Newbie needs help with 5x5x tent setup

Hi rollitup peeps!

I've lurked around here for some time but am about ready to get serious with my own setup and could use some help from some of the experts here. I've been trying to get the answers to these questions from searching the forums but there is so much conflicting info the more I read the more confused I get, so I thought I would try asking my specific questions here.

Here's my planned setup:
I have a new Apollo 5x5 tent that will live inside of a large poorly insulated shed, that has a small high window right next to where I am going to place the tent. I live in Northern California where the avg temps can range from the high 50s to low 90s (F). I will be using some local clones and am interested in trying a SOG type of grow.

My questions:
1. Best light approach for this setup? I've been told 600 watt HID is perfect for a 5x5, but I've also been told I could get more if I used a 750 or 1000 gavita lamp. The tent is only 80 inches high so am wondering if that's not enough height space for a gavita?

2. Best hydroponics system for this setup? I've never used hydroponic systems before but am interested in trying one out for this grow. Suggestions for the best type of hydro system in this application would be greatly appreciated.

3. How should I handle the ventilation? I like the idea of the air-cooled hoods, seems to make sense to me to vent the lamp separately, but then if I go with a gavita that's not an option, right? I assume I want to pull air into the tent from the large shed it sits inside of at one of the low tent vents and then vent the air from the tent to the outside via the window. But beyond that I'm lost - how many and what size fans will I need, mounted inside or outside of the tent, etc.?

4. What are the ramifications of including a carbon filter? I'm not sure if I'm going to need this or not, the window I am venting out of is pretty far from any civilization and essentially goes out into the woods. But it may be worth me adding one just to keep my own property near the shed from smelling much. How does this change the fan size needed or anything else, and where is the right place to mount the filter if it gets used, inside or outside of the tent?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Using a gavita wouldnt be too high, it would be perfect in there, although you will need an exhaust fan with a carbon filter. 6" inline fan is most common with hids, i use Phresh filters that attach onto the inline fan. You will need only one inline fan, a 6" inline fan with a 6" carbon filter will do just fine, and get yourself a fan speed controller, Ventech makes some quiet powerful inline fans in the 4" and 6" sizes. You mount your inline at the top of the tent inside and suck air through the filter and pushing the air through the air cooler hood and out the tent, it is far more better pushing air through your hood than creating a suction on your hood and possibly overheating your inline fan. Keep in mind that you want to keep electrical off the floor, and water on the floor, due to fire hazards. I use a 4" ventech inline fan with a 4" carbon filter made from Phresh. The inline fan pulls in 190cubic feet a minute, and the filter's rated at 200cubic feet per minute, with that attached to the fan it creates a drag in the air flow to scrub the air passing through the filter, which goes down to about 160cfm. Which is good for my 3x3 tent set at the lowest setting cause i use led to grow. I dont know which hydro set up would be best, i grow in soilless medium(ProMix HP with 30% perlite)

Thanks for all the info AlaskanAutoGrower420, that's very helpful. I had not considered LED lights as I thought they were too expensive but I just saw some at a local grow shop that weren't so bad. How long have you been using LEDs and are you happy with them? Did they make much difference in yields or quality, or mostly just reduce cooling issues? Would you mind telling me what LED brands you think are good?
Sorry for all the questions! Suddenly I'm very intrigued by LEDs...
Thanks!!

BigBudsBruce said:

Thanks for all the info AlaskanAutoGrower420, that's very helpful. I had not considered LED lights as I thought they were too expensive but I just saw some at a local grow shop that weren't so bad. How long have you been using LEDs and are you happy with them? Did they make much difference in yields or quality, or mostly just reduce cooling issues? Would you mind telling me what LED brands you think are good?
Sorry for all the questions! Suddenly I'm very intrigued by LEDs...
Thanks!!

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No no, there's no stupid question at all or anything like that. I switched over to led a year ago, far more better with heat issues. I was always around 79-84 degrees with hids, now im down to 74-79 with lights on. Im currently using a full slectrum GalaxyHydro 300w that uses a total of 135w of actual power from the wall. I yielded 6 ounces off of one plant on on my last grow. I yielded alot more than my 400w hid light, i only gained an ounce and a half with it per plant. Im much happier. Buy them from Amazon, much better prices than the hydro stores locally. My led costed me 135 dollars, pretty much a dollar per watt. Which is great, cause the galaxyhydro stores ask three times as much. I'd stay away from advanced platinum led, as they are made for ceilings around 9-10 feet. Some good leds for cannabis are; galaxyhydro, black dog led, marshydro, vipar led, apollo leds(older models as the new models are discontinued), all top quality leds. Go with the model i have, you'll be happy you did. I have the non dimmable versions, too many bad reviews on the dimmable version about it not dimming down.

I use 2x600 watt hps lights with 5x10 gallon smart pots in my 5x5 tent. This is a vertical grow style.

7 feet u need 8 feet for 1000 gavita I would 2x600 with wing 100% light were if use hood 80 to 90% of light. And then 2x6 inch fan with filter u may use a smaller gavita I thing they brought out new 600 or 650

Sounds like your probably going to run into heat issues in this shed. I would go with a 8" vortex inline fan with a speed controller and a duct silencer right before the window. Create a box around the window to attach the duct to and and an 8x24 carbin filter on the other side to Exaust the shed itself. Then use a 6" vortex fan with a controller also for the tent with a 6x12 carbon filter on it. Leave the flaps open on the tent for a passive intake keeping negative pressure on tent.
The larger fan for the shed should really help keep temps good so that the air your tent fan is pulling through the tent is cooler.
Right now I'd recommend getting 9 Area 51 w90s at 4000k. This will cover 5'x5 of lighting, has a spectrum that will do good in all phases of growth, and has brackets to connect all of the lights into one fixture. The way if one goes bad, you still can keep growing. These will run you $1,378.12 but you can earn this amount back after the first harvest, keep your temps way down, and make electrical consumption go way down also.
I'll have 6 of them here soon and will be posting up pics.
Good fan speed controller link attached

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006NGI8VS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1449204479&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=variac+fan+controller

I run 2 1000's with a 13k Btu AC blowing in with a passive exhaust...hooked up some CO2 and scrog em out

2x 600 in hoods wont fit well in a 5x5. Go with one 1000w air cooled hood. Vent it seperate with at least a 6" inline. So ducting puuls air from outside the tent across the light then out of the tent.

Then all you need to keep heat under control is a 4" inline...

Gquebed said:

2x 600 in hoods wont fit well in a 5x5. Go with one 1000w air cooled hood.

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2 x 600's will fit fine in a 5x5.

600's are also more efficient than 1000's IIRC

beanzz said:

2 x 600's will fit fine in a 5x5.

600's are also more efficient than 1000's IIRC

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Must be really small hoods then? I couldnt make it work....

Your tent height is fixed. As is its square footage. They are what they are. A nice space to work with. Plant height and/or numbers on the other hand are controllable. I would run a air cooled 1000 DE and start tuning things in from there,

Gquebed said:

Must be really small hoods then? I couldnt make it work....

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When you say you couldn't make it work, what do you mean? I'm confused, are you talking about height? I mean obviously you can't be talking about actual width and height that would allow for a couple hoods because 5ft x 5ft is plenty of room.

I ran 2 x 600's in a 4x4 a few years ago and it worked great. I have also run a 1000 and a 600 in a 5x5 and that also worked great. I'm also wayyy up in the mountains, dunno what the heat may be like for you or OP.