Quick Answer: Hydroponic Kits Australia
- Most grow tent kits sold in Australia are a tent, a light and a fan. A complete kit also includes the hydroponic system, nutrients, pH Down, meters and calibration buffers.
- Our Grow Tent Kit Builder builds a complete kit for your tent from three answers: experience, budget and tent size.
- Before you buy any kit, check it has a carbon filter, a fan speed controller, pH and EC meters, and a power cord for the light.
- Budget changes the products in the kit, not the parts list. A lean kit still gets a carbon filter and meters.
- Prices in the builder are live with our stock, and you can remove anything you already own.
Most grow tent kits sold in Australia are a tent, a light and a fan. You still need a hydroponic system, nutrients and meters before you can start. Here's what to check before you buy, and how our Grow Tent Kit Builder puts a complete kit together for your tent.
If you want to know what each part does and how to size it, read what you need to start growing indoors first.
The Three Types of Grow Tent Kit
What Each Kit Type Includes
- Tent only. Just the tent. You buy everything else.
- Tent, light and fan bundle. Tent, grow light, inline fan, and sometimes a carbon filter and ducting. Still missing: the hydroponic system, growing medium, nutrients, pH Down, meters and buffers, and often the speed controller, hangers and timer.
- Complete hydroponic kit. Tent, light, hangers, timer, fan, carbon filter, ducting, speed controller, air circulation, hydroponic system, medium, nutrients, pH Down, pH and EC meters and buffers. Still missing: the plants.
Most kits advertised online as "complete" are the second type. They look cheaper because the root zone, nutrients and meters aren't in the box, and those are the parts that decide whether a first grow works.
How to Compare Hydroponic Kits Before You Buy
Check these nine things on any kit, ours included:
- Carbon filter included? Without one, you can't control smell.
- Fan speed controller included? A fan with no controller runs flat out and dries the tent.
- Fan, filter and ducting the same size? A 150mm fan on 125mm ducting chokes the airflow.
- Light sized by coverage? The light's stated coverage should match the tent. Wattage alone doesn't tell you that.
- Light efficiency listed? Look for 2.0 µmol/J or better. If it isn't listed, ask.
- Power cord and dimmer included? SANlight sells the cord and dimmer separately in every market. Ours include both, so check that line when comparing kit totals.
- Hangers and timer included? You can't hang or time the light without them.
- Hydroponic system and medium included? If not, it's a tent kit, not a hydroponic kit.
- pH and EC meters with calibration buffers? I've been through countless cheaper meters. Bluelab is what goes in every kit we build, because calibrated correctly, it gives consistent readings.
If you're looking at a hardware store option, our Bunnings hydroponics guide covers what those kits include.
Lean, Balanced or Best Gear: What a Bigger Budget Gets You
In our builder, budget changes the products, not the parts list. Every budget gets a carbon filter, meters and buffers.
- Lean. The cheapest product that does each job properly. Outside QLD, WA and SA, lean kits in tents over 100cm can use a 600W HPS. It's cheaper to buy than LED and the heat helps in a cold winter tent.
- Balanced. LED in every tent size, and a Bluelab Combo Meter instead of separate pens once you're past your first grow.
- Best gear. The top product for each job, including 200mm ducting in 150cm tents and a SANlight FLEX II LED in clone kits.
In QLD, WA and SA, every kit is LED on every budget because HPS heat is hard to manage in summer. The LED and HPS switch in the builder shows how much less power the LED uses than HPS, so you can compare before you choose.
How Our Grow Tent Kit Builder Works
I used to sell two fixed kits. One tent and two light options didn't suit most people, so the builder asks three questions instead:
- Your experience. First grows get the simplest system, an AutoPot, or NFT for leafy greens.
- Your budget. Lean, balanced or best gear.
- Your tent size. From 80x80cm to 240x120cm, plus clone tents.
It also asks what you're growing and your state, then builds the kit in growing order: root zone, environment, light, nutrients. Every item has a line saying why it's in the kit. Tick "I have this" on anything you already own and it comes off the total. Prices are live with our stock.
Grow Tent Kits by Size
A first grow kit in three common tent sizes. The exact products change with your budget and state.
First Grow Kits by Tent Size
- 80x80cm kit. Room for 2 fruiting plants. 1 x SANlight EVO 3-80 (no HPS option at this size), 125mm fan, filter and ducting, a clip fan, an AutoPot and 1L of base nutrient.
- 120x120cm kit. Room for 4 fruiting plants. 1 x SANlight EVO 5-120 or 1 x 600W HPS, 150mm fan, filter and ducting, a clip fan, an AutoPot and 1L of base nutrient.
- 240x120cm kit. Room for 9 fruiting plants. 2 x SANlight EVO 5-120 or 2 x 600W HPS, 200mm fan, filter and ducting, a wall fan, an AutoPot and 5L of base nutrient.
- Every size also gets a speed controller, hangers, a timer, growing medium, a root zone cleaner, pH Down, Bluelab pH and EC meters, and pH 4 and 7 buffers.
For a first indoor grow, I'd start with the 120x120cm. Browse the tents in our grow tent range.
Clone and Seedling Kits
Choose Clones and seedlings in the builder and it switches to a clone tent, a propagation light, a cloner or propagation dome, and Clonex rooting gel. Putting a fresh clone or small seedling straight into a full size AutoPot pot is one of the most common causes of slow early growth. Root it in a small pot first, then step it up. Our clone without a heat mat guide covers a simple setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a complete grow tent kit include?
A tent, a grow light with hangers and a timer, an inline fan, carbon filter, matching ducting and a speed controller, a clip fan or wall fan, a hydroponic system and growing medium, a base nutrient, pH Down, pH and EC meters, and pH 4 and 7 buffers.
How much does a complete grow tent kit cost in Australia?
It depends on the tent size, your budget and whether you choose LED or HPS. Our Grow Tent Kit Builder shows a live total for your kit, and you can remove anything you already own to bring it down.
Is it cheaper to buy a hydroponic kit or the parts separately?
A complete kit stops you buying parts that don't match, like a fan and ducting in different sizes, or finding a part missing once the grow has started. In our builder every part is priced individually, so you can see what you're paying for.
What's the best hydroponic starter kit for beginners in Australia?
A 120x120cm grow tent kit with an AutoPot. The AutoPot is gravity fed with no pump or timer in the root zone, and a 120x120cm tent fits up to 4 fruiting plants while staying easy to control.
Should I get an LED or HPS grow tent kit?
In QLD, WA and SA, LED, because HPS heat is hard to manage in summer. Elsewhere, an HPS kit is cheaper to buy and the heat helps in winter, but LED is cheaper to run.
What if I already own some of the gear?
Tick "I have this" on any item in the builder. It comes out of the kit and off the total.
Do you ship grow tent kits Australia wide?
Yes. Kits ship from Melbourne. Orders over 25kg ship for a flat $99 to VIC, NSW, SA and ACT, and QLD, WA, NT, TAS and rural addresses get a freight quote within 24 hours. Email hello@apexgrow.com.au with your postcode for a quote before you order.