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I plan to set up a Zip Grow vertical system with 3 ft towers and 100 gallon fish tank. I am perplexed about how to do that lighting. Is anyone aware of a vertical lighting system that would be appropriate but not break the bank account? I could as an alternative lay the Zip Grows on a slant, but that seems to negate the advantage of the Zip Grow space savings.

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It's a cinch Brian. If you get your ballasts from a decent company (like Fullham...say, the Fullham Workhorse series) you can call them if you need any instruction details (they have pretty good customer service)...but really wiring these things is pretty basic stuff...

Below is a generic 'typical wiring scheme':

If you get the "shunted version" of the 2g11 base, you literally just shove the stripped portion of the wire into the hole. There is a tiny grab mechanism in there to hold the wire in place (no tiny screws needed)...

(these images are not mine, though I have done this before...tutorials and wiring diagrams abound...on the net)

Yeah, don't lay your zip towers vertically...kind of negates the purchase IMO...


Brian said:

I like that idea. Now I need to figure out the DIY part. That is my weakness.

Our could I use something like these?  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NANKFHW?psc=1 The strips are 19-5/8" long.

It has 5 strips and including power supply it's $35.

Paul,

I did contact Zip Grow yesterday. They recommended the LumiBar LED's: http://www.lumigrow.com/products/lumibar-led-strip-light/ I like that suggestion, but they are horizontal lights and not vertical. I have yet to find a picture of anyone using these fixtures vertically, but I haven't spent a great deal of time looking yet.

One thing is for sure though...I am not going to even consider for a second the idea of spending $750 to light 3 ZipGrow towers in my basement. That is definite overkill for me.

Brian


 
Paul Braun said:

Have you tried emailing the ZipGrow folks? I'm sure they have a few ideas.

They have people growing in shipping containers, so one would need a good lighting solution there.

Hi Brian, 

I wouldn't bother with those El Cheapo strips from Amazon that you linked a few posts up...

Wow...$750 for the LumiGrow huh?

I think I will explore the DIY options you posted Vlad. I always try to go "plug and play" first.

I have been experimenting tonight with the three T8 fixtures I already have on hand. I can hang them vertically without too much trouble. I think I may just start out with that approach.

4160k T8s can work, at least if the plants are less than 6" away. I start many of my plants under those.

Hey Brian, if those T-8's are powered by a magnetic ballast (not a digital one) you can "over-drive" them to get a lot more light out of them. The modification is called ODNO (OverDriveNormalOutput). It's simply involves running multiple leads into a single tube. I think I wrote about how to do it somewhere on the forum...but have no idea where that would be now...

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Overdriven-Normal-Output-ODNO/18/

http://www.aquariumlife.net/projects...ighting/47.asp

Yeah, the LumiBar is super pricey- there are a few other LED options out there but they're not as user friendly.  It's actually why we use T5s so much- they're inexpensive and they work really well considering the price.  For 3 towers that's what I'd go with.  

Vlad- I'd never even heard of over-driving T8s.  Very interesting.  I have a bunch in my basement I should try that on. . .  Brian, as soon as I post this I'll upload a photo of how we use the LumiGrow Pro 325s.  The LumiBars are really nice, but pretty pricey per watt. . . 

Brian said:

Paul,

I did contact Zip Grow yesterday. They recommended the LumiBar LED's: http://www.lumigrow.com/products/lumibar-led-strip-light/ I like that suggestion, but they are horizontal lights and not vertical. I have yet to find a picture of anyone using these fixtures vertically, but I haven't spent a great deal of time looking yet.

One thing is for sure though...I am not going to even consider for a second the idea of spending $750 to light 3 ZipGrow towers in my basement. That is definite overkill for me.

Brian

If you check out pictures of our light kit for Springs, that will give you an idea of what you can do with flourescent bulbs, if you need to use something else- like a more traditional light, note that they're easy to hang.  We use the LumiGrow Pro325s- they work really well, but they are definitely not a wallet-friendly option in the short term.  We really only put them in when we expect them to be run for 20 years.  We just put them on brackets and then run them back and forth between racks on light movers.  Pretty simple but really effective.  Here are some pictures of how we set them up.

Attachments:

That's sure a snazzy looking set up Nate. And 20 years sure beats the hell out of having to change out fluorescent tubes every 6-7 months. Hope the price on that technology eventually comes down a bit.

Yeah, try the ODNO thing, T-8's seem to be the 'sweet spot' for that sort of thing (as opposed to T-12's or T-5's...I think that some of the VHO-T-5's come over driven straight from the factory...basically).

*edit: Electronic/digital ballasts DO work for the ODNO mod. It was my old style magnetic ballast that melted :)

Yeah Vlad- 20 years is a long time not to have to bother with bulb changes. . . I think the pricing is going to be coming down here very soon. Keep your eyes out-there are some interesting things happening in the LED horticultural lighting industry. We're already starting to see the pricing come down. . .

I'll try the ODNO thing- Noah will get a kick out of it. I think you're right, the HO T5s are overdriven, but I'm not sure. I know that those things are bright compared to traditional T5s. We use them a lot in our educational setups.

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