Quote Originally Posted by Corey B
Ya I am planing to start with two grow beds and one raft. I was thinking about taking the water through the beds then drain them into the raft and then overflow back into the fish tank. Is this a viable set up or should I just flow strait into the raft. I was thinking with the raft as the last step before going back to the fish tank It would keep the sediment and stuff to a minimum.
Also does anyone have a good resource for lights and where to buy them online. I would like to go with a nice T5 set up but can not find them in my area. Lots of T8 but I hear those will not work that great. Has anyone used this place http://www.hydroponics.net/mc/8 The Prices seem very good for what I have seen but I do not want it to be to good to be true and get scammed and lose way more then the price difference.
Everything for you here is about cost and maximizing your dollar to get the largest system possible to grow food for your family.

T12 bulbs and fixtures are the cheapest. Both badflash and I have used the 4 foot 2 bulb shop light fixtures with bulbs and it works very well. I have used 40 watt bulbs with 5 fixtures to get great growth from a 2 foot x 4 foot area. I was growing peppers. Lettuce may have a lower light requirement. Keep in mind these are not particularly high Calorie vegetables. Anyway, that gives you 400 Watts and 32,000 Lumens (for reference only) per 2' x 4' area. I have tried using the 32 Watt bulbs because I was trying to be cheap, but I set up 2 side-by-side systems with the same everything except the lights and the plant growth was noticeably different.

The 40 Watt bulbs are $1.50 a piece locally for me and the fixture is $10. I used simple 1x3 white lumber and some screws that go through metal sheeting to plump it all together. A few hooks and chains to hang it. It comes with some hooks and chains, but you may need extra depending on your setup. Total cost should be around $65 for a 2' x 4' area. If you can beat that cost, please share!