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Enclosure
Glass tanks with screen lids are very bad for ball pythons, you would be looking at getting a tub set up (using a rubber maid/sterilite /iris tub & soldering or drilling holes into the sides - here is a good tutorial of setting that up ). Or you would be wanting to get a PVC enclosure. I have an Animal Plastics T8 for my ball python, it did take about five weeks for it to show up, though. So if you want to go this route, plan way ahead. The tub route is cheaper, but takes more DIY skills. The PVC cage route is more expensive, but very aesthetically pleasing. To make a glass tank work, I suggest covering three sides with foam board to help insulate, and covering most of the screen lid with saran wrap or foil to keep humidity in.

Humidity
A ball python needs at the minimum 60% humidity. This is incredibly difficult to achieve in a glass tank with a screen top. A tub or PVC enclosure makes this super easy. Humidity should be measured on the ground with a digital hygrometer. The stick on humidity gauges that pet stores hawk are often inaccurate and can cause serious injury or even death if they come unstuck from the wall and stick to your snake. I use this two in one hygrometer / thermometer.

Temperature
Ball pythons need a thermogradiant w one end at between 88F and 90F & a cool end of 78Fish - the ambient temperature should never be below 75F, & should be around high 70's. In a tub or a PVC enclosure, you will want an under tank heater - heat tap, heat mats, heat pads. I recommend the flexwatt that you can get with the Animal Plastics enclosure or the ultratherm from Reptile Basics. If you have trouble keeping the ambient up in the PVC enclosure, you may want to get a radiant heat panel, which installs to the ceiling of the enclosure. For a glass tank, you will probably need a ceramic heat emitter installed over the cage to keep ambient temperatures appropriate. CHE gives off no visible light. Red lights are often given out like candy at PetCo/Smart places as good ways to provide heat at night. They are not. Ball pythons can see red light, and it messes up their day/night cycle. I don't have recommendations for CHE because I don't use them.

Thermostats
Any & all heat sources you have for your BP need to be controlled by a thermostat. Failure to appropriately control your heat source can lead to it quickly becoming 120F & injuring your snake. I highly recommend Spyder Robotics Herpstats. You can get larger ones w more probes so that you can control all your heat sources w one unit. They have a ton of good safety features & a lot of people on this sub can answer any questions you have on them. The cheaper ones are around $100ish. If that is too much for you, there are a lot of people who use the Jumpstart thermostats, but they have less safety features & can wear out quickly. They also make a loud clicking sound periodically. I cannot stress this enough, this is not a place to cut corners. You need a thermostat.

Thermometers
I already linked to my recommended combo hygro/thermometer. This thermometer is great because it has a small probe to measure "outside" temperatures. I use this probe to measure the floor on my warm side (I hide it on the ground under the substrate so I know the absolute hottest place my BP can get to). I place the unit itself on the cool side, so I know all my temps & the humidity on one unit. You will also want an IR thermometer gun (there might be better recs than this one). This is good for spot checking temperatures without moving around probes & also checking the temps of the prey items.

Hides
You want at least two similar, enclosed hides. Half logs are NOT suitable, they are too open & they stress out the BP, as they can't watch both ends at once for a predator. Some of the best hides are these ones from Reptile Basics. They are enclosed on all sides with just a small entrance. They are dishwasher safe & also very cheap. You want them to be similar if not identical, so that the snake does not have to choose between feeling safe & thermoregulating. You will want one on each side of the temperature gradient. Feel free to add more that are different for diversity in the enclosure. I also have some fake vines/leaves in mine so that she feels more invisible. Go to a craft store or the fish supplies for these, the ones marketed for reptiles are way overpriced.

Water dish
You will want a water bowl that is large enough for the BP to soak in. This should be changed daily, as they like to poop & pee in their water. You'll want something sturdy as they like to tip them over. I got some crock dishes from Reptile Basics. You don't need any water treatment for the snakes water unless you treat water for yourself. If you tap is safe for human consumption, it's safe for your snake.

Feeding
BP's eat every 5 - 7 days as hatchlings and yearlings, as adults they can go longer. BP's are NOTORIOUSLY picky eaters. The ideal IMO for a BP is a proper sized rat fed either pre-killed or frozen/thawed. I feed frozen/thawed rats from Perfect Prey. Just a heads up - they ship with fiber glass insulation & dry ice. I try to open the packages outside so my cats don't get into it. They come in freezer bags and I just store them in my regular freezer. If even one thing is wrong in your husbandry, your BP will likely not eat.

How Much To Feed
The feeding amount depends on the weight of the BP. You will want a digital kitchen scale - you can get one cheaply at any box store. While under 750g, you want to feed about 10%-15% of their body weight about every 7 days. Once they are in their second year you want to feed 7%-10% of their body weight, after they are in their third year, you want to feed about 5% every 7 to 14 days. I document all feeding days and the weight of the prey in my google calender.

You should be weighing your snake at least once a month to track how much you should be feeding. You should not disturb or move or handle your snake for at least 48 hours after feeding.

Frozen / Thawed
I get the rat out the night before the day I want to feed. I put it in the fridge. About two hours before I feed, I get it out of the fridge and put it on the counter to get it to room temp. And then I soak it in a zip lock bag in warmish water (I use a temp gun to get water around 110F) for about 20 minutes, and use a temp gun to make sure the rat is around 100F, and then I run the head under running hot water until its 110F. The head of the prey should be warmer so the snake has a target. I then use tongs to move it around in the enclosure to mimic it being alive. She (usually) strikes pretty quickly. If she doesn't, I leave it in overnight, and throw it out in the morning if she doesn't eat it.

I prefer frozen thawed cause I can buy cheaply in bulk. It's also safer. As BP's get bigger, they require larger prey - and rats have sharp teeth and sharp claws and can seriously injure your snake.

Myths of Cage Aggression
You do not need a separate cage for feeding it. This is a myth. The best way to reduce stress at feeding time is to feed in their regular enclosure. This minimizes the risk of regurgitation.

Substrate
Stay away from aromatic woods - such as pine. A lot of people like to use coconut husk, unprinted newspaper, or paper towels. There are pros and cons to each. I like paper towels, they are cheap and easy to clean up messes with. I use PVC enclosure so I don't need a substrate that helps with humidity like coconut husk. This should be spot cleaned whenever a mess is made. Aspen chips can mold super easily so not really recommended. If you have a chip type substrate and are worry about ingestion of substrate while feeding, put a plate down before hand.

Shedding
Hatchlings shed more frequently, but you should expect regular shedding. Usually the most visible sign they are about to shed is them getting cloudy or "blue" eyes - just google image search for "ball python shed blue eyes". Once they "go into blue" you want to leave them alone as much as possible. Check in on them to refill their water & make sure their humidity is correct, but don't handle or disturb them while they are shedding. You will probably see them remove their skin about a week after they go blue. Right right before they shed, their eyes will clear up, but don't be fooled - if you haven't found their old skin they haven't shed yet. Once you have their old skin, you will want to remove it & inspect it. You might need to moisten it, but unroll it (there might be a poop in it) carefully & look for eye caps and make sure the whole skin is in one long piece. Then inspect the snake for any stuck shed. Don't pull off the stuck shed, but soak your BP in some warm water & it should come off mostly on its own. Stuck shed is usually a sign that humidity is off - so try to identify ways to increase humidity.

Yes, if you needed to cover a larger area/footprint, then 2 x 600ws would make more sense, but in a single tent it would be overly complex, crowded and expensive. The small gain in light and yield (if any) wouldn't really justify doubling the expense and hassle IMO. A 600w will make plenty potent product ;) Again, it's 90% in the genetics. So long as the plants gets sufficient light, food and water the genes will do the rest. The key is to not get in its way.

All lights, including HPS, have an ideal range from the plants at which they work best. Generally, it's within 18-24" of the tops. As a result, if you have a 4 foot tall plant the top will get good light, but bottom will suffer. For this reason, various training methods (SOG, SCROG, FIM, LST, etc...) have been used to even out the canopy and put all/many of the tops close to the light source in a single, uniform layer. As long as the bulk of your tops receive light within this ideal range they'll be fine. Any closer and they may get damaged by the intense light and heat and farther and they may loose density and take longer to ripen. Many fellow microgrowers actually use nothing but CFL/Fluorescent lights and get very good results.

