FieldEffect digs the hole deeper, can you check my first tent setup?

Basic Growing Info
#1

Good morning guys/gals. I’ve been around for a few years growing outside, probably somewhere between “advanced beginner” and intermediate skill level at this point - at gardening in general. I’m running organics outdoors in 50 gallon airpots this summer in my “Field of Dreams.”

Anyway, this summer has demonstrated to me that it really would be nice to have a tent. I don’t have any particular goal in mind there but I do have limited space, the closet in my office. I can see this tent serving the following purposes:

Clone storage
Seed starting (veggies as well as cannabis)
Breeding (either full male + female flower together or just flower out a male for pollen collection)
Chile/herb growing
Small-scale SOG-style pheno hunting

I did spend a decent amount of time reading the similar posts like this but my situation is a little different in terms of size and certainly over-powered in the illumination department.

SUMMARY of items here if you don’t like reading:
24"x36"x53" Vivosun 2-in-1 Tent
TS3000 Mars Hydro Light
AC Infinity 4" Exhaust Kit w/ Controller 69
AC Infinity Cloudray 6" Oscillating Fan

TENT
I’ve got a nominal depth of 24", with a height limit of 64". I can push the depth to 27" or so but it would be right up against the sliding doors. Width, well, flexible there. 24" just seems tiny to me, 48" is doable but frankly bigger than I’d like.

I’ve not seen many 2’x3’ tents. Vivosun has this which looks like the best overall fit, although it is by default divided. Reading the manual it appears that there is an optional divider between the two sides and I could easily omit that to run this as a simple 2’x3’ tent, although there is some appeal in those side shelves:
24"x36"x53" Vivosun 2-in-1

AC Infinity has this but it would require some “remodeling” of my closet. Not totally out of the question, but I wish this was a foot shorter. 24"x36"x72" AC Infinity

There are several other manufacturers of what appears to be the same tent as the Vivosun:
Opulent Systems
Cool Grows
Any opinions on those?

LIGHT
According to my guiding fundamental principal of excess wherever conceivable, especially in areas I could easily find myself in trouble, I’m picking up a TS3000 with dimmer at a steep discount from @HighTilliDie. Couldn’t say no and I like things extra spicy :rofl:. TS3000 specs It’s about 22.5" deep and 25" long, and I’ll be able to adjust the intensity to suit. One day maybe I’ll have a 3’x3’ or 4’x4’

EXHAUST/FILTER
If I go with that 2’x3’x4.5’ tent, I’m talking about 27 cubic feet. I think that’s a match for 4" systems. I do want this setup to be smell-free and quiet when unopened, I don’t want my wife getting questions if she has someone over while I’m not home. It’s legal here, just prefer the out of sight, out of mind concept for this. It wouldn’t be too much trouble to route the exhaust up to the attic, so that’s an option.

Inclined to spend the cash and get the AC Infinity setup with Controller 69. Of couse it’s also available with just a speed controller for $50 cheaper.
AC Infinity 4" w/ C69

Are there better filter/fan setups? Is there a better carbon filter brand? It did occur to me that perhaps I could build my own filter box to fit the roof of the tent, but it may not be worth bothering. This stuff seems pretty well figured out already. Also, should I add an additional carbon filter to my inlet or is there an inlet filter option better than panty hose I should be procuring? If I flower in here I don’t want to bud wash dust away, which we have a lot of. I don’t even want to look behind my computer monitor…

I’m not opposed to building a foam box with a HEPA filter for my inlet, but curious if this is something already available.

MISC
I want one of the oscillating clip fans, if I go with the AC Infinity exhaust/controller 69 I’d do this Cloudray 6" Oscillating Fan

MEDIUM/GROW STYLE
After playing with organics for a season outdoors I could understand not wanting to do that indoors as much. So many products, so many stinky ammendments. Not sure if I’ll do some sort of peat or coco setup but may be utilizing synthetic nutes to keep the indoor procedure simple. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to synthetics outside (where I can have huge containers of living soil), but indoors there seems to be some real advantages. I’d probably use Megacrop 2-part like I already have a reasonable supply of from 2022 outdoor season. Or perhaps I’d use something like Osmocote or a simpler organic solution like Espoma.

OTHER STUFF
What else do I need to put this together? Is that everything?

Appreciate any input!

14 Likes
#2

Do you need separate compartments? If it’ll fit I’d go 2x4. Almost guaranteed if you go 2x3 at some point you’ll go “fuck I wish I had that extra space.”

Your light you’ve got sorted. I’d have gone in a different direction but if it’s a good deal then hey done and done.

I wouldn’t make your own filter. I’ve done it. It’s messy. And the carbon isn’t cheap either so IMO it’s not worth it. I use a cheap one (when I use one which isn’t always) and find they probably need to be switched out more often than more expensive versions.

I like promix and pure blend pro but there are many options.

Intake filter, nah, a simple screen should be fine.

A good 4” fan is more than enough.

8 Likes
#3

Use something like this for your intake. They’re not perfect, but they work. I vacuum them. If you dust them off, you end up forcing dust through them into the tent.

