# T5 Bad Boy Question?



## dannyboy602 (Jun 19, 2011)

So does anyone know anything about the Quantum T5 Bad Boy?
Is anyone using it? I'm thinking of buying at least two and at 400 bucks each I wanna make sure they deliver.


----------



## racerboy71 (Jun 19, 2011)

what are you planning on using them for?? i have a two foot 4 bulb t5 setup that i use for early veg and clones and my plants love them to death..
i also throw some bloom bulbs in it and use it along with my hid lighting for flowering as well for some side lighting..
not sure what you were planning on using them for, but if it's for what i use mine for, i highly recommend them..


----------



## dannyboy602 (Jun 19, 2011)

Hey thx...I was gonna do a whole grow in em. They have enough red in the spectrum I believe and they claim it's close to daylight. 
And I def want the red bulbs in em too for flowering. In fact for the whole grow. So I'm thinking of getting two to start with, the 16 bulb ones. They cover an area about 4x4 I believe.


----------



## racerboy71 (Jun 19, 2011)

nice.. i was looking at those quantums when i picked up my t5's, but they were more than i was willing to pay out for them at the time and i got a cheaper version from htg supply.. i'm sure the quantums are a much nicer unit than the one's i got for sure.. if you do end up getting them, i'd love to see a grow journal on them..


----------



## dannyboy602 (Jun 20, 2011)

Yeah I just found out from the manufacturer it doesn't come with the bulbs at 400 bucks. The bulbs are 8.00 ea x 16 whew that's a lot


----------



## PetFlora (Jun 20, 2011)

I bought mine with 16 bulbs ([email protected] 2900/6500) for $370 shipped. google it and a bunch of retailers will pop up. I mixed my bulbs to get fuller spectrums and had a great grow going until a 7 day heat wave flipped all my plants to male, so I did not see the grow through.

Things I learned

Make sure you have easy access to the farthest bulbs as it's near impossible to change them over your plants if you don't have good access/height. I grow in a spare room and turned my DIY tent sideways so I could get at both sides. 

Get a pair of Rope Rachets http://cheaphydroponics.com/store/light-movers/hangers/rope-rachet-1/8-2pk/prod_903.html to raise/lower. Make sure it is secure as the fixture is heavy. You don't want it slipping out of your hands and crashing on top of your plants. hth


----------



## PetFlora (Jun 24, 2011)

I am getting some good help on bulb selection. Quantum seems reluctant to show their spectrum graphs. Makes me wonder, but they do grow nice plants. 

I want 2 of these if my 6500s don't already have a nice 'green spike', and they may as I did see on 6500 bulb that does. But if your doesn't consider 1-2 of these per 4-8 bulb fixture. http://www.soslightbulbs.com/ATI-Aquablue-Special-T5-HO-Bulb.aspx hth


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 25, 2011)

dannyboy602 said:


> Hey thx...I was gonna do a whole grow in em. They have enough red in the spectrum I believe and they claim it's close to daylight.
> And I def want the red bulbs in em too for flowering. In fact for the whole grow. So I'm thinking of getting two to start with, the 16 bulb ones. They cover an area about 4x4 I believe.


Hello everyone im not hijacking! If you check my grow in my SIG i am growing with the 4x8 BadBoy. I have helped Many users choosing the perfect bulbs. Including Petflora(hi petflora how are you doing!) 
The aquarium scene has been developing bulbs for over 25 years! so I must say that these "GROW" "Bloom" bulbs are a waste of $$$ if you want "red" buy UVL Red Sun bulbs... UVL has most of their bulbs with internal reflectors which direct MORE light DOWN towards your plants!
Check out my Grow and ive done ALL the research and legwork for you!


----------



## VICTORYGARDENSHYDRO (Jun 25, 2011)

I can get you an awesome deal on them if your interested, not spamming, just offering.
My book shows a 12 bulb as there biggest, about $290 each, bulbs around $3.75 each
I have to call for the 16 bulb. LMK if you want a price on one


----------



## Mr.Therapy Man 2 (Jun 25, 2011)

Badboys 16 light is the baddast T5 on the market today.Ive seen the 16 bulb in action and they are nice.....


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 25, 2011)

mr.therapy man 2 said:


> badboys 16 light is the baddast t5 on the market today.ive seen the 16 bulb in action and they are nice.....


yes they are!!!