There is no magic formula or way to guarantee yield. Never let anyone tell you differently. However, there are some rules of thumb. If you can get between 1/2 -1 gram of cured bud per 1 watt of HPS light that's good, but there's A LOT of variation in there, and much of it depends on matching just the right strain with just the right growing method in just the right environment. So, when they say a 1000w "can" make a "pound" (16 oz), that is an idealized figure. Sure, it "can" be done by the pros using various whiz-bang hydroponic set ups and lots of fancy fertilizers, etc...,but not always easily or very reliably due to all the many variables involved. They aren't "lying" per se, but there's always fine print. If you have the time, money and patience to invest into it, almost anything is "possible", if not probable.

In terms of harvesting, remember, plants are 70-80% water, just like us. As they dry and cure, they're going to shrink considerably and loose the vast majority of their weight, just like tobacco, dried herbs and mummified pharaohs. If you've ever cooked fresh spinach, you'll know what I mean. You can watch an entire bag of leaves wilt into a pile the size of your palm in just seconds as the moisture evaporates in the pan. Of course, we need this to happen so the buds can burn, but we also want it to happen to concentrate the aroma and flavor too (ie "cure"). For these reasons and more, you start to see why good weed costs as much as it does, especially considering it takes months per cycle and you have to grow at an almost 10:1 ratio! If you want a single dry, well trimmed and cured ounce you'll need to grow about 8-9 "wet" pre-trimmed, ounces (that includes the fan leaves, stems, other bits, etc....) :/ It's kind of depressing the first few times you harvest, but you learn to anticipate it eventually and plan accordingly. It's also why folks can't/don't stay "micro" for very long.

The good news is that if you're legal you can grow presumably grow outdoors in which case you can literally grow "trees" that will produce 10-15 POUNDS each and still only count a "1 plant" !!!! They would be 20 feet tall and would take almost a month to harvest, but it can and is done all the time (r/trees). Of course, outdoor come with its own challenges, but the rewards can be HUGE.

As for nutes, there are gozillions of brands, but they all do the same thing. The main difference is in hydroponic vs. organic systems. Hydroponics are like sci-fi steroids and the results can be AMAZING, but there's lots more equipment and noodling around involved and when things go bad, they go bad hard and fast. Soil/organic grows are generally easier and more forgiving, but usually don't yield as much. You'll have to decide which you prefer. The "benefits" nute manufactureres espouse are again, mostly marketing. While there are some very expensive nutes (ex: Advanced Nutrients) they're not really necessary and seem to work as well as any other. I run an organic set up, so for small set ups like ours, I use GeneralOrganics GoBox. It only costs about $40 and has everything you need for veg and flower. I can usually get 2-3 cycles (veg and flower) per box. Considering it lasts for +6 months, $40 is pretty cheap. Other companies make their own kits too, but the GoBox is probably the most common/popular. Just follow the directions on the side and you'll be good to go. It's basically all I use and I have no plans on changing.

http://www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-Box-Starter-Kit/dp/B004PS4B08

I'm not sure about the mechanics of becoming "legit"in Oregon, but my state will hopefully be following suit soon too (hopefully), so let's hope we both figure it out. One key is finding a robust, fast growing, large producing strain and the growing method it prefers (hydro v. organic). Every grower has their favorites, so I would ask around in your area, but Blue Dream, Girl Scout Cookies and just about any Kush variety perform well indoors and seem to be very popular and readily available on the West coast.

Hope that helps.

your BP isn't just thin, she's emaciated. you need to put some weight on her, but you need to do so gradually. you also really need to feed her f/t before she gets injured by live prey. if your enclosure is meeting her needs, and you're not causing her stress by handling her unnecessarily, she should eat f/t for you just fine. i guarantee she wasn't eating f/t at petsmart because she was stressed due to poor husbandry.

i'm going to dump a TON of information on you. some of it may be redundant, some of it may be useful. first, three detailed care sheets, a tub setup tutorial, and product recommendations to cover all types of enclosures. then i'll give you a breakdown of how i handled my emaciated BP, simultaneously putting weight on her safely and switching her from mice to rats. you'll fine more generalized feeding tips in the third care sheet. read everything thoroughly, then come back with any questions.

since i don't see any mention of what your enclosure is like, i'll start with this: glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. it's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link.

• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-the-basics-and-then-some
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-common-problems
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-feeding
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.
  
  now for a suggested feeding regimen. if your BP will genuinely only eat live right now, you can safely start her on appropriately sized rat pinkies/fuzzies/pups. if their eyes haven't opened yet, they won't be able to bite her hard enough to cause injuries. once she fills out a little and can more comfortably skip a few meals, you should start working on switching her to f/t.
  
  at the time of rescue, my BP's weight was 140g, meals were one fuzzy mouse with an estimated weight of 5g, meal schedule was "once every few weeks". here's a breakdown of the meal sizes, schedule, and switch from mice to rats i used. this is all f/t, so dealing with live will be a little different.
  
  
• week 1: settling in.
  
• week 2: one fuzzy mouse, 5g, ~3% of BP's weight.
  
• week 3: two fuzzy mice, total 8g, ~5%.
  
• week 4: one fuzzy mouse, 5g. one rat pinky scented with the mouse, 5g. total 10g, ~7%.
  
• week 5: BP weight 155g. one hopper mouse, 10g. one scented rat pinky, 6g. total 17g, ~10%.
  
• week 6: one adult mouse, 14g. one scented rat pinky, 6g. total 19g, ~13%.
  
• week 7: one fuzzy mouse, 4g. one scented rat pup, 20g. total 24g, ~15%.
  
• week 8: BP weight 160g. one scented rat pup, 24g, ~15%.
  
  i continued scenting her rats for another couple of months, but that was more because it was easy [i have a corn who eats mice] than it being necessary. she was readily eating unscented rats within five months. a couple years later, i usually don't even have to warm up her rats beyond room temperature, though she does require some dangling with the tongs as she won't eat anything she hasn't "killed".

TL;DR warning

Are you willing to invest in some tools? Do you like Five Guys? (skinny burgers) The fastest burger procedure that I know of is Kenji's Ultra-Smash technique, which makes a pair of thin patties in no time. Takes about a minute per burger (two patties with cheese). Details here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/03/the-food-lab-maximize-flavor-by-ultra-smashin.html

You can also do a regular smash burger, which is thicker (McDonalds-thin), but takes longer (~1.5 minutes per side, about 3 minutes total per burger):

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-burger-lab-smashed-burgers-vs-smashing-burgers.html

The advantage of the ultra-smash is that it's super quick & you can toss a piece of cheese to melt between two patties, so you can pump out a ton of burgers in no time. You will need a few tools, namely:

1. A metal cooking surface
   
2. A hi-temp heat source
   
3. A smashing tool
   
4. A high-quality spatula
   
5. A scraper (if doing ultra-smash)
   
6. A cheap IR temp gun
   
7. A cheap digital kitchen scale
   
   It's not rocket science, but getting a proper setup will let you have a workflow that makes cooking for a crowd a breeze. I have a big extended family, so I cook in bulk a lot, but I also use this for just my immediate family because it's so fast to get setup. There is an up-front investment required, but everything you'll buy will pretty much last forever, so it's worth it if you like to eat burgers!
   
