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You can use ceramic infrared heaters on an electronic temperature controller to take care of air temps. It would obviously be beneficial to insulate it. But don't forget, you also need to control root zone temps. You can use heat cables / heat tape for this (don't skimp on this, make sure you...

The thing is though, Lumens GREATLY diminish as the distance from the light increases. If you have one light in the middle, you will need to raise it quite a bit above the canopy to get coverage of the entire area or use a light mover as growtech stated. Now, what I've never really understood...

Dave, You've got some great ideas. It is thinking like this that may find a better way to grow. Don't feel like I'm trying to down your idea's. I believe if you keep working through them, you will come up with something better, and I'm with you on it. With that said, here are a few Con's that...

I've looked for bluer 42w cfls, could only find 2700k's. If you have the money, consider a t5-ho tube flourescent. I've noticed more lumens, with less heat, and different colored bulbs are available. They are more pricey than the cfl's, though...

I run an RO/DI unit. I adjust TDS to 200 ppm (with whatever nutes would make most sense for the purpose) before ph'ing or ever letting it touch a plant. 0ppm water, or close to it has no buffers to keep it at a steady ph. See http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03573.htm. This...

I used RO/DI water for seedlings one time. I've since decided that any water that touches a plant should be at around a min of 200ppm. I've read that DI water can literally leach chemicals and ions from plants/medium... I'm not sure about distilled water, though. I don't mix with tap water...

If you are covering a wider area, 2 x600s will give more even coverage. If you are shooting for tall plants, the 1000 will give better depth penetration. For your SOG, I'd choose the 600s.

I think maybe I (and others) was initially confused. When you'd said that they "would be without nutes if the power was out", this was indicative of your "bottom 2/3 do not absorb nutes" assumption? Not that clear water lies in the bottom of the main res, right? Because in the pic, it would be...

If you are fighting res temperatures, then put it on a timer. If it isn't too hot, I'd let it run...

My digital ballast causes some sort of interference. It really fucks up my 24-7 tri-meter when its on. I have to turn the light off to use the meter.

You can't have a true aero system sit for 12 hours with no misting. Your roots will dry out. You will need at least 1-2 mists throughout the night. I've heard that intermittent misting can increase results. I think that this has mainly to do with res temp increase from the pump running 24/7...

You'll have a problem with stability in the res. With less solution, your ph will fluctuate more, your TDS will also be harder to control and you will require more frequent res changes. Don't veg. Once you see roots, right to 12/12. All in all, though, I don't think 1/2gal is enough. I have 6...

that's where more, but smaller lights could be beneficial. Well placed, you could get a more even coverage, which means more usable light for the plant(though using Y's won't likely accomplish this). What you will never get with the lower wattage lights is penetration. Unless you hang them...

You should be paying more attention to the lumen output than the wattage. Some 23w output only 1100 lumens. 42's output 2600 lumens. You do the math. However, some 23w output up to 1600 lumens, so it really depends on the bulb. You may also find more bulbs = more ballasts = more heat. I don't...

Theoretically, you can put the seed directly into a net cup filled with hydroton, but I'd be worried about it staying in place. That's the nice thing about the rockwool, it holds the seed. I had a problem with white powder(mildew?) growing on the rockwool at one time, but I sprayed it with some...

I ran it on a cycling timer for a little while, but it didn't seem to make a difference. I think if you are cloning directly into the system, then you would need a "drying out" period, but otherwise, the roots get plenty of o2, and I don't see any advantage to cycling. IMO, the pump doesn't...

Ya know, it doesn't come with it, or mention adding one in the manual. I guess that theoretically, the mister running 24/7 would oxygenate it, but I added a stone as soon as the roots hit the water. It is my belief that with HID lighting and co2 enrichment, that only leaves o2 to the roots as...

I assure you, it is a hybrid system. The roots hang in the reservoir. The res has about 6" of air space -this is where the misting takes place. Once the roots drop lower than that, it is also a DWC, the roots are submerged in the reservoir. Early on, power outage could be a problem (forcing me...

GH makes a hybrid system called a rainforest. I use one for veg. I love it, you could build one cheaper I'm sure. It is also a self contained unit, the solution is drawn up a rotary mister, but a pump with misters would also work well. I don't think its a necessity to have a seperate res, but I...

Temps and ph are to high. Some people mix the nova in a container with some of the rez water and shake the shit out of it.