----------



## Heads Up (Jun 25, 2011)

PetFlora said:


> I am getting some good help on bulb selection. Quantum seems reluctant to show their spectrum graphs. Makes me wonder, but they do grow nice plants.
> 
> I want 2 of these if my 6500s don't already have a nice 'green spike', and they may as I did see on 6500 bulb that does. But if your doesn't consider 1-2 of these per 4-8 bulb fixture. http://www.soslightbulbs.com/ATI-Aquablue-Special-T5-HO-Bulb.aspx hth


PetFlora, a green spike will do your plants absolutely no good at all, they don't see light in the green spectrum. I have to confess I haven't looked at this 16 tube bad boy I'm reading about. To be honest I use a four tube four footer in a 2x4 tent. It's actually an industrial light, my plants don't know the difference. As to spectrum, I mix my tubes. I use two 4100k all the time and then I change the middle two to 6500k for grow and 3000 for flower. The reason I use the 4100k is that spectrum contains both blue and red light and then my two middle lamps that I change will give the plants a larger dose of either red or blue light when needed at each appropriate stage of growth. I now use hid lighting but I still use my t-5 light for vegging my plants. I actually prefer the way a plant grows in its veg stage under t-5's than metal halides. I think it keeps the plants much more compact and as a side effect they seem to develop a better root system with t-5's than metal halides. All my own opinion from my own observations.

I pay like twenty bucks for four tubes. I'm not convinced a name brand 'super' anything exists. My plants don't know I'm not using a 'growlight' on them, they also don't know I paid cheapo for the tubes. They seem very happy and healthy and the light. Why pay for the hottest new thing when if you look around you can find things that do the same thing cheaper. It's like buying a generic drug instead of one made by Pfizer.


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 26, 2011)

Heads Up said:


> PetFlora, a green spike will do your plants absolutely no good at all, they don't see light in the green spectrum. I have to confess I haven't looked at this 16 tube bad boy I'm reading about. To be honest I use a four tube four footer in a 2x4 tent. It's actually an industrial light, my plants don't know the difference. As to spectrum, I mix my tubes. I use two 4100k all the time and then I change the middle two to 6500k for grow and 3000 for flower. The reason I use the 4100k is that spectrum contains both blue and red light and then my two middle lamps that I change will give the plants a larger dose of either red or blue light when needed at each appropriate stage of growth. I now use hid lighting but I still use my t-5 light for vegging my plants. I actually prefer the way a plant grows in its veg stage under t-5's than metal halides. I think it keeps the plants much more compact and as a side effect they seem to develop a better root system with t-5's than metal halides. All my own opinion from my own observations.
> 
> I pay like twenty bucks for four tubes. I'm not convinced a name brand 'super' anything exists. My plants don't know I'm not using a 'growlight' on them, they also don't know I paid cheapo for the tubes. They seem very happy and healthy and the light. Why pay for the hottest new thing when if you look around you can find things that do the same thing cheaper. It's like buying a generic drug instead of one made by Pfizer.


Hi Heads UP ! I would like to refer you to my thread theres a link in my signature. There Absolutely IS a difference in bulbs and i HAVE done all the research. There are bulbs that have been diesgned for SOFT and HARD corals, which use light EXACTLY as plants do to create energy. The Aquarium bulbs have over 30 years of research and development behind them....for this reason im on my second grow with AMAZING results check it out for yourself. my journal has plenty of ACTUAL documentation and research to back my statement.


----------



## mellokitty (Jun 27, 2011)

hi danny, we flower under hps, but our girls are vegging under t5's right now if you want to check them out (in my sig).


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 27, 2011)

mellokitty said:


> hi danny, we flower under hps, but our girls are vegging under t5's right now if you want to check them out (in my sig).



This is 3 days worth of Flower! from the last pictures...


----------



## mellokitty (Jun 27, 2011)

pr0fesseur said:


> View attachment 1666450View attachment 1666451View attachment 1666452View attachment 1666453
> This is 3 days worth of Flower! from the last pictures...


who/where are those blue tubes from?? been trying to find those for yonks....


----------



## mellokitty (Jun 27, 2011)

lol, when i first took this pic i was like, "i can't post this! it looks like a friggin advertisement for quantum!"

in *this thread, on the other hand.....


----------



## mellokitty (Jun 27, 2011)

well, whatever else they do, they sure do make for a nice pic eh?....


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 27, 2011)

mellokitty said:


> who/where are those blue tubes from?? been trying to find those for yonks....


Check my thread in my sig*** everything is EXPLAINED there  I have been pioneering a new method of growing with the T5. I was told long ago i would have poor results with T5 blooming.. im on week 3 and as soon as my lights come on ill post new pics.. i have seen faster growth with MY setup than cheap "grow" "bloom" bulbs... and MUCH faster than 400W HID... ALL ORGANIC ALL T5 some people even accused me of switching my lights with HID LOL. Please read my entire thread and it is explained in FULL detail..


----------



## mellokitty (Jun 27, 2011)

thanks, i'd been wanting to supplement our 1000w hps's with those but couldn't for the life of me figure out what those damn blue lights were called.... (someone told me about them years ago; it piqued my interest but i was *ssstooned*) 

gonna check it out when i'm more awake....


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 27, 2011)

mellokitty said:


> thanks, i'd been wanting to supplement our 1000w hps's with those but couldn't for the life of me figure out what those damn blue lights were called.... (someone told me about them years ago; it piqued my interest but i was *ssstooned*)
> 
> gonna check it out when i'm more awake....