   So the first two things you need are a metal cooking surface & a heat source that can pump out a lot of heat. I don't recommend a regular grill because they simply don't get hot enough; you need 600 to 700F to do this. You can either do a compact setup (a 2-burger surface with a single burner) or invest in a quality flat-top setup (more expensive, but lets you do more burgers at once). The ideal surface to do this on is a Baking Steel, which is very expensive. There are knockoffs for cheaper, but I like BS because they have a Griddle version with grooves to catch the grease:
   
   http://www.bakingsteel.com/
   
   You can also do it with cast iron. Lodge has a griddle for $25:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LDP3-Double-Reversible-Griddle/dp/B002CMLTXG
   
   If I'm just doing a single regular smash burger at a time, I use a 12" cast-iron pan. $28:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cast-Iron-Skillet-L10SK3ASHH41B-12-Inch/dp/B00G2XGC88/
   
   If you do get into cast-iron, read up on this seasoning procedure (i.e. the way to keep it smooth & slippery without Teflon). It's a bit of a pain, but it's worth learning because anything you buy in cast-iron can be handed down to your kids because it lasts forever:
   
   http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
   
   You will want a heavy smashing tool as well. I have this massive 2.5-pound cast-iron press. It fits inside the 12" pan above (but not the 10"). $13:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Update-International-Heavy-Weight-Hamburger-Commercial/dp/B002LDDKZ6
   
   If you plan on doing ultra-smash burgers, you'll need a scraper. This is the one Kenji recommends, but you can probably find something locally: (Home Depot or Lowes)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Plextool-Wall-Paper-Stripper/dp/B00AU6GQLQ/
   
   Anyway, getting back to the cooking part: you'll need a hi-temp burner. I like Bayou Burners, they sell them on Amazon. I have an SP10: ($50)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ
   
   I use that with my 12" cast-iron pan for when I'm just doing a few burgers for the family. 15 minutes = 5 burgers. You can also slap a flat surface like a cast-iron griddle or Baking Steel on that puppy. Also comes in a square version (not sure how the BTU's compare). I also have some KAB4 burners that I use with my Baking Steel, among other things. More expensive, but larger shell & burner: (more even heat over the cooking surface)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-KAB4-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B0009JXYQY/
   
   For cooking more at a time, you can get a cooktop. Blackstone has a 36" cooktop available, but it doesn't get very hot (don't get me wrong, it's an awesome tool, but I've had trouble breaking 500F on mine, which means you're not cooking 1-minute burgers on it, plus the heating is kind of uneven, so you have to work in the hot spots for faster cook times). Also comes in a slightly smaller 28" version (but it's only like $50 less, so it makes more sense to get the full-sized version because you get so much more cooking area). The nice thing with this setup is that for $299 (or a bit less if you shop around at places like Cabela's), you can cook like 20 burgers at a time, it's absolutely insane! I make epic breakfasts on it. Plus it folds up for transport, which is really handy. We use it for all of our family events & holidays:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYN0438
   
   A better version is from Tejas Smokers. They make camping stove carts that have burners built-in & have griddles available separately. They get super hot, downside is the cost: you can easily spend $700 on a nice setup.
   
   https://tejassmokers.com/Camp-Stove-Carts/23
   
   Oh yeah, Blackstone did just come out with a compact outdoor griddle which can run off those little one-pound green tanks if you want. They go for around $99 ($79 if you have an Ace Hardware near you). I have not tried this, but it gets good reviews. I'd be curious to see what kind of temperatures it can achieve:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Blackstone-Portable-Griddle-Outdoors-Camping/dp/B0195MZHBK
   
   So that's a basic introduction to the cooktops: you need some kind of decently-sized metal surface, a hi-temp burner, a smashing tool, and optionally (but recommended) a scraper. You will also want to get a strong, high-quality spatula. A good one is $32:
   
   http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/equipment-the-due-buoi-wide-spatula-my-new-fa.html
   
   Available here:
   
   http://www.duebuoi.it/x/uk_usd/catalog/p/spatulas~805-16x10.html
   
   If you opt for cast-iron, get an infrared temperature gun (doesn't work too well on shiny metal surfaces like steel tho). $17:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-1080-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/
   
   A cheap digital kitchen scale is useful too, for measuring out the proper amount of meat. $14:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Kitchen-Capacity-Stylish/dp/B003E7AZQA/
   
   This collection of tools ensures that you have the proper workflow: a metal surface to cook on, the ability to bring the surface to a high temperature (and know what that temperature is for precise control), the ability to weigh your meat so you can pre-measure out what you need, the ability to smash the burger down, and also to properly scrape it off. Again, it's not rocket science, but if you have a wussy grill or a crappy surface or weak smashing/scraping tools, you're gonna have a bad time. You just need the right setup to pump burgers out fast!
   
   So on to prep. For ultra-smash, you do a pair of 2-ounce ground beef balls. In the tutorial above, they use a mix of meat for 25% fat. I just grab some regular 80/20 ground plus some salt & pepper. For regular smash burgers, do a single 4-ounce ball (optionally 5 ounces...useful if you have a big cooktop for a bunch of burgers at one time & are only doing a single patty per burger). The nice thing is, there's no special prep required for the meat, so you can make all of your burger balls ahead of time. If you have 10 people & are doing ultra-smash, let's say half of them get 2 burgers, so 15 burgers total, or thirty 2oz balls. If you have 20 people & are doing regular smash, again with half getting an extra burger, that's 30 burgers total or thirty 4 or 5oz balls. So that takes care of prep...adjust as needed. If you're feeding mostly dudes, you'll want to add more seconds (and thirds) to the equation.
   
   There are a variety of buns you can get. Crap buns will make for a crap burger. See if you can find potato buns or brioche buns. Those are pretty soft. Buns aren't overly hard to make, but I have yet to find a decent recipe that takes under 40 minutes, so I usually only doing fancy home-baked buns for my family rather than a crowd. Buying 5 or 10 pounds of ground beef & making smash balls out of them will take you all of ten minutes, but making buns can take forever. Here's a good recipe if you want to try it out tho:
   
   http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/light-brioche-burger-buns/
   
   Or this, if you wanna get crazy:
   
   http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/fresh-cemita-rolls-mexican-sandwich-burger-bun-bread-food-lab-recipe.html
   
   Or this one, nom nom nom:
   
   http://amazingribs.com/recipes/breads/brioche_hamburger_buns.html
   
   But eh, just hit up Sam's/Coscto/BJ's and buy some hamburger buns in bulk, problem solved. Or find a local bakery that has good rolls. There's a good shootout of buns here:
   
   http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/the-burger-lab-whats-the-best-bun-for-my-burger-taste-test.html
   
   (continued)

Red light isn't good, you'll want a heat mat (MAKE SURE you have a thermostat for it or it will get too hot) and possibly a ceramic heat emitter (also needs a thermostat) for air heat. What are the temps and humidity and how do you measure them? Glass tanks usually don't hold humidity well and often aren't good for bps. You need at least 2 good hides, one for each side. They should be snug and enclosed with only one opening, preferably identical, half logs don't work.

Someone should come by with a really good care sheet, read it, it has some great info. I know this might be a lot of information, but having a good setup is important and will save you headaches in the future.

Edit: I found the care sheet. Credit to u/_ataraxia.

Glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. It's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

• the basics and then some
  
• common problems
  
• feeding problems
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. They have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.

Here's u/ataraxia's classic link dump I found on a other post. Although the informstion is written for bps (most common snake people have trouble with it seems- mostly due to the humedity) but the suggestions could definitely help you for the humedity aspect needed for your boa.


You should definitely read it through.

i'm going to dump a bunch of helpful links on you. the first three links are detailed care sheets, then a tub tutorial, and the rest are product recommendations. read everything thoroughly, come back with any questions.

glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. it's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-the-basics-and-then-some
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-common-problems
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-feeding
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.

I highly recommend you read the below information. Guaranteed that you'll be completely redoing your set up after reading all of this.

Credit: u/_ataraxia

The first three links are detailed care sheets, then a tub tutorial, and the rest are product recommendations. Read everything thoroughly, come back with any questions.

Glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry, due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. It's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. Wood enclosures can also be suitable, if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. I'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-the-basics-and-then-some
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-common-problems
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-feeding
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.
  
  If you set up a good enclosure, and the temperatures and humidity are correct with no special treatment, the most work you need to do is feed every 1-2 weeks, spot clean the substrate and clean the water dish as needed [once or twice a week], and do a full enclosure cleaning every 1-6 months.

This is my first time growing, so please feel free to critique/rip into my setup, as I really appreciate all the help and knowledge! I actually ordered my seeds from JAHseeds a year ago, but never got my shit together enough to actually do anything with them.

 

I do want to take a quick moment to thank u/AFK_ing for the seeds first, as they were actually gifted to me for free. I placed an order on a whim one night, and then completely forgot about it. Turns out that JAHseeds never ended up depositing the interac transfer I sent them, so it inevitably expired. I had forgotten about the order completely, when out of the blue one day I received a letter in the mail complete with 12 free seeds and a handwritten 'apology' letter. This absolutely floored me, and left me feeling super warm and fuzzy inside. I've been cherishing the seeds up until now, so I'm really really happy that I can finally bring them to life :) Anyways....thank you JAHseeds!

 

Onto the setup! Currently running:

 

2x alibaba 240w QB

 

Promix HP + 2inch layer of worm castings on the bottom

 

Strain is The Best My seeds are not feminized however, so still unsure of sex.

