Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I been rigging some 4' Led lamps on the back
porch converted into a 7' x 11' grow room.
(16) to be exact, @32W EACH plus (6) par38
@ 16watts a piece (grow lamps).
Not knowing a lot on the subject of lighting, I came across this site

https://californialightworks.com/blog/u ... on-levels/

which seems to be a good resource if you're
wondering if your grow lights are working as
good as they should. And offer some direction
for any changes you may make.
While surfing all the different jargon associated
with light emitting diodes, One of my findings
are 'Full Spectrum' ready made grow lights is
nothing more than a sales pitch.
I'm not going to buy ready made for 2 reasons
which coincide with one another. Cost & effectiveness for my space.
Does anyone have preference, experience, or
knowledge on which diodes to use, colors, Angle or otherwise?

I'd also like to point out my choice for reflective foil.
I'm seldom sold by market hype. Which is a good
thing because I gather 'grow room foil' or ready
made G/R booths aren't perforated. Which would
have put a strain on my ventilation. So I chose
construction vapor barrier. It's perforated every
1/4" - 3/8" and nylon woven making it strong for years to come.
Pardon my confusion, this is pretty deep for me

Up next Upgraded vertical garden biofilter

_________________
David does not beat goliath. Goliath beats himself

If you didn't learn something one day, You didn't do anything that day.
A2Z

Call me stupid only when it applies. After all,I am human I think

It seems that the growlight arena is a rapidly expanding one in which it's hard to know who or what to trust. All I know is that standard 15-20 watt e27 household LED light bulbs DO work. I have had good results with these and kitchen foil for reflectance. I doubt it gets much more basic and low cost than that, and I'm speaking from experience. White light for veggy greens, warm white for flowering. You get more light intensity if you pull the plastic globe diffuser thingy off.

Here’s an interesting study from Kentucky State University on the effects of different lights on plant growth.

Evaluation of different artificial light technologies for indoor aquaponic production of Bibb lettuce, Lactuca sativa var. capitata, and compact basil, Ocimum basilicum var. Genovese

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jwas.12860

Thanks for all replies. They're much needed as I jump through (some times trip) over 1 hurdle after another.

Hasty decisions DO come with a bite!

One thing I discovered is the importance of a sterile environment so not to upset the delicate balance.

I also know once you've achieved this, maintaining is easy. And that sometimes getting there will take some figuring out.

_________________
David does not beat goliath. Goliath beats himself

If you didn't learn something one day, You didn't do anything that day.
A2Z

Call me stupid only when it applies. After all,I am human I think

I was having the same experience untilmy next catastrophe 'got hit with black mold not once but twice' which got me to wonder about my choice of lights.
I just used what I had on hand for the most part.

Made a few subtle changes, added a blue par38 since then.

Thanks

_________________
David does not beat goliath. Goliath beats himself

If you didn't learn something one day, You didn't do anything that day.
A2Z

Call me stupid only when it applies. After all,I am human I think

I'll check it out shortly

Thanks so much

_________________
David does not beat goliath. Goliath beats himself

If you didn't learn something one day, You didn't do anything that day.
A2Z

Call me stupid only when it applies. After all,I am human I think

Here's the info I've been searching for. It pretty much
sums up what you'll need when
purchasing ready made, or going custom. Looks like I
need a ton of blue & red and maybe down the road loose
some of the 'white' light. I often wondered if
24 four footers was over doing it. Just so happens a few
days ago I picked up a 'near UV' lamp even
though there was some opposition by store employees.
Now I need to find near infrared..NI

Not sure if anyone here can use this or not, but it sure
answered all my questions.

https://www.gardenmyths.com/led-grow-li ... -spectrum/

_________________
David does not beat goliath. Goliath beats himself

If you didn't learn something one day, You didn't do anything that day.
A2Z

Call me stupid only when it applies. After all,I am human I think