I use aquariumspecialty as a preferred vendor they have the largest supply of T5 i can find @ the best prices.. also marine depot but they dont have as much in stock... bet prices i have found including shipping... VERY good support !!
I ahve pretty much researched all types and brands and have a BINDER full of info on each bulb... UVL is the only vendor with internal reflectors! which greatly improve the efficiency of their product!


----------



## SensiSoulJah (Jun 28, 2011)

Out of curiosity, have any of you used Tek Lights? I use an 8 bulb 4 ft unit for my clones, and I thought it was the best T5 on the market (I believe I got it for around $400)... the results are amazing. I'm not sure if it's opinion or not, but can anyone give a definitive answer as to whether or not Tek lights or Bad Boys are the top of the line t5 on the market? One nice thing about the Tek Light is that it has two switches - one turns on the 4 outer lights (the inner 4 bulbs are dim), the other turns on the inner 4 lights while leaving the outer 4 dim - and then of course you'd flip both switches to run all 8 bulbs... this is a really cool feature in my eyes... fresh cuttings only need the light of 4 bulbs, and as they grow I can turn on the other 4 bulbs... now that's efficiency at is finest in my opinion.

Sensi


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 28, 2011)

Badboy has 2 switches as well and that's how i use them. 4 bulbs for seedlings and clones and switch on the other four.. and switch only 3 out for blooming with my setup... bad boy fixtures can be dimmed as well with a dimming switch.. but that's just unnecessary.
Its all about the ballasts that are in the Lights i dont know what kind of ballasts tek lights have however I DO know what ballasts are in the Quantum  Quantums of course! they dont buzz or hum and are centrally located on the fixture.. also badboys save on weight by only having reflectors behind the bulbs... and less metal altogether.


----------



## dannyboy602 (Jun 29, 2011)

very cool...thx for the info...ima get some soon. i think i want the 12 bulb ones now, not the 16...mb too wide


----------



## mellokitty (Jun 29, 2011)

those are 12s in my pic.... they're about the same width as a 4 tube fixture of the conventional fluoros (maybe a leeetle bit wider)


----------



## Heads Up (Jun 29, 2011)

Just an opinion, I don't think you even need t-5's for seedlings or clones, I use small cfl's for seedlings and clones. Clones do not need a lot of light, you are not trying to grow leaves you're trying to grow roots so a lot of light is not needed. I let my plants go for a week or two before putting them under the t-5's to veg for a few weeks before putting them under my hid lights. I use two six hundreds.


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 29, 2011)

the 12 is the same as the 8 and the 16 is a little bigger bit of no concequnce..... 12 is PLENTY! HOWEVER I personally think the T5 vs a 1000W dual spectrum NEEDS to be explored and im looking for donations or contributors, even someone who would test this for me or who are willing to help me test? 1x8 lamp plus 1x12 lamp bad boy vs 1000W
6 Weeks left i want to start my competition...
We have a vote on the tester strain, And for fairness we will use an older reliable every day strain like White Widow, AK, Northern lights #5, or NLxHaze, something with solid genetics and predictable growth. 
A soil grow to limit certain factors such as rez temp and water issues. and a 1 part program... and 1 additive... besides anything deemed preventative or maintance... like cal mag or superthrive etc..


----------



## mellokitty (Jun 29, 2011)

well, i'll have to talk to my man but we just happen to have 2 of those things already..... and a 1 part nute.... and a range of additives to choose from.... and soilless..... *hint hint* 

not sure how he'd feel about partitioning though.... (it'd be hard to run a side-by-side without partitioning the 2 somehow, yeah?)

EDIT: not to mention, now that i've gotten his attention with actinics, i'm just going to do what women do best..... nag until it materialises.


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 29, 2011)

mellokitty said:


> well, i'll have to talk to my man but we just happen to have 2 of those things already..... and a 1 part nute.... and a range of additives to choose from.... and soilless..... *hint hint*
> 
> not sure how he'd feel about partitioning though.... (it'd be hard to run a side-by-side without partitioning the 2 somehow, yeah?)
> 
> EDIT: not to mention, now that i've gotten his attention with actinics, i'm just going to do what women do best..... nag until it materialises.


Partitioning would be necessary but the T5 could be thrown in a tent vertically. or throw the 1000W in a tent with a cool tube either way... 
It would be a good stick in the Eye for both HID and LED..


----------



## mellokitty (Jun 29, 2011)

it's kind of a double-edged sword, scientifically, though, isn't it? i mean, i'm sure if i ask around there'll be someone in our circle with a wee 'jardin' they're not using, but the conditions in a tent and in my main room aren't going to be the same even if i put the tent in the room (which is probably what'll have to happen)....
and i don't know if i'll find *2* jardins to borrow... that might be a tall order....

hm. maybe we can jury-rig something with panda film or something. i'll ask, though i'm not holding my breath.


----------



## dannyboy602 (Jun 29, 2011)

mellokitty said:


> those are 12s in my pic.... they're about the same width as a 4 tube fixture of the conventional