First Timer Setting Up Small Tent for Autos

Hey there, first timer waiting for my beans from Afterthought Autos to show up. First time growing so I'm busy reading forums and watching youtube videos.

My current set up is a 2x2x4 tent with 140w-200w led (dual growmau5 pucks). I got a couple 5 gallon smart pots and as of right now, I'm thinking about following Mr Canucks Grow (youtube channel) system of planting in coco w/ added dry ammendments fed.

Right now I'm looking at fans and carbon filters. Do I need 2 fans? One for exhaust and one for intake? Would a single exhaust be able to suck fresh air in sufficiently? Also recommendations or important considerations for carbon filters? Smell control is important to me so I don't want to cut corners here.

Thanks and look forward to getting know some of you better!

Welcome to Icmag.

You are smart by not trying to cut corners on odor control. The best thing to do is buy a fan/filter combo off of Amazon or similar. For a tent that size, all you need is a 4 inch fan. The budget brand I use is iPower. They're a rebranded name brand, with lower prices. Find one of their 4 inch filter/fan combos, get some 4 inch duct, a speed controller, and you'll be set. I have a tent that size, and it's what I use.

The way I have mine setup is I set the fan, blowing upward, on top of the tent, with attached duct going downward though the port hole, then that is connected to the carbon filter, inside of the tent, which is hanging by bungee cords up at the top. Then I put lengths of duct in each of the intake port holes at the sides of the tent, near the bottom, and those are passive. No fans. Then make sure you use a fan controller because otherwise the fan will pull the air through the filter too fast. You will end up running the fan at only about 10% power, and that's okay. These fans are designed to handle the kind of static pressure that a carbon filter creates, so that's why you have to use a fan that you'll end up slowing down.

With this setup, you can keep an air cooled HPS in that tent and the temps will be only a few degrees warmer than ambient.

Hi hush, I appreciate the detailed answer, I'll probably set mine up the same. My only question is regarding the carbon filter. What size is it? Is it a particular brand or a DIY?

autos come along way think lowrider was first ever did

Hi there, my first grow was almost the same as yours, A 2x2 with 200w led and 4 autoflower plants in 11L pots (about 3 gallons). Everybody told me I shouldn't do 4 in that space but I went ahead with it. Well those 4 plants had a war for light in that tiny space and stretched beyond anything I've ever grown since.

See, your height is only 4 feet... if you get a modern autoflower that has growing vigor, and put 4 of them in huge 5 gallon pots, it sounds like a recipe for disaster to me when 1 plant in a 5 gallon pot could fill a 2x2. Maybe you will get super tall plants in a crowded area, which cannot be (or do not like to be) topped/supercropped/etc, can't have their height controlled as easily as a normal plant. And if the bud is as shit as mine was, it might even make you consider quitting growing, haha.

Anyway about the filters and fans. Heres the specs of what I used for flower in a 2x2. I also wanted to be sure of no smells.

One extractor fan. 125mm max 400m³
One carbon filter. Max 440m³

The fan I used can be dialed down and it usually ran at 50%.
I believe 125mm is the 5 inch category.
With LED I find it to be a bit overkill. But it's good to err on the side of safety. You don't need active air intake unless you're blasting higher amounts of watts. But I use active intake with a filter because bugs and all the nasty shit love to just get sucked in. The intake I use is a chepa $20 bathroom fan that I put inside of an air hose/tube or whats it called.

When I use HID what I find works well is 340m³+ of extraction per m²...

The most expensive thing in my rooms is fan+filter combo! It's one of the most important pieces of your grow. If you buy a GOOD one now that can be dialed down, you will be able to use it once you upgrade to a bigger tent, because it won't be long before your 2x2 is a veg tent and you have a 3x3 or 4x4 for flower somewhere!

The filter can last a long time. I never hook mine mine up until 2 weeks into flower, and I don't even need it then. At week 4-6 the need increases. I heard some plants can stink up the place in veg but I have not encountered it in any of the 7 strains I've grown so far. In veg I use barely any or NO extraction with lower LED and they do great. 4 week veg in a tent with just some small fans.

After my first grow I vowed I would never grow autoflowers again and from my experience I think they are truly a waste of time and money indoors (outdoors I think they are fantastic). But if you are like me you are also way too stubborn to change your ways and prefer to learn from experience so I'm saving the rant. And wish you luck and a lot of joy with the first grow!

I said it in my post: it's iPower brand. They are a rebranded name brand.

hush said:

I said it in my post: it's iPower brand. They are a rebranded name brand.

Click to expand...

Sorry about that, I did see that, but thought it was only the brand of the fan and not the carbon filter as well.

@SuperBadGrower thanks for the detailed reply. I'll was looking at variable speed 4" fans, so I'll probably go with that. I'll look for a filter thats graded similarly to your specs.

For intakes, I was thinking about sticking with passive, but covering the passive screens of with micron sheets for extra protection from critters and mold. Think that would work without an intake fan?

Oh yea and regarding my choosing autos: it's mostly due to my space and more importantly time restrictions. I got a move coming up in about 3ish months. If I am to get a run in of any kind, autos will be only thing that has a chance of finishing on time I expect.

As for size, we'll see. @arid_bud over at Afterthought Autos say the selectively breed for medicinal effectiveness over yield when given a choice. Most of the their strains seem to be small to medium, though I'm sure it varies by the pheno. In any case, I like how he represents himself on the forums, so I'm glad to take the opportunity to try some of his gear out.

Thanks for your support and patronage. Have grown a dozen or more "large" autos, tried most of the 'super autos'....they lack the potency, albeit a larger stash, than say Most of the their strains seem to be small to medium, though I'm sure it varies by the pheno.
You haven't seen our latest gear, nor grown them to know yet. Buzzy Body, 20 Gauge, Kilter, Magnum Opus are 'large'.

Use quality medium, lighting, environment. Don't concern yourself with yield. Potency is what we are known for as well as unique strains for medical.

Get to know your tent, lighting and don't quibble about size until you know what you are doing. Many a novice auto growers can botch the grow due to un necessary mistakes. Autos aren't as forgiving if stressed. Good luck! Don't over water or over fertilize.