 

Right now they are in 1 gallon pots and I'm planning on moving them into 7 gallon fabric pots when the time is right.

 

I kinda went ham one night and bought the entire GH nutrient lineup (including all the additives....) so I'm planning on sticking to their schedule (halved) throughout the grow. I know I could have done without a lot (most) of them, but yeah it was still cheaper than buying an Oz from the LP....Currently only feeding them water.

 

The tent is a GA 48x48x80, with a Vivosun 6 inch duct fan and carbon filter

 

Holmes Lil' Blizzard fan (this thing moves a lot of air)

 

I originally had a smaller tent so I started out germinating 3 seeds by dropping them in a glass of water for 36 hours. After they all popped, I planted them directly into coco pots. At that time I decided to change to a larger tent, so I dropped 2 more seeds into a glass of water to germinate. 36 hours later one of the seeds had popped, but not the other. I planted the one that popped, and left the other in the water for another 12 hours. At this time it still hadn't popped, so I just dropped it into a pot with the others. The one that never popped didnt end up coming through the soil until about 2 days ago (I was actually just about to give up on it). It's the tiny coco pot in the middle. Pretty sure it's gonna be a retard plant but whatever, I'll give it some love and care. Don't tell Justin. The nice healthy plant on the bottom right is the other seed that I germinated with it at the same time.


 

 

Close up shot 1

Close up shot 2



 

 

 

 

tl;dr i love you all

I am a bot programmed to automatically provide the following content by /u/_Ataraxia when summoned. Link to the most recent version of this content here

The first three links are detailed care sheets, then a tub tutorial, and the rest are product recommendations. read everything thoroughly, come back with any questions. Let /u/_Ataraxia know if any of the links don't work.

Glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. it's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

Ball Python Care Guides

• the basics and then some
  
• common problems
  
• feeding problems
  
  Set-up Recommendations
  
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. some popular brands include animal plastics [most recommended], boaphile plastics [i personally have these and like them], reptile basics, and vision cages, though you'll find many more with a quick google search. many people will use a tub at first and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter[CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as pro products [most recommended] or reptile basics.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.
  
  Copypasta version 7/24/2018 (c) /u/_Ataraxia
  
  I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

Ok. Im sorry I don't have a book or a source because I was forced into this whole situation and had no time. I had to ask on forums and look on google, and perform the results the very next day. So now I have a little knowledge that grows every day by just asking around here on Reddit and on cruisers forums because Im out living In the moment lol.

This is a diagram I made of my electrical set up. I made it to ask a question to experts so a few crucial labels are missing to make it a complete beginners diagram in my opinion.

This is my solar Kit by RENOGY

These are the best batteries to get for house/cabin use and for solar power These are the ones I and everyone hopes to afford. I have 4 (lesser known equivalent) 6v batts, all brand new from Orileys, paired and converted into 2 beefed up 12v batteries. Mine will do the job, maybe last 5-7 years but Trojan T-105s last a life time.

Next is where I got the "Know how" from some forum posts.

• Here is when I first got my boat, and asked about what kind of batteries to get. I almost made the mistake of buying a big tractor battery before the guys on this forum set me strait, and they provided lots of helpful links and explanations.
  
  
• This is a new thread I made recently asking about advanced knowledge of electricity from batteries. I can build and set up the whole system properly, but I have no idea what the numbers mean, so these guys helped me out with that, again.
  
  Finally, here is a AWESOME detailed explanation of battery power, and solar power from a redditor who actually used my own setup as an example.
  
  
  
  With the right equipment, about 400 watts of solar power, 6 to 8 6v batteries. A 250-500watt wind generator, a working engines alternator, and a back up 2000 watt honda generator you can go on with your every day life using free energy. With care you can maintain your batteries health, and your own energy consumption in conjunction with the solar panels, or have a costly back up of a gas generator or the boats engine alternator to beef up your batteries and make sure they never go down. You can also invest in a water maker that turns sea water into fresh drinking water. Our unit can turn 38gallons of sea water in one hour.
  
  With all that in mind, your only expense is food/propane gas for the boat or generator and clothing. Anchoring is free anywhere and most marinas have anchorage spots close to their docks so you can get into town quickly. also some cities have free public docking, so living on a sail boat is pretty cool once you have built a complete self sufficient system. we have USB modems that use 4G signals to provide internet, or we can use our big wifi antenna to reach open wifi signals from a mile away, so gaming and Reddit is possible anywhere we go, especially if we can afford to buy some 4g data for the month.
  
  Im interested in this because I already have one solar panel and 4 batteries. I eventually want to have 2 big 250 watt solar panels that will make up a total 500 watts, and I want to have 8 6v batteries total.
  Instead of getting a AC inverter, I can switch everything I use to DC power supply, like a laptop, Wii U, Fan, Fridge to save power, and even more so if I upgrade my computer to run more efficiently.
  Ive alredy replaced EVERY SINGLE LIGHT with little LED bulbs, even my navigation lights and mast lights. I can turn them ALL on and my volt meter doesn't drop a single volt and its freaking amazing how little they draw.
  
  Ive come to realize that I can realistically save and continue to build off my current system, instead of struggling to sustain a "normal" lifestyle with bills and rent. $200 here and there, one new solar panel this month, two more batteries that month, and before you know it, you have spent less than a years worth of bills and finances, only this time its a permanent solution that no longer requires a yearly or monthly bill.

First of all. It's very good you recognize that you need help in learning how to care for the snake.

Second, here is a big link dump created by another regular user u/_ataraxia all credit for this goes to her.

the first three links are detailed care sheets, then a tub tutorial, and the rest are product recommendations. read everything thoroughly, come back with any questions.

glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. it's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-the-basics-and-then-some
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-common-problems
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-feeding
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.

If you could post a picture of the whole plant and describe the potting medium, estimated hours of direct and indirect sunlight, and your watering schedule, it would be really helpful for making constructive recommendations for this guy.

The usual base line requirements for these guys are lots of light, temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and well draining potting soil. All three of these factors are indicative of these plants being native to Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Enough sun means as much as you can give them, appropriate temperature means not letting the plant stay below 50 degrees for an extended period, and well-draining soil means adding amendments like perlite, pumice, or other small stone like bits. All of these factors combine to allow the plant to get enough but never too much water. Following these general guidelines will keep them from waffling in and out of dormancy (or worse, dying from either frost or root rot), and once you get a feel for what your plant needs, you'll both have a good time. Everybody has their own interpretation of these guidelines, and after a while, you'll be able to gauge the individual needs of your adenium by sight, touch, and other intuitive means.

Personally, I keep my adeniums in full sun for several hours a day from March until the end of October. I can get a way with this because I live in Florida. But, since we do get a handful of light frosts during the winter, I keep them in a makeshift greenhouse with growlights until the weather seems to have completely turned. My potting mix is a combination of humus, coco coir, pumices, and a variety of other bits of mineral substrate. Because my mix is mostly mineral, I fertilize using a product called dyna grow, using about half the regular dose every time I water, which is about once every 10 days. This works for me because of the climate here gets really hot in the summer, and despite being humid, the soil drys out pretty quickly. Like I said above, you'll get a feel for what works best in your environment, and for me, I usually let my plants decide when they need water by gently squeezing the caudex. If it is firm, I hold off on giving them water, and once it has a little give to it, I completely drench the pot.

To embark on your goal of making your adenium "bushier", you'll need to aggressively prune these two long branches down to the desired height. There are several helpful online guides for doing this without too much stress. Pruning will promote the growth of multiple new branches, and will cause caudex enlargement to speed up moderately. Owing to the fact that you're in zone 4b, I'd wait until late spring to do the pruning. After pruning, ease up on watering for about a week or two, and put it outside on days when the temp gets into the 60's. Be careful not to put the plant in direct sunlight for too long until it has adjusted to direct sunlight. To ease into this, start by leaving it somewhere with bright, indirect sunlight, and slowly move it into full sun for longer and longer periods each day. Since it probably won't get warm enough to set this guy outside full time until around June in your area, I'd suggest bringing it inside at night until summer really kicks off and the threat of chilly nights subsides. Alternatively, and what I personally would do in your climate, is buy a decent, but relatively inexpensive, grow light. I have have a lot of success with this light .

Be warned, adeniums are extremely dramatic plants, and often drop all their leaves for what may seem, to you, to be only slight disturbances. Such events include, temperature change, repotting, and sometimes for no reason at all. Don't panic, these are extremely resilient plants that, in a few years (maybe even less) will reward you with some of the most beautiful blossoms you've ever seen.

