t 5 lights and overall measurments. thinking about buying switching over.

hi i am looking for someone who has this setup 2 foot fixture 6 lamp t'5 light. i am interested in purchasing two for a combined lumen of 24000(12k each) according to what the bulbs say they put out, but i wanna make sure i have enough space in my grow tent for two fixtures. can you give me the measurements of yours? also there are a couple different brands/makes on ebay some cheaper others more money. is there a deffinate make/brand that is better overall. i would rather have top of the line fixture.

just make sure its the T5HO kind (HO= high output) or you might aswell just get T8

Ooh yea and tell me .. why the 2 foot tybe ? why not just one 4 foot fixture ?

Slipon said:

Ooh yea and tell me .. why the 2 foot tybe ? why not just one 4 foot fixture ?

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i would but my tent which when i ordered said it would be 4x4x6.5 well its really only 46"x46" so a 4foot fixture would be a pain to fit and even if i did manage to fit it idk if there would be a risk of fire because the fixture would be 2 inches plus to big for the tent length wise.

erm .. I dont see the diffrent or how 2x 2 feet fixtures can fill less ? actualy I reccon the fill more as they boath have a case of some kind ..

and dont worry to much about heat .. ther is next to non .. I can eaily hold the bulbs after it have been on for 18 hrs .. warm .. but nothing more .. plants I keep 2-4 inches away ... even 1 is ok .. but then they grow in to the light .. that is`t even a problem .. just dont like it ..

and look for mesurments .. most fixtures I have seen online have W: D: H

Just do CFLs...cheaper
I like the results.

yes they say it, i have read the measurements online ebay and what they are supposed to measure but it be my luck they turn out to be different once i got them shipped and put up. but if you dont think itll make a heat issure with it touching the side of the tent constantly i would rather much go buy a 4ft fixture with 8lamps for 40k lumens output. and yes all the ones ive seen online say ho.

Ringsixty said:

Just do CFLs...cheaper
I like the results.

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i tried a cfl/tote grow once all said in done wasted about 50-60 bucks and alot of my time. i dont have goodluck with things going right for me haha i always find a way to screw it up i have a 600w mh/hps light fixture but its way to hot, my room naturaly is mids to high 70's and yes i could get a air conditioner put in but im trying to not use up all the electricity and outlets in my room. so im gonna try my way with the t'5 light. i have seen good pictures and videos people growing with them and my hydroponic store has told me to go with them becuase of how they dont give of much heat.

diamondjackdallas said:

yes they say it, i have read the measurements online ebay and what they are supposed to measure but it be my luck they turn out to be different once i got them shipped and put up. but if you dont think itll make a heat issure with it touching the side of the tent constantly i would rather much go buy a 4ft fixture with 8lamps for 40k lumens output. and yes all the ones ive seen online say ho.

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I prommis you .. heat wont be a problem .. specialy if they are in some for of caseing .. then you wont be able to even feel warm ..
and you can allways hang some maylor (beside good reflexion it is also a good heat shild) wher it touch ..





my littel Veg table ..

just a normal curtains .. fixture touch the curtan at the end and the wall at the other end ..

no caseing on my fixture(s) and no problem at all .. 27,900 Lumens .. its the 5 foot modle .. got 3 fixtures free from work since they wher broken plastick around em .. so just made a DIY fixture out of them and got 6 new bulbs (49W 2x2700K and 4x6500K) 40$ in total .. plus the ½M maylor for my fixture .. be creativ ..

diamondjackdallas said:

i tried a cfl/tote grow once all said in done wasted about 50-60 bucks and alot of my time. i dont have goodluck with things going right for me haha i always find a way to screw it up i have a 600w mh/hps light fixture but its way to hot, my room naturaly is mids to high 70's and yes i could get a air conditioner put in but im trying to not use up all the electricity and outlets in my room. so im gonna try my way with the t'5 light. i have seen good pictures and videos people growing with them and my hydroponic store has told me to go with them becuase of how they dont give of much heat.

