Newbie building a system around a ViparSpectra XS1500 light

Hey y’all, for a long time I wanted to buy a light to start seeds in late winter/early Spring for my outdoor veggie garden, but never did because I had no idea what type of light to get. Fast forward, I got this light coming & now interested in growing some weed.

If I’m in my own house but (a) don’t wanna spend a lot and (b) don’t want my house to smell like weed, what’s the minimum equipment needed for a grow with this light?

Please let me know questions that would help provide good answers.

Thanks a lot!

There are a couple grow journals from members who just won that exact fixture in a contest right here on riu. Just search your fixture and read away.

I got one for my brother, he's got a 2x2x4. Tent was too short, and the light needed to be dimmed to %75. He's got a 4inch exhaust with passive intake. Temps were fine even at %100

I'd say at minimum, a 2x2 tent, 4" inline fan and filter, a small oscillating fan that clips onto the tent pole. If space isn't at a premium, I'd go up to a 3x3 tent just so you had a little extra room to work. Just know that you won't have sufficient light to flower that whole canopy.

You can check out what I used here.

I got the light & tested that it’s working. EFFING BRIGHT! Although I tried to avert my eyes as much as possible, I’m guessing I’ll need some special sunglasses so my retinas don’t get fried.

So pros & cons to 2x2 and 3x3 tents, eh? OK.

I’ll check out the grows done with the light and come back with questions as they come up.

Thanks y’all.

A solid choice to get started - Plus it is upgradable via a simple connector wire to another - up to 20 of them.

It grows with you Reach out to @ViparSpectra also.

GL and Happy Harvest

With the 1500 a 2x2 tent maybe a 26inx26in no larger than a 32inx32in I’ve got the v1000 in my 2x2 veg tent, solid little light. Keep it simple, a basic 1 part fertilizer, like a 3-5gal pot in no time you’ll have 4-8oz of dank ass bud.

If it’s your first grow start here www.growweedeasy.com

I just helped a friend get set up on a budget. He got a mars hydro 2x4x6. I wouldn't recommend anything shorter than 6'. If you have the luxury of waiting, mars runs some great deals and promo codes on their eBay store from time to time. His tent wound up being just over $76 a few weeks ago. For ventilation we got a delumee 4" (200 CFM) variable speed duct fan/filter combo currently $118 at Amazon. Filters are replaceable at good prices. Despite their inexpensive price, I have no gripes so far. I have a 4 and 6 inch. I find the concept of integrated fan/filter a great idea. I jut wish ac infinity would do this. I have a viparspectra 1500 and am pleased with the quality and results. That said I'm going to toss a bone here. We got him two 100w lights on Amazon for around $55 each by the name of imsincere. They had good reviews as well as a thumbs up from the MIGRO YouTuber. Only gripe there is that the hanging hardware pulls the 4 corner cables to a single rope ratchet but that is easily remedied by simply getting another pair if rope ratchets. Another killer cheap light that sports 756 diodes in a 150w is by hyperlite and sells under the name of groplanner. I think they're going for $99 on Amazon now with a 50% off deal. Sadly I'm only seeing the app dimmable version at this time and not a big fan of it. My wifi is kind of glitchy and that isn't cool as in my experience a loss of wifi and the light fails to follow program. I have several manual dimmer versions and they're great. I throw all these deals out because I know how fast stuff can add up. A body can always upgrade tents, fan/filters, lights, etc. Depending on the budget, my typical MO is to save where possible without compromising much on quality of big ticket items then using the savings for the ability to purchase higher end in other areas like ph meter, clip fans, etc. This hobby can dollar one to death in short order.

Question about something on the light. Next to where the power cord attaches there’s a blue rubber capping something and I don’t know what that is. I would imagine that blue rubber would melt as the unit heats up so it would be a good idea to remove it???

Per my final setup, I want it to be very simple and modest…to match my objective, ounces not pounds. Even before I stopped smoking decades ago, I’d only take a couple hits. And the shit’s way stronger now I’m sure, depending on strain.

So I’m gonna stick with the single light and keep it simple. And safe. NO FIRES.