You're getting started on a really exciting relationship with this little guy, and I wish you the best of luck. If this leads you to the addiction most of us here suffer from, you'll soon want more plants. I have a ton of seedlings going right now, and if you decide you want to raise one, I'd gladly send one your way.

u/ataraxia has amazing information for ball pythons. You should definitely read it through. Glass tanks are not ideal for Bps, so this should help. Here is her normal dump of information I took from another post.

i'm going to dump a bunch of helpful links on you. the first three links are detailed care sheets, then a tub tutorial, and the rest are product recommendations. read everything thoroughly, come back with any questions.

glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. it's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-the-basics-and-then-some
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-common-problems
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-feeding
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.

Sounds like you were getting outdated or flat-out incorrect information and those 'experienced snake owners' are likewise misinformed. There are very few snakes that legitimately have evolved to thrive on sand-based substrate (irony being the Sand Boa is not one of them; they live in sandy soil which is very different composition than straight sand). The Ball Python is native to the svannah/jungles of Sub-Saharan Africa. Its dirt, soil, and burrows. Not a majority or even significant amount of sand.

Additionally, if I extrapolate correctly from this singular picture, your BP is also in a glass enclosure and has a log-style hide. The former makes keeping humidity in the 55~80% range a difficult exercise, and the latter, is a stressor as BPs do best with a hide that has a single-entrance or is cave-like; the more points of contact, the better, and a single entrance means they can feel safer.

I'm going to steal _ataraxia's ball python dump and toss it below:

i'm going to dump a bunch of links to get you on the right track. the first three links are detailed care sheets, the rest are product recommendations. read everything thoroughly.

glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. it's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-the-basics-and-then-some
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-common-problems
  
• http://reptimes.com/ball-pythons-feeding
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.

Reposting the famous u/ _ataraxia info:

Glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. It's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

• the basics and then some
  
• common problems
  
• feeding problems
  
• here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  
• pvc reptile cages are ideal. They have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  
• spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  
• heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  
• a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  
• a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  
• a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  
• an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  
• these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.

VIVOSUN 48"x24"x60" Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent with Observation Window and Floor Tray for Indoor Plant Growing 2'x4' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DXYMQ9M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dx13BbGGT8164

VIPARSPECTRA Reflector-Series 300W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum for Indoor Plants Veg and Flower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B4GQ6MO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Hz13BbPVVN2TK

This light is good for 2 plants but you’ll eventually want to add a second for your tent. You definitely can’t fill the tent with just this light, but it’ll get you started.

iPower 2-Pack 1/8 Inch 8-Feet Long Adjustable Heavy Duty Rope Clip Hanger, Reinforced Metal Internal Gears,150lb Capacity https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WIOEDA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wA13Bb58ZJ5GD

Century 7 Day Heavy Duty Digital Programmable Timer - Dual Outlet (Indoor) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVF16JG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XA13Bb9NQJDG1

Comfort Zone CZ6C 6-Inch 2-Speed Clip-On Fan (White, 2 Fans) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JLUZSPC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.E13Bb05JK7B1

247Garden 5-Pack 3 Gallon Grow Bags/Aeration Fabric Pots w/Handles (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013JM3JAI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VG13Bb7MGJS2R

https://www.oregonsonly.com/samples/

These are great nutrients and basically foolproof. This free sample kit will get you through 4 plants full grows. I love these nutrients and even now use them in a reservoir (which people claim you can’t do but works great).

Dr.meter 0.1pH PH002 High Accuracy pH Meter/pH Pen Tester with ATC LCD 0-14 pH Measurement Range (PH002 pH Meter for Water) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PU0W35K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fI13BbNRES1BK

That will get you started on your first grow or two. I recommend auto blue mystic from nirvana for your first run. They are very low smell while growing so you can get by without a carbon filter. They’re autos so you can leave the light on 24/7, and they finish fast. Also turns out a great finished product.

https://www.nirvanashop.com/marijuana-seeds/815-blue-mystic-autoflower.html

Less than $40 for 5 seeds and very discrete shipping.

When you have a bit more $ you can add on additional items. Eventually you’ll want to upgrade to PFD sun boards or quantum boards, but you’ll probably want to get a fan and filter first:

6" Inline Fan - 395 CFM Exhaust Duct Fan, Built-In Speed Controller, ETL Listed, Pre-Wired 6 FT Grounded Cord - Great Use In Grow Tent With Carbon Filters, Light Fixtures, Intake. Fits 6 Inch Ducts. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L0D0UEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TM13Bb5170NC1

Activated Charcoal Carbon Filter 6" x 16", Up to 400 CFM, Premium Grow Tent Odor Scrubber, 1.8" Extra Thick Layer of Top Grade Activated Australian Virgin Charcoal-Great for Hydroponics and Growing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0VN4I5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qN13BbEH9AG9W

Maybe you can upgrade to a 2x4 tray with reservoir so you can automate feeding.

If you don’t want autoflowers you can just do 12/12 from seed for faster harvest. https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-how-to-grow-cannabis-from-seed-under-12-12-lighting-n330

But I really recommend doing the auto blue mystic for your first round or two.

Hey, I JUST came off building a setup and it cost me $750 total. We have 3 plants in there right now. I have the entire list with amazon links or store suggestions.

Item| Price | Where To Buy
---|---|----
Tent| $95| We bought this one, I don't know if it's worth spending a lot on anything more expensive. For a smaller option I just got a second with good reviews but can't vouch for it yet.
Lights/Hood/Ballast| $140| I got the 600W set, but 400W would make cooling MUCH easier and still get a big yield. For LEDs at similar price, Viparspectra 300W x2 or a single 600W eliminates need for extra cooling potentially (not included here, we used fans from around the house)
ph Test+Control Kit | $25| GET THIS. The water must be pH'd properly for your babies' health.
Cloth Pots| $20 | These are better for aeration, water flow, training, etc. Cheap and reusable too.
Nutrients | $50 | I got the Fox Farms Trio, but there are many good options out there.
Fan + Filter | $150 | This is huge and might be overkill for you. Make sure whatever you get fits your tent vents (This one fits the Apollo tent above with 6" vents).
Ducting | $20 | Connect fan to filter, to tent, to wherever. Might want multiple sizes, check tent vent sizes.
Foil Tape, Metallic | $10 | Here. Metal Duct tape is best duct tape.
Fan Speed Controller | $20 | Useful for if you do get a fan that is slightly overkill!
Fox Farms Ocean Forest | $15 - $40 | You can buy it online and I did for my first 3 bags....then I found it in a local store for $15. There is some controversy with FF lately, it's not organic FYI. There are tutorials on making your own soil if you care, but I like this because I didn't have to use nutes for 3-4 weeks.
Humidifier | $30 | This is the exact one I have. We're in winter so I need it to keep humidity up, you may not.
Dehumidifier | $40 | There are plenty for this much. You may not need this either.
Cal-Mag | $20 | I haven't needed it yet but it's best to have on hand if you do!
Seeds | $75 | I bought from Attitude, chose stealth, and bought like 15 seeds?, so it was expensive. You can get seeds for less.
Jiffy Pellets | $10 | Used to start seeds. There are other options.
Total | $745 | If you buy all this stuff, you have potentially even more than you need to get started, with room for 3-4x more plants than these boxes, and with nutrients to last you for a long long time!

Hope this helps! I'd hate to see you drop so much on it when you don't need to at all.

I can recommend the grow light I own, this 300W one, I love it to death honestly. I will warn you that the goose neck growlights also found on Amazon are not very powerful at all, they're usually what first comes up when you search for them so they're often bought. But many people on this subreddit don't recommend them because they're so weak. These types of bulbs (and these ones) will also work but usually need multiple pointed on the plants to achieve good results, a reflector/deflector usually helps with the bulbs, too. These lights also work very well but are rather large and work better for a bigger collection. Succulents can handle heat, not like super excessive but they will be fine in like even the 100's F as long as they're not being burnt to a crisp from the sun. It will just dry their soil out faster which isn't a bad thing honestly!