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I got great results in veg .. no doubt .. a 400W MH might grow em a week faster .. but I reccon thats about it .. plus the MH use a bit more power aso.

dunno how they do in flowering .. 2 things comes in mind .. penetration .. as they stretch to double size .. realy need to train/LST em a lot to make it work or some SoG/Scrog or sumthing like that .. need to keep em close to the light .. only top foot will produce smokeble buds ..

and Lumens per Sq. Ft. a Veg plant is one thing .. they do great with 3K Lumens per Sq Ft. wile a flowering plant need atlest 5K .. +10 is better

so in my oppinion and what I have seen online .. vids and pics from ppl. who grew from start to finish ..

if you dont want limpy plants who take ages to grow and provide littel smoke who is flimsy and not wort smokeing .. you need to do it right .. all other things need to be spot on .. and when you have it running a hydro/DWG system might do the diffrent .. so you get more end product then a nub with a 600W HPS ..

realy need the right fixture and tubes/Kelvin .. them few I have seen wher you realy couldnt see a diffrent from a HPS had nice sunblast/sunpower or what ever 8-12 tube fixtures .. atleest HO if not VHO ..

and grew low plants (sea of green) and knew what they wher doing ..

I would for sure .. if I had come to the conclusion that T5 is the way and I cant use HDI lamps use time and do my research and use most money on the right fixture (as I only need one and I want it to cut it) get a nice 8 tube minimum . maybe even 10 or 12 use them money you wont use on a big HPS and ventilation ..

sumthing like this :

http://www.greners.com/i/grow-lights/fluorescent-grow-lights/t5-fixtures/tek-light-t5-fixtures-4-foot-2-4-6-8-tube.html

and the right bulbs .. agin do the research .. ther is diffrent once .. I know you can get a "standard" and some a littel more expensiv once that dont just have the right Kelvin but is made to grow with .. and get enough .. and changes em often ½-1 year .. dark in the ends ther are old ..
tho T5 is much better then T8 when it comes to life time and light lost over time ..

mix em up .. more blu for veg and more red for flowering .. do the research .. or chose to grow Auto seeds now you have T5 and not a big HDI .. they are kind a perfect for tubes I guess .. low and fast .. mostly 2700K bulbs needed then a few 6500K .. maybe 10-2

well i just ordered the light. its a 4ft fixture 8 lamps i had the option of having the bulbs it came with being for veg or bloom, i went with the bloom bulbs, just cause its summer why not veg outdoors, take inside when i wanted to switch over to flower..

i know you all will know what itll look like but why not..heres a pic from ebay.

now you know anyone who wants a 600w mh/hps digital ballast 6" glass air cooled tube with both mh bulb and hps. unsure of the hps bulb, but the mh one was ran 18-6 for about a month and a half.. lol i now have to get ride of that or just pack it up and save it.

put it on ebay .. or sell it to a friend who want to grow .. or keep it .. for winther time flowering a few hrs a day/night could maybe make a diffrent late in flowering .. dunno ..


but fixture look great .. now we are talking .. get the rest spot on and keep the plants short and bushy and Im sure you will get VERY close to what Ppl. grow with HDI lamp ..

and about tubes .. just buy a few 6500K and mix em up .. plants actualy needs all colors .. just more of blue in veg and red in flowering .. 2 6500K bulbs would be great Im sure .. even in flowering .. but thats minor stuff and sumthing you can get later when its time ..


I found out .. after many trails .. that 2-4 inches away was best .. plant look better then 1 inch away .. more then 10 dont seems to provide much light .. and is why Ppl use em for Veg or keep ther plants realy low ..

best of luck and let us know how the end product turns out

yeah ill buy a pack on ebay of the regular veg bulbs thanks for the heads up i would not have even thought to do that. this wil be fun i just found some bg seed 7 in total and im anxious to start them cause i havnt a clue of its genetics which is like a mystery on what youll end up with my thought is either way itll be smoke able. the last time it turned out pretty good. thanks for the help and you sharing your information on past attempts.

diamondjackdallas said:

yes they say it, i have read the measurements online ebay and what they are supposed to measure but it be my luck they turn out to be different once i got them shipped and put up. but if you dont think itll make a heat issure with it touching the side of the tent constantly i would rather much go buy a 4ft fixture with 8lamps for 40k lumens output. and yes all the ones ive seen online say ho.

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T5 48" bulbs are less than 48". Even my 48" fixture is only 48-1/2". The fixture is barely warm.

Outside is a great plan if you can get away with it. Keep topping so they are as close to the same height as possible. The nodes will be closer together under a t5ho and the stretch will be less if you bring em in before fall and switch to 12/12 on the fixture. They need air and if you can keep them within a few inches of the light you'll do ok. The bulbs get hot enough to burn you 130F but thats nothing compared to a 600w hps.