RaggedMike said:

Hey y’all, for a long time I wanted to buy a light to start seeds in late winter/early Spring for my outdoor veggie garden, but never did because I had no idea what type of light to get. Fast forward, I got this light coming & now interested in growing some weed.

If I’m in my own house but (a) don’t wanna spend a lot and (b) don’t want my house to smell like weed, what’s the minimum equipment needed for a grow with this light?

Please let me know questions that would help provide good answers.

Thanks a lot!

Click to expand...

Good for 1 good plant.

I’m looking for some recommendations of 2x2x6 tents, mid-range quality/price. I don’t like to buy cheap stuff that has to be replaced, I prefer a 1 time purchase, but don’t need to go top of the line. Thanks

Amazon prime has spider farmer 2x2x6 for $110. Mars hydro eBay store not to be outdone running a 24"x48"x71" for $79 if you have the space. Or a 39"×39"×71" for $99. 6' tall in 2x2 is a little uncommon.

RaggedMike said:

I’m looking for some recommendations of 2x2x6 tents, mid-range quality/price. I don’t like to buy cheap stuff that has to be replaced, I prefer a 1 time purchase, but don’t need to go top of the line. Thanks

Click to expand...

I have a spiderfarmer 4x4 tent and I love it. My buddy got the 30x30" tent and it seems to be the same quality. I'd recommend them all day long. There is a definite quality difference between them and the vivosun tents I have which if I remember correctly is reflected in the price. That said, I haven't had any issues out of my vivosun tents, it's just that the spiderfarmer is a bit more sturdy.

RaggedMike said:

Question about something on the light. Next to where the power cord attaches there’s a blue rubber capping something and I don’t know what that is. I would imagine that blue rubber would melt as the unit heats up so it would be a good idea to remove it???

Per my final setup, I want it to be very simple and modest…to match my objective, ounces not pounds. Even before I stopped smoking decades ago, I’d only take a couple hits. And the shit’s way stronger now I’m sure, depending on strain.

So I’m gonna stick with the single light and keep it simple. And safe. NO FIRES.

Click to expand...

Just a cap for the rj45 port (it’s there if you want to control the dimming on multiple fixtures) like if you really take to it and want to upsize your space

RaggedMike said:

I’m looking for some recommendations of 2x2x6 tents, mid-range quality/price. I don’t like to buy cheap stuff that has to be replaced, I prefer a 1 time purchase, but don’t need to go top of the line. Thanks

Click to expand...

Unless you want to spend $200 on a gorilla tent nobody makes 2x2s that tall. If you can fit a 3x3 most of those are 6ftish mars hydro, spider farmer and ac infinity have the best tents for the money. If you also plan on using it as a shelf I’d go with ac Infinity their bars are pretty thick and feel heavy duty, fabrics a bit denser too. I like the door setup on my mars tent(5x5)better than I did my aci(4x4)

Great, thanks guys.

I need to stick with a tent size that works well with the single light (I don't plan on multiple lights at all) and it seems like 2x2 is the correct size.

I saw the 2x2x6 Spider Farmer on Amazon. They even have a 28”x28"x63 but I’m wondering if that extra 4” of girth is worth it, at the expense of being 9” shorter. Thoughts on that?

Alternatively, what happens if I try to use 3x3x70” with this light? Flowering issues possible?

RaggedMike said:

Alternatively, what happens if I try to use 3x3x70” with this light? Flowering issues possible?

Click to expand...

You could still run it in the 3x3. You would just want to use a 2x2 section of it. The footprint doesn't really change. Of course, the bigger the tent, the less the reflectivity off of the walls will help.

RaggedMike said:

Great, thanks guys.

I need to stick with a tent size that works well with the single light (I don't plan on multiple lights at all) and it seems like 2x2 is the correct size.

I saw the 2x2x6 Spider Farmer on Amazon. They even have a 28”x28"x63 but I’m wondering if that extra 4” of girth is worth it, at the expense of being 9” shorter. Thoughts on that?

Click to expand...

If you are going to scrog your plant, the extra square footage could be utilized. The very outer buds may be a little less dense due to the light spread, but it's still weight.

Ditto on 3x3 - use 2x2 space inside to get started then have that extra space if you upscale light ( add more via daisy chain )

Now gets to growin ….