If you do move them outside make sure it's in the shade for the entire day, putting them into more intense light suddenly can burn them. They need to be introduced to more light gradually so they can become used to it slowly. This usually means an hour or two max in gentle morning sun before they're moved to a shadier place for the rest of the day and letting them get used to that schedule and amount of light for a few days before increasing the amount of light they receive and again letting them adjust to the new increase. It can be quite a hassle and there's much less need for it when putting them under growlights I've found, they don't burn they just get stress color very very fast. But even being out in the shade outside 24/7 will be much brighter than indoors even if it's still not enough light for them.

They will definitely feel loose, that's totally normal. Once they establish their roots into the soil better they'll be much sturdier. For now if you need to hold them up with stakes or some rocks around the base of the stems to keep them from falling out or being wobbly that's totally okay. They should feel more secure after their first watering but will still be somewhat wobbly.

Welcome! Happy to help :)

Uhh. No, it so can't. It has 100Ah capacity. Rule of thumb for 12v DC to AC conversion is 1 hour @ 100w AC draw = about 10A being pulled from the DC battery. 1000w would run it flat in one hour. Likely much less since that would be a very high discharge rate for such a battery and that generally reduces capacity.


While I admit I don't have a solid answer to your original question in my response I do need to express interest in why you're set on the goal zero platform? They are laughably over priced. The Yeti 1250 is 1600 bucks in Canada, and it's not a generator at all. It's a 12v Absorbent Glass Mat battery with 100Ah capacity, with a 1200w pure sinewave inverter and a Maximum Power Point Tracking solar charge controller. It's all stuck in a box with some connections and a nice display. It doesn't come with a solar panel to charge it at all either.

That 100Ah may seem like a lot, but it's not. Especially considering you shouldn't really discharge a lead acid battery more than 50% So 50 amps a day is all you can pull. About 2 an hour. Depending on the duty cycle of your fridge that's it right there. I'm a big fan of 6 volts for dollar/Ah, and you can grab two T105 Trojan batteries most places for 300 bucks. They are good batteries and can take a lot of abuse. I also like USBattery, and have picked these up in Alberta for 100 each. http://usbattery.com/products/6-volt-batteries/us-2200-xc2-lf/ that's 230 Ah for 200 bucks. My last load test on a pair of heavily abused ones that are about 6 years old now still pull just over 100A before 50% discharge. I can't argue with that quality. That leaves us with 1400 bucks to play with, and more capacity to run things from. Since we saved money on storage, I'd spend the money on a good inverter like this. Naturepower and Go Power should be avoided, but might be available a lot cheaper so by all means take the risk if you wish. That's 1500 watts vs the 1200 from the Goal Zero package. So we now have 800 to spend on a charge controller, a box, and 12v output/input options and a box. A box could be simply constructed with plywood and scrap 2x4's and could probably be sourced in any nearby alley. Charge controllers can be had for very cheap or for a little more depending on your requirements. The charge controller in the Yeti appears to be able to handle 20A, so our 13 dollar and change controller above works. Even factoring wire, nuts, bolts, crimping supplies and the time to build it all you're going to be coming out with 600 bucks in your pocket for solar panels. The Yeti doesn't even come with solar panels. They want TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS for 30w in Canada! Unbelievable! Another 30 bucks gets you more than 3x the charging potential. It's also in a nice aluminum frame suitable for reinforcing and adding hinges for portability should you want to pair it with another with all the money you're saving. There is absolutely no way you'd get me to support their over priced gear when it can be done so simply and cheaply on your own, all with better results.


Edit: the specs on the 30w panel say 2A output max, so they're only 24w peak. That extra 30 bucks on a real panel gets you (barely) more than 4x the charging potential. To max out the 20A capabilities of the Yeti 1250 using 30w panels would cost you 2000 dollars for 10 panels. Two of those 100w panels would be 460 dollars and cover just over 80% of that capacity. But why stop there? We saved 600 bucks, lets buy another pair of batteries for 200 to increase our capacity to 460Ah.
With over 4x the reserve you STILL won't be pulling 1000w for a few hours. Just about though, you might get 4.
My favourite part about this is I hate going retail and it's STILL cheaper to piece it together doing it that way. I could find a better inverter used thanks to the used marine market out in BC, for less, I could source a few used batteries after a load test for cheap. I could DIY panels for cheap using epoxy and reclaimed aquarium glass. About 80c a watt materials included. In Canada that's amazing for a single panel.

All Goal Zero prices were from here http://www.goalzerostore.ca/


The only opinion I can give you with pellet stoves is they are VERY expensive and installation is semi permanent, your landlord might even have to get different insurance if there is a stove pipe jammed out his roof. He's probably not going to be happy with having to duct the cold air supply in either. They are also equipped with hoppers for pellet storage, how long you intend to run it and what model of stove you get depends on how often you have to fill it. They are also electronically controlled, so it will need to be constantly plugged in for the auger to feed pellets into the stove to keep the fire going or between a specific range of temperatures. You want to do this for a month and that's a lot of effort for an experiment. You could probably get away with a propane heater of some kind, along with the appropriate detectors for safety. I wouldn't advise on running that unsupervised at all, and it's not going to be appropriate for cooking like a stove would be.

You may like the science of light post, also accessible via the sidebar.

Also, no, lumens will not always help you. More is typically better, but they're not what we use to help people find a grow light.

Firstly, i will assume that your sempervivums are definitely etiolating; let you tell you straight out that these are typically outdoor plants and that even under a grow light, unless it is strong, they will become leggy and flared out. If the grow light is good enough, they'll close back up and produce webs(if its an arachnodeium). However, lights these strong tend to be a bit more expensive.

​

I have been told that the Feit bulbs available via Amazon work well as grow lights. You'd need a gooseneck lamp or something else to hold them. I've never used said bulbs, so if you purchase them and find them lacking, please let me know so i can stop suggesting them. I use this, but you said you're looking for a supplemental light, not an exclusive light source(Note that this is more then enough for sempervivums and they're happy under it).

Some people use T5 or T8 fluorescent bulbs - if you decide to do this, purchase HO(High Output) bulbs, with a color temperature around 6500K. Typically, you want 3-4 bulbs, and they need to be /somewhat/ close to the succs. This is typically for a rack of multiple succulents. Lastly, try to avoid purchasing the $20 two/three armed grow lights on Amazon - they are typically VERY weak(not strong enough to prevent echeveria etiolation) and are prone to failure. I'm aware this probably doesn't answer all your questions, but i feel like this post is getting a bit long - if you need further help, feel free to reply and i or someone else can answer!

​

EDIT: I'm just gonna add a little bit as i just noticed your bit on spectrums. I find that 'spectrum' lights tend to perform better then led lights which only use red and blue(blurple). I'm not sure if plants utilize infared light, but i have seen that lights which bother to include it typically perform much better - of course, these lights also include multiple other types of LEDs, and so i'm not quite sure.

CFL's are not great but i've heard of people doing full cycle grows on 100-150 true watts

she wouldn't get massive but you could def veg her long enough to put her outside.

don't look at the equivalent wattage, you need draw wattage atleast 35w per square foot. Those are probably 13 or 23 watt bulbs. If you really want to go CFL do your research, I'd suggest 6-8 23W 5000-6500k CFL bulbs for veg.

again though it might be worth it to buy a proper light and ditch the CFL, the only time CFL is really viable is if you already have the bulbs/sockets and can DIY rig everything together into a frame/box if your time is worth minimum wage you'd probably best buying a light like this

89.99 USD https://www.amazon.com/Roleadro-Spectrum-Function-Generation-Flowering/dp/B01I4NY8KW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538516694&sr=8-1&keywords=Roleadro+LED+Grow+Light+Full+Spectrum+400W+COB+Lamp+with+ON%2FOFF+Switch+and+Daisy+Chain+Function%2C+2nd+Generation+Plant+Light+for+Flowering+and+Veg

I bought this light first go around, its not great. its not very efficient and really only pulls 165 watts for the cobbs since rest is used for active cooling, its actually a shit chinese LED but itll outperform those CFLs you got by a lot and will suit your needs just fine, I think they have a 2-3 year warranty, you could prob veg 4 plants under this thing if you want to get them like 24" before putting them outside. I did 2 bushed under it and they're doing pretty good.

I topped mine so many times and made them into a bush and right now they're about 3-4 ft one has 8 tops other has like 26 tops, its crazy. pretty tall bushes with a good canopy, mostly grown under 1 of these lights and I later added 2 better brand higher quality component LED's when going into flowering, Right now I am about to enter week 6 flower tomorrow and they are doing great.