Amazon.com: 2Pcs Grow Tents Vent Cover- 4" Duct Filter Vent Cover- Grow Tents Vent Filter Cover with Elastic Band and Fixed Buckle to Dust-Proof for Plant Grow Tent Vent : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Get a good heating mat that has a good safety rating. AC Infinity has a pretty decent one. I saw where someone posted a cheap one that had a partial meltdown.

Amazon.com : AC Infinity SUNCORE S3, Waterproof Seedling Mat with Heat Controller 10" x 20.75", UL & MET Certified Heating Pad, for Indoor Gardening, Hydroponics, Germination, Cloning : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Get lots of extra flex tubing. I found myself reconfiguring mine until I found the set up I liked.

AC Infinity Flexible 4-Inch Aluminum Ducting, Heavy-Duty Four-Layer Protection, 25-Feet Long for Heating Cooling Ventilation and Exhaust - Amazon.com

I really like these ratchet hangars. You can never have too many.

Amazon.com: AC Infinity, Adjustable 1/8” Rope Hanger, Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel Gears Ratchets, 150 lbs Weight Capacity, 6 Pairs : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Optional but very handy:

Amazon.com - BLACK+DECKER dustbuster Cordless Handheld Vacuum, Flexi Blue/Grey/White (HHVI315JO42)

3 Likes
#4

I have divided 4x3, and yeah, wish it was a 4x4 :rofl: the shelf is pretty nice though. I can keep stuff off the floor.

@FieldEffect if you decide to buy anything from vivosun, you can use my discount code to save a couple bucks.

3 Likes
#5

Have you looked into SIPs for your tent? The simplicity is unmatched. Fast growing like hydro but all organic. Check out @CrunchBerries thread:CrunchBerries’Probiotic SIP Thread
Guarantee you won’t look back

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#6

I use two different dry amendments, and they smell pretty darn good lol

If you can find promix at your local Walmart, you can sometimes find a good deal.

1 Like
#7

@Foreigner It seems I should really entertain the 2’x4’. I’ll mock it up today in the closet and see what the feasibility is. It’s got those sliding doors so I can only access 3’ window. But you guys are right, I’ll at least give it serious consideration.

@Bayarealivingsoil I’m certainly not opposed to SIP. I love the idea, and it’s right up my alley for flowering or general growing. But I know for seed starting and clone keeping I’ll probably be using small pots with some generic media, likely ProMix.

@Coda fantastic. I’ll grab the vent covers and hangers for sure. Heat mat definately need to sort the size out first, maybe I’ll go the 48" route. I think the dustbuster will be welcomed as well. Perfect!

@HomegrownVABudz I’ll ping 'ya if I order from Vivosun. What’s the discount? Just for the Vivosun site?

Thanks!

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#8

I’m super happy with my AC Infinity fans and controllers. These folks understand and appreciate ‘good engineering’. I’d trust them to properly match the filter to the fan.

Cheers
G

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#9

It’s 15% off, and yeah only on their website. I wish it could be used on Amazon also.

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#10

Not a big tent, but I’d caution you on this. You don’t really want to dump that excess humidity into your attic (mold concerns) unless you have an active attic exhaust fan.

Your plan seems solid, but temp control would be the one thing I’d be concerned about, especially if you can’t exhaust outside your closet. Good luck!

Edit to add - I’d get good ph meter and cheap EC meter if you don’t already have. And with my water source and Megacrop I always need to ph up after mixing …

3 Likes
#11

I wonder if it’s worth just putting a roof vent if I am going that far. May as well go all the way.

It’s super arid where I am so I wasn’t initially worried about it. I can leave the closet cracked for airflow, it usually is anyway and the room temperature is always between 65 and 75.

@Gpaw good to hear, that’s the way I’ll go then :cowboy_hat_face:

1 Like
#12

I’d you were growing a massive jungle I would share this concern but a small SOG and some moms I wouldn’t even worry about it.

I’ve seen shower fans that vent directly into the attic.

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#13

Around here (rural small town) I’ve only ever seen one bathroom exhaust that didn’t go straight into the attic. It’s in my main “throne room.”

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#14

Yeah, first run in a new space is always a crap shoot. I usually resign myself to the fact the first run is figuring out what all the problems are going to be, and the 2nd run is fixing them. You can anticipate issues, but who really knows until you do it.

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#15

Just for reference my 4 medium sized plant indoor only pumps out about a gallon every 3-4 days. I don’t vent to an attic but I wouldn’t worry about it.

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#16

AC Infinity has refillable filters now. Unless you plan on blooming in the house and the wife and kid don’t like the smell. You might decide you don’t need one. I’m not going to use one. I’m going to use just a LED and 6" inch manual fan and a cloudine S6 inline “if needed” when I close up the tent for 12 hours of dark. I would reconsider having a two compartment tent. Lots of choices on tents. I’m going with Gorilla I want the the double door open front and durability.

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#17

Yeah and I vent my 4x4 back into my lung room out of necessity. Many would make the same caution about doing that, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

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#18

I do the same. My tent vents back into the same room with no major humidity change.

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#19

lol, if you have crazy plants like mine, 4 plants are enough to seriously raise the humidity to 90 percent in a large room. I vent directly to outside through a blanked out window.

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#20

The serious problem develops when you have a difference between hot and cold plus some humidity. Turns out the moisture will precipitate out of the air and create drops of water on surrounding objects.

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