Yep, I was the reefkeeper.

Light penetratration is indeed a big issue, especially in aquaria. Consider: a 400w MH will effectively penetrate only 24"-32" through water, and at the 30" level won't be enough for the more light demanding corals.

I understand the benefits of hydro, but at the moment I don't think I really have enough available cash to do it. A soil grow would be significantly cheaper, and I'd really prefer to put the extra money into more lumens rather than into a hydro set up.

Keeping 2000w-3000w cool is actually easy. It's all about airflow. First, air should always, always be pulled, never pushed. This includes any filter medium. If you have a carbon filter, for instance (and I will have multiple, as smell is a big concern of mine), then the fans should always pull through it. If you set up HPS lighting correctly, and the airflow is correct, the hot air should never get to the surface of whatever is being lighted. The only issue is heat from the actual radiation, and again, proper airflow can solve this. You start to run into the need for water chillers at 800w-1000w in a closed aquarium hood, but since I keep my home rather cool (68F-71F generally) and I build my own hoods, I was able to isolate the bulbs from the actual tank area with sapphire glass and with 150cfm heat was not a big issue. Anything over about 2000w really starts to require a chiller. Now, all of that unrelated garbage about lighting and reefs does have a point. My cabinet will need to be semi-stealth, so I imagine heat will be more of an issue. With that said, I still believe I can go up to 1000w and still have the ventilation to keep the cabinet between 72F and 82F. So, I'd rather put my money into a 1000w HPS with a proper flowering bulb (not sure what the spectrum is, but I'll research it and find out) than into a hydro set up.


XC, thanks for your advice! I haven't read your thread yet, but am about to as soon as I finish this post. It looks like I may try to go for a lower cabinet and focus much more heavily on training and topping (topping = FIM correct?). If I just do LST and FIM with 2 - 4 plants, is 4oz on a first grow, assuming I am conscientious about things, a realistic grow? As I said before, I am much more concerned about quality than I am quantity. I'd give up an ounce of yield before I gave up any potency. I have no interest in selling - this is entirely for myself, so as long as yield is enough to keep me and mine in smoke between harvests, I'm good to go.

Now, I have absolutely zero experience with HPS lighting. I remember running 2000w of mixed 12k and 20k MH lights shot my power bill up about $150 a month. What can I expect with a single 1000w HPS? Would a single 1000w HPS be enough to cover 2 or 4 LST'd/FIM'd plants about 25" from the top of the soil? Of course, the entire cabinet would be covered in aluminum tape or mylar (probably mylar - aluminum tape will make keeping the cabinet cool a lot harder). Unfortunately, money is a limiting factor for me, as I am helping my spouse with some very education expenses.

Hound, what exactly is garden tape? Bear in mind, I have never even grown a tomato plant before.

I'm sure I will have more questions and comments after reading XC's thread. I cannot thank you guys enough for your help so far and for any you may provide in the future. It is very much appreciated!
MaryLane Reviewed by MaryLane on . LST or not to LST Alright, so I'm moving forward with my plans for a grow. I've got a lot more vertical height than I thought I would. So my question is this: if height is not an issue, should I still train my plant or not? Are SOG, SCROG, LST etc. superior to just letting the plant grow normally, assuming unlimited space? In other words, is it always more productive to train, or SOG etc., or is that only effective when space is limited? It looks like I'll have 1 to 1.5 meters worth of vertical room Rating: 5