Normally I'd be yelling at you to get a proper QB or cree cob setup but since you just wanna grow 1 plant in veg until outdoor flower I think it'd work fine and not break your bank. I think they useCxa3070 cobs, which are not the greatest but they'll work.

be aware it can run a little hot compared to a proper cob kit, ventilation will be a must.


if your budget is a bit more I'd get a 100w kit like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XFNXLBK/ref=twister_B07D368BM3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


these are plug and play use top quality components meanwell drivers and cree cob cxb3590 used amongst most DIY builds and I know for a fact 1 of these 100 watt will veg 8 plants to 24" no prob.


I'd really suggest investing in the quality stuff and avoiding the cheap chinese shit.

The kratky method is a great beginners method to get into hydroponics. I currently have about 30 plants all doing the kratky.

General Hydroponics is a good brand and mix of nutrients. Its simple to use and doesnt require a scale to mesure stuff out. Use a tablespoon to measure stuff or a syringe.

Buy the PH up/down from GH too but be warned you will need to dilute it first or youre in for a fun time trying to correct your PH. (let me know when you get to this step and I can give better directions.

Get a simple PH tester. It will make your life a lot easier. Once I figured out that adding nutrients to my water brought my PH to around 5.9 I stopped testing everytime. (but i recommend that you do use it everytime)

You DO NOT need to grow in soil first, but like /u/BroposkisRump said you can just be careful washing off the roots. GOTO the youtube channels mentioned on check out Khang Starr's video first.

Some advice:

• Kratky is BEST for leafy plants like basil, lettuce, kale, etc.
  You cangrow those with no effort.
  
  
• Make sure all containers are opaque to prevent algae growth.
  
  
• Get seedlings and sprouts under a grow light to prevent stretching!!
  
  
• If you live in anything but a hot climate you will want a grow tent to grow peppers over winter - And a grow light - Get a digital timer and give your plants around 16 hours of light (you can get cheaper ones but I am showing you what i bought)
  
  
• Get 2 inch net pots and a 2 inch hole saw for your containers
  
  
• A fan on your peppers will help make then thicker and stronger plants and may help polinate them. You can also shake your plant ( thats what I do)
  
  
  Thats all I got for now. Once you understand this method try hydroponics using a different method as well.
  
  

you’re right. the superiority complex is definitely the internet in general. i have met a couple super nice people. someone even sent me the break down of how to DIY my own light system. my girlfriend bought me this light for christmas. (only fair since i’m growing for her, ha. i can’t even smoke because of work.) the way my closet is set up there’s a shelf so, it’ll be perfect and easy to hang the right distance away. the PPFD graphic is which? the circular one? wait those say PAR value.

i have seen the posts and also on amazon while i was looking at lights. a lot of them said “newer model available” and just had 2 larger white bulbs. they were also two and three times the price. i figured one light should be okay for 2-3 plants. this way i can use the smaller 75W CFL for tiny clones/seedlings. i was reading reviews to see how it works for other plants, too. obviously since it’s nearly winter i had to bring in all my catnip. plus, i have a garden in the spring so it’ll also be great for my veggies, too.

marijuana is one of the few things that’s fun to learn about because in the end you have a pretty decent reward. well, growing anything in general is. it’s a lot of fun. i also had no idea growweedeasy was put together by a woman. that’s awesome. that’s my go-to site right now. that and this. i’ve spent hours upon hours just reading. with legalization and technology it’s constantly changing and there’s always something new to learn.

I just bought this light and it is the best light I have owned but it's more expensive and not what I started out with.

For someone starting out I would get something like this which is 300 true watts or this which is around 260 true watts. Both are going to make your closet hotter so you may have to get an intake/exhaust fan but they will give you 10x better yield. I have grown with both of them.

I also have a few of these which will still be way better than what you have currently however these blurple lights get a lot of flack from people and weren't my personal favorite. But for $59 right now on Amazon that's a pretty good deal for 165 true watts.

Here's my first grow doing what you are doing

Here's my second grow using the lights I suggested

Edit: If you think you are going to get into growing and take it serious in the future get the light I linked first. It was around $150 after shipping and it takes some diy to put together but it will run way cooler than the other lights and is 15x better than any of the Amazon lights for $50-$100 more. If I could go back and do it again I would get rid of all the Amazon lights and spend the money on some nice quantum boards.

Hi, this is simple if your expectations are in line, and unworkable if not.

If you want to run devices that heat or cool with electricity, such as coffeemakers, hotplates, A/C, toasters, hair dryers, etc., you will not make your numbers or anywhere near them. Give that all up. There is a reason whole-house systems cost $30-40k, it is heating and cooling.

Now for the awesome: IT WORKS. I ran 30 feet of LEDs, a laptop, a small but nice stereo, a PoE wireless antenna, a wireless hub, iPhones and iPods, 18v DeWalt battery packs, a fan — plus whatever I am forgetting — off of 2 x 100W solar panels and 2 x 100Ah marine cells for ten weeks. I went dry twice, but with a fully charged laptop, stereo and phone.

First you must go ahead and do all the math of your usage, because we are are still at the stage where we must all do all the math, and math is good, but when you are doing all the math to the third significant digit, and looking up the model of that rechargeable flashlight you like for its charging amperage requirements, maybe say fuck it and start with half that; one beefy panel, one solid battery. You could easily add another panel and battery later.

As to wiring, your charge controller will have connections that include a legend where to hook up your batteries, panels and inverter, so easy peasy there. See the link below for an example. I recommend spending the extra on an MPPT controller, which converts some of your extra juice (the 12V panel below can run almost 19V) that normally is dumped when charging into increased amperage of the charging current. Do the math of your expected load, it's possible you will want a 20A. If it doesn't include fusing directions, go online and find a schematic of where to add inline fuses that, if that are not included, you will get at the auto parts store.

YOU WILL WANT TO DO THE MATH on wire sizes. There are calculators online. For your small setup, the important run is going to be between the battery and the charge controller. This is where the fires start. If you think you will EVER add another battery dig deep and wire for it.

For inverters, I feel better about everything by getting a well-respected pure sinewave unit. I run a Xantrex 600W in my 4Runner and a Cotec 350W for the solar, and they feel bulletproof. You could save a ton, and maybe in this case you should, by getting a cheap modified sinewave one and seeing if it meets your needs. Either way they will have outlets on them, so you don't need to wire it further.

Also, no SLA batteries inside the vehicle unless properly secured, sealed inside, and vented outside.

I also recommend the /r/vandwellers subreddit, it is excellent. This comes up there a lot, although this is the better place for the question.

Solar panel:
http://www.amazon.com/RENOGY-Monocrystalline-Photovoltaic-Battery-Charging/dp/B009Z6CW7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417553121&sr=8-1&keywords=100W+solar+panel

Charge controller (10A likely okay, do your math, I got the 20 amp)
http://www.amazon.com/Tracer1210RN-Solar-Charge-Controller-Regulator/dp/B008KWPGS6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417552788&sr=8-2&keywords=mppt+charge+controllers

Invertors:
http://www.amazon.com/COTEK-SK350-112-INVERTER-OUTLETS-CABLES/dp/B006W9IPA0

Not a bad price on that kit. Personally I pieced together my own, using a Renology 100W panel and a cheap Mohoo PWM controller, and what you're looking at looks pretty comparable for a comparable price.

To try and actually answer your question, though, here's a fairly quick run-down of how to roughly size your battery. I'll use my own situation as an example; I have a small popup camper my wife and I use in the boonies, nowhere near power, for days at a time. This will assume you're using decent quality, sealed AGM deep cycle batteries, not the garbage RV/Marine "deep cycle" batteries, which are not true deep cycle, just slightly tougher starting batteries.

First step is actually the hard part, the rest is easy. You need to know what you want to run, how much power it draws, and how much you want to be able to run it between charges. That sizes your battery. Finding the current draw on your items if you don't already have them can be the hard part - if possible, it's often best to have what you want to run, and measure it for actual numbers.

For example, my main loads are:

• I wanted to be able to run a pair of Fantastic Fans on low (1A each) overnight, for up to 10 hours each, which is roughly 20Ah.
  
• Alternately, on colder nights I have a propane heater with a fan that draws about 3A, but which would only run for about four hours tops in twelve hours on a really cold night, so that's only about 12Ah. Since that's less than the fans and I wouldn't be running both, I don't count it.
  
