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Discussions about fluorescent, LED and other types of grow lighting for Venus Flytraps and other plants

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By bcavanau
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Joined:  Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:01 pm
#388381
Ok, many of you have seen my "trophy shelf" which is 3 ft wide, with 3 Yescom 225 LED units mounted.
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WIth all the ideas from the August indoor grow area contest, I am looking to expand, mostly because I am out of space, and plants keep showing up in the mail somehow :) .

I have identified a closet that I can take over and convert to growing space, but I am having a couple slight issues:

- Yescom 225 white LEDs are out of stock
- The closet I have is 42 inches wide (max) (so I can't use 4ft fixtures)

So, I am considering other options.

Few ideas so far...

This light, which is 24 inches wide, using 2-3 per shelf but mounting them diagonally for max coverage.

https://www.amazon.com/Barrina-Equivale ... to_dp&th=1

This light, which as far as I can tell is a Yescom/re-branded. But not sure I really want all the external drivers to wire/deal with.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353631811659

Any other thoughts? I am looking at at least 3 shelves (downward) with about 12 in from the top of the plants to the lights. On top of the top shelf an area with a couple 2.5 or 5 gallon tanks for aquatic species.

I am hoping to keep the shelves to about 16-18 inches deep, since I will likely stick to the 10x10 trays with 9 plants per tray.

Thoughts?
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By bcavanau
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Joined:  Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:01 pm
#388385
optique wrote:As far as the tanks go I am using Nicrew SkyLED+ that are made to mount over tanks with good results.

https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Freshwate ... B083ZDMMYH
Familiar with them, as I have a very similar one (same specs) that is over my 6ft piranha tank, even though I don't have it planted at all. More so having issues with what to do for the other shelves where I will have all my favorite plants not in my tent and the weird dimensions.
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By Rammplins
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Joined:  Fri Apr 21, 2017 6:28 pm
#388386
Panman wrote:I know, I have that same problem. My wife finds it mighty suspicious.
Lol. that was me a week ago. I didnt buy this one honey, I won it in a giveaway, I swear!...... According to her face I dont think she believed me.

As far as lights go, im not too sure. Not my area of expertise, but you might want to think about moving the aquatic species to the bottom of the closet. Should something happen to the aquatic tank you dont want water dripping on your brand new lights, plus if you need to move somehting in them it will probably be a lot easier. Also with all of those lights in a small enclosed space you need to think about how hot it can get in there, plan on leaving the door open with a small fan or something similar.
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By bcavanau
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Joined:  Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:01 pm
#388388
The thought of keeping the tanks at the bottom did cross my mind. I may just do that.

This room is my home office, so my PC, snake enclosure and current shelf are all in there. It keeps the room a little warm during the summer, which I keep in check by running the ceiling fan 24/7, and tends to not be an issue during the winter months. I might have to add a supplemental fan or two, but I won't know until I get it up and running.

I actually saw this small tank, thinking I can get 4-5 or more on a shelf, but not sold yet. Not sure if I want to do separate tanks per species, or one larger all species tank, or mix it up with a medium and a couple small tanks. I haven't done anything with aquatic species, so a lot more reading to do.

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/starter-k ... gid=300128
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By Rammplins
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Joined:  Fri Apr 21, 2017 6:28 pm
#388390
Unless its a show tank I personally would keep the aquatic species separate, or have a divider in a larger tank. Fumbling with a million roots to try and get a certain plant out is not fun...unless you are the type of person who enjoys untangling christmas lights.
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By bcavanau
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Joined:  Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:01 pm
#389145
Shelves are starting to come together. Still need to transfer the last three lights from my old shelf, and line the last shelf with the reflective insulation and finish up a little wiring. Also thinking I may add a small trim piece to cover the edge of the insulation, but that can be done anytime.

2, 10x20 trays fit (tightly) on each shelf, but I think they will be fine once filled with plants and water.

Just thought I would share the progress so far.
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Also picked up a 63 gallon food safe barrel with a brass spigot to connect to the RO unit in the basement...thoughts of maybe running a line up to this closet for watering, but not sure what to use for a pump yet. Need more research there. I really hate carrying water up/down the stairs.
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By Rammplins
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Joined:  Fri Apr 21, 2017 6:28 pm
#389482
Looking great! How much PSI do you have going into your R/O unit? If this is just 1 foor up from the R/O unit then you could probably drill a hole for the line, then run a T from the end of the R/O system. One line straight to the bucket for large quantities and one going up to the closet for "on tap" water, no pump needed.
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By Supercazzola
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#389547
I find that with some of my plants, they grow out diagonally from the 1020 trays… if the 1020 trays are tight now, you may not be able to fill them up nicely ( for example with a 2x4 arrangement of those white 5x5 pots Matt sells from Hydrofarm.)

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