Here's the cfl grow that my old man's got goin on. Check this out Doobs!
12 300w(output)cfl's on Y's. About 16" apart(shulda took measurements).
5 20gallon tubs(which we know now are just too deep for this set up). 4 tubs are connected, so essentially it's 1 res. 2 plants per tub, all topfed, in hydro-ton, using Techniflora stuff.
The 5th tub at the end has only h2o(& an airstone, & topfed plain h2o).

There's one big pump inside that feeds this splitter thing(looks like a sprinkler head) and thus to each plant.
2nd pic shows the easiest wat to drain this set up...with a garden hose. The tube in the middle standin strate up is the fill guage. Did I mention he designed and built it himself? Props to my Pops!!!

Youngest go in to flower on the left...and end up at the far right in the flush-tub.

1st pic is TrainWreck.
2nd pic is OrangeKush.

Enjoy!

Another look at Orange(being harvested as i'm posting these pics)Kush.
And a dried bud of TrainWreck, yes sativa heavy, and YES, that dense from cfl's...

Looking nice, props to your pops for proving doubters wrong when it comes to CFLs. I hope my next go around goes a little better with all that I have learned on my first small grow and 4 CFLs

Looks like something is working well. Nice gro!

That last tub has water and Sugar Daddy. It is not top feed, but the roots at this point do not require (post root ball photo I sent you)it does have it's own air stone though...

This all started when I paid the electricity bills for my first grow, using a 400 watt HPS. I figured the price of operation the HPS, the various exhaust fans and the extra load on the AC/Heating unit... I was amazed at the price of the axillary equipment required to support the 400 watt bulb. And then there was that gnawing inverse square law thing...

I am a non-conformist and always look for ways to do things different. Note: all parts came from Home Depot.

The twelve bulbs use 65 watt apiece, put out 300 equivalent watts in the 2700K range and cost $15.00 at HD and $20.00 at Lowes. The twelve bulbs together use 780 watts, put out 3600 watts and cost $180.00

The bulbs are connected by 6 standard light bulb "Y"s at a couple of bucks each, so that adds up to $12.00.

The 6 cords are from HD, a trouble or drop light with bulb guards (I removed) and an off-on switch in the handle for $6.00 apiece totals $36.00.

Well that's the lights for the flowering, 3600 watts for $228.00 and concerning that nasty old inverse law, these bulbs are kept an inch away from the plant, both in between and above

Oh, and one last thing, my vegging and mothers are raised under 6 23watt input, 100watt output CFLs with a color of 5000K to 6100K, screwed into 12 inch hatchery reflectors. Bright. Cost, about $72.00 for all vegging.

So far, all of the lighting has cost $300.00.

More to come...

Thanks for the kind words floger. I cannot stress this enough thought, these bulbs are fragile and as such will break easily. When working in this area, I raise them up as high... and when I make major modifications to the setup or such, I take the bulbs out. I can just unscrew the "Y" and take two out at a time, space them out on a bed. THEY ARE FRAGILE. WHEN BUMPED TOGETHER, THEY BREAK AND YOU HAVE JUST ADDED SEVERAL DEADLY CHEMICALS TO YOUR GROW, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS Mercury... AND PHOSPHORS... AND ... I am working on a protective cage to give more bulb protection and keep the fan leaves from burning. more to come... 52.