lots cheaper.
anyway, you're not ready yet, you need to read some more about light and nute's and air and ...........