B-52 Stealth Bubbler: Bubbleponics And CFL Stealth Experiment

craigx

Active Member
Sorry, been busy with school lately. Here are some pics of my cabinet, I'm just using CFL's now and I don't care THAT much about it. But it is a fun hobby and I am learning alot! These fuckers are growing really quickly. Can't wait to actually get some jalapenos haha.
 

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craigx

Active Member
Been thinking about how to fix my light leaks and I think I have a solution. I'm going to take out all of my mylar, prime the inside and paint 3 coats of black. Then I'll put up my mylar again.
 

hooked.on.ponics

Well-Known Member
Been thinking about how to fix my light leaks and I think I have a solution. I'm going to take out all of my mylar, prime the inside and paint 3 coats of black. Then I'll put up my mylar again.
Light leaks in the cab? I'm not sure paint would help all that much with that. Light won't go through mylar so if that's not stopping the light you would get better results by closing the gaps in the mylar.

Just my 2 cents.
 

craigx

Active Member
Well, there are lttle tabs that stick out for the shelves to sit on. They are spaced about every 6 inches vertically so that the shelves can be moved around. It sucks cutting the perfect sized strip to get around these tabs! The light does not go through the mylar, just the gaps like you said. I'm just thinking it will be easier to paint the entire inside black, and then put up mylar again. This way when I need to move the cabinet and disassemble it, all my hard work that goes into making the mylar perfect will not be wasted.
 

hooked.on.ponics

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure I understand, it seems like there ought to be an easier way to do it though.

Can you get a picture of what you're talking about?
 

craigx

Active Member
Here are some pics, the first one is of the hanging bracket on the inside of the cabinet (this is what the shelf sits on). Then the next one shows the light leaks on the outside. Basically I want to eliminate light leaks while still being able to move the shelves around. The third are my zinnias in full bloom.
 

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hooked.on.ponics

Well-Known Member
Here are some pics, the first one is of the hanging bracket on the inside of the cabinet (this is what the shelf sits on). Then the next one shows the light leaks on the outside. Basically I want to eliminate light leaks while still being able to move the shelves around. The third are my zinnias in full bloom.
Nice looking flowers you've got there. We don't get a lot of floral variety around here. It's always nice to see some other plants.

I really like your cab, and I spotted a possible way for you to fix that problem real easy: aluminum tape on the outside covering those spots that the light comes out. Of course that would make it look less stock on the outside, but it would work.

Anything like that to seal light will work inside or outside. You could duct tape cardboard to the side if you wanted to.
 

craigx

Active Member
The thing with taping, stapling, or gluing something up is that it can always come undone. I just think the paint will solve my problem, be permanent, and never let me down and never leak any light.
 

hooked.on.ponics

Well-Known Member
The thing with taping, stapling, or gluing something up is that it can always come undone. I just think the paint will solve my problem, be permanent, and never let me down and never leak any light.
Paint can flake, it's not a magic cure either. It doesn't always block light completely either.

That's why I recommend foil tape - it's the easiest thing to use that blocks 100% of light every time. I'm not saying that's what you've gotta do or anything - do whatever you like.

Just that's what I recommend.
 

budbulldog

Active Member
i actually have that same $99 cabinet in my garage, but it's full of tools, sodas, and whatever my wife finds on sale.
two things come to mind.
1. early you said u would set the air stones on the same timer as the lights. i think the gurus would tell you to let the bubbles blow 24/7. in this particular case oxygen and light don't interact.
2. interesting placement of the stones. you may be thinking the bubbles carry O2 to the roots. they don't. bubbles pop at the surface and send a tiny droplet of h2o into the air, where it collects some air before falling back into the resivoir. this makes the water rich in oxygen. notice that the pros say the net pots bottom should be about an inch above the water surface. this lets the tiny droplet grab some air, then land on the roots instead of falling right back. the roots stay wet, but it's ok because the water is so full of o2.
however, the way yours are, i would think it might achieve the same purpose as running a hydro line to the cube in other set ups.

and i have a hunch they may provide a service for the girls, acting as a vibrator of sorts, messaging that certain spot. very happy plants.

good luck with the flowers and the next time, and when it comes, you have experience to make it even better.
 
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