• I have a water pump that draws about 3A but that is only used for minutes a day (not worth counting)
  
• LED lights that are 3W (about 1/4A). Let's assume I want to run one of those for up to 12h per night, so that's 3Ah.
  
• I also recharge two phones overnight, which are usually roughly 2Ah batteries each, maybe 2/3 discharged. The charge circuits aren't very efficient, so you can assume at least 2Ah each to recharge those phones, for 4Ah total.
  
• I'm also recharging a pair of 2.5Ah small batteries for e-cigarettes ("mods" ) overnight. They aren't fully discharged, but assume 5Ah to charge those up.
  
  My worst case overnight loads basically work out to 20Ah (fans) + 3Ah (lights) + 4Ah (phones) + 5Ah(mods). That's about 32Ah of load per day, pretty much worst case in hot weather.
  
  Now, you can do a few different calculations to get a minimum battery size from that.
  
  Number one, you really don't want to regularly cycle your battery below 50%, unless you want to be replacing your good batteries a lot. Hence, your absolute minimum recommended battery size would be 2x your load between charges. In my case, that's about 64Ah. A deep cycle discharged to 50% will usually last about 400 charge cycles.
  
  Now, given the choice, you really don't even want to discharge that low. A deep cycle discharged only 30% (roughly 1/3) will usually last 1100-1200 cycles. I generally recommend you size for at least triple your daily load. This pays off big time in the long run. For 50% more battery, your batteries will usually last nearly 200% longer (3x as long). Enormous cost savings long term.
  
  Hence, my recommended sizing would be 32Ah x 3, or 96Ah. I'm running a 100Ah battery, UPG UB121000, part number 45981. In practice I'm not regularly discharging this battery more than about 25%.
  
  Now, you get some extra benefit from oversizing as well. By sizing to 1/3 discharge, I can run two days without charging if I have to, and not be worse than a 70% discharge. That's a good emergency backup, since if you regularly discharge anywhere near 100%, your battery usually won't last more than 100-150 cycles. That covers me in case I get a day with absolutely zero sun. In practice this isn't a big worry for me, as on days with poor sun I'm only running the fans about half as much anyway, and if I couldn't get topped off during the day, in a pinch I'd just connect jumper cables to my van and have the battery at full charge after about an hour at idle.
  
  Next, once you know your average daily usage, you can also size your solar panel. You actually need to size more by charge time than by pure wattage, since a 100W panel will not produce 100W using a PWM controller. My 100W panel produces about 5.3A at 19V under ideal conditions (that calculates to 100W), but since the PWM controller just knocks the voltage down to an appropriate battery charge voltage, I'll never actually get 100W out of this panel. The current maxes out at 5.3A, but my battery pulls the voltage down to around 13.5V at charge, so at most I'm actually getting about 72W out of it.
  
  To size your panel, look at the optimum operating current (usually listed as Imp), and use that to size in amp hours instead. Plus, you also need to include any loads you'll be running while you charge. In my case, my panel puts out about 5.3A, but if it's a hot day, I'm going to be running one of those fans on medium (2.25A) for our sheepdogs in the van, so I really only have about 3A to work with to charge. If I can get a solid 8h worth of good charging light, that's about 24Ah useable per day. As you could see, I'd really do well with a second panel. As it is, it's been just sufficient with one panel to mostly keep me topped up, since I haven't had a ton of hot weather where we've really had to run the fans a lot.
  
  If I added a second panel, I'd have roughly 8A to charge with even with that fan running, and could reliably charge my bank all the way with only about 4h of good, full sun.
  
  I know that's a bit long, but hopefully it'll be a help to get you going in the right direction!

Yes! I was in the same situation, trying to come up with a small but effective system in college, and in a small apartment.

My design was based halfway off of what I'd seen from Jeb Gardener on YouTube, and the other half just what I could throw together with what I had lying around. Jeb is a little... well... interesting, but very informative.

Basically, what I did was get a 10-gallon flat stacker tote from Walmart, drill holes in it, put net pots in, clay pebbles, and rock wool cubes, and now I have a garden! It's really tough to describe all of the little intricacies with it, but this community has helped me out tremendously. By no means is my system perfect, and in fact, it's super Jerry Rigged and super jank, but it works! This whole process has been a great learning experience. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask in this community, or if you want to hear more about my system, feel free to DM me! Here are some photos!

Here are the various things I bought off Amazon to get me started!

pH down (the better kind)

pH meter (not available on Amazon anymore)

rockwool cubes (1.5")

General Hydroponics nutrients

pH up & down (the down didn't last very long, but the up seems to work fine. You probably won't need up near as often as down.)

air stones (these seem to do a fine job. Not the best certainly, but they work.)

clay pebbles (not sure what quality these are, but they do their job! Be sure to rinse very thoroughly.)

net pots (these work fine. Nothing special.)

EDIT: Added links to Amazon

Start small. It'll save you money, let you get your feet wet, and help you learn how to grow better, and then you can buy bigger.

My "starter package" is:

• A 2' x 2' x 3' grow tent - $55.
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SWGYYWO
  
  
• A grow light ($90). I prefer COB's as they're easier to fix than blurples.
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I4NY8KW
  
  
• A power strip zip-tied to a pole in the tent. Makes wiring prettier and easier. ($24) I chose a nice metal one, but you can use a cheaper one.
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F8ZQYHA
  
  
• Hangers to hold the light ($8)
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0098R0600
  
  
• A fan and filter ($70), and variac ($90) to filter smell and move air to keep things cool. This combo is overkill for this tent, but I ended up using it on later tents so it's a good long-term investment. You can cobble something cheaper together with some work, but this "just works" out of the box.
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Q2ER5C/
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006NGI8VS
  
  
• 5 gallon Smart Pot ($7) for growing, FoxFarm Ocean Forest Soil ($16.50), Plant saucer ($7) for growing. You can save some money here by shopping around. In particular, Amazon's price for FFOF is about double what I pay at the (very expensive) local "indoor gardening" center.
  https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Pots-5-Gallon-Soft-Sided-Container/dp/B002JUOWB2
  https://www.amazon.com/FoxFarm-FX14053-12-Quart-Organic-Potting/dp/B001I49Q98
  https://www.lowes.com/pd/Garden-Treasures-15-31-in-Rust-Plastic-Plant-Saucer/50445000
  
  
• Go Box Plant Nutrients. This should last you several grows.
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PS4B08
  
  
• Seed of your choice (let's say $10).
  
  So for about $420 (heh), you can get your foot in the door and start growing. This is a nice setup too, you can probably save $100 by shopping around, buying used, or doing-it-yourself. I've left off a few odds and ends like dryer duct, Fiskers for trimming, weed fabric pins for low-stress training, pitcher for watering, Mason jars for storage, but you can likely find those or suitable replacements around the house without spending money.
  
  I also have a Raspberry Pi 3 ($43) with Sense Hat ($37) and metal case ($15) in each of my grow tents to log temperature/humidity and other things. I'm interested in eventually using the GPIO functionality to water my plants too. Not critical, but definitely a nice thing to have, especially if you're the hacker type. If you go this route, you might look at raspiviv.com too.
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C6FFNY4
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014HDG74S
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0722L338Q
  
  I'm glad I bought a good intro setup because I still use it now that I've upgraded. I now have a 3' x 3' GG Shorty tent with HLG 300 LED for flower, a 2' x 2.5' GG Shorty tent with two 400W Roleadro COB's for veg, and my "intro package" is now my germination/cloning tent (and drying tent too since several people suggested that too). Being able to have three tents (germination -> veg -> flower) working simultaneously is increasing my output quite sharply. I'm doing this to help a relative with cancer, so you may not need to go quite as crazy as I did.
  
  You mentioned using 35+ gs (~1.25 oz) a month. You probably aren't going to be able to grow that much given the constraints of tent size and light wattage (plus being a first-time grower! You'll learn a lot!). So once you get used to it, you'll probably want to buy more stuff. Marijuana isn't addictive, but growing marijuana absolutely is.
  
  Once you've got your hardware, the variable cost is seed (~$10), soil (~$5), nutrients (~$20), and electricity (~$30). From that, I'm going to estimate you can grow ~1.5 ozs (you can do more as you learn more though). So you're looking at ~$40/oz after you've made the initial hardware investment.
  
  Hope this helps. Depression, cancer, and everything else can just go suck it.