Is this a realistic idea? Newbie

[walkaway]

Right... a few years back I had a go at growing and managed something smokable, though wasn't much of a success. (Timer failure while away)

Now I've got a few items kicking about and thinking about a stealth grow with hydroponics. Now don't laugh (it has to be total stealth)... but is this project even going to have a chance...

I have a large unused fish tank I'd like to convert to a grow box. Customise the lid so it's sealed and pipe fresh air in and out through extractor fans (reduce the smell), and totally black it out from the outside. I also have 2 sets of high spec full spectrum led lights (aquaillumination hydras) from keeping a coral reef. Obviously I'm restricted by height (12" maybe) so plants would need heavy training so grow really low.

I have no bother producing pure water (again aquarium related) and can deal with water parameters etc quite easily, and have all sorts of water/air pumps kicking around.

Soooo... realistically I have a low setup cost as a lot of stuff sitting doing nothing... but realistically is this idea worth perusing? Just for a plant or two for personal use.

 

[GreenMachinee]

What if you turn the aquarium on its side so its taller than it is wide and grow one plant. Figure out a way to hang your light from the glass ceiling... idk trying to picture it.. pictures would help. 12 inches is so short...

 

[Raymont]

Ya, not a challenge I would attempt. Or maybe hempy cups..thats an idea.

 

[Daffid]

12" is super short to try to get anything viable from the plant(s) - but... If you're planning on blacking out the aquarium anyway, why not just build some sort of box to extend your upward range? Unless I'm missing my guess, you're not setting this up in the living room anyway, so a cheap box made of plywood and a 2x4 would extend you up as far as you'd like. You can still pipe air in and out through holes drilled in the ply, and a little caulk on the inside seams would easily make it light tight. Might help deaden some of the noise from the air pumps as well.

 

[walkaway]

Ok, turning it on its side could work. Just worried how the lights would cope in the enclosed temperatures. If the tank was sitting in its normal shape I could have the top of the lights open to the fresh air.

I have a total height of 18" to work with.

@Daffid - I think u get what your saying but my train of thought on that idea would be the potential for smell to escape.

If it's not feasible then I'll look at other options.

 

[Daffid]

That's a fair point and something to consider for sure. As long as you run on slightly negative pressure (you're exhausting 'harder' than your intaking) you won't run into problems with errant odor, and it won't have any negative impact on your plants.

What kind of tank is this? Is it drilled for a sump system? I've toyed with the idea of using my 90gal as a DWC reservoir. The increase in water content would (hypothetically) allow for longer intervals between water changes. A simple piece of black plexi could be made as a new lid, helping keep light out of your nute solution and giving you a place to set your mesh pots. The return side would cycle water back in, blowing it all around to ensure no 'dead' zones. There's a possibility you wouldn't even have to add air stones since you'd have a lot of surface area both in the tank and the sump for oxygen exchange, as well as the overflow/return side causing quite a bit of diffusion from the cascading effect. An inline Venturi could be employed as well.

Probably making this more complicated than it has to be, but that's what happens in the never ending quest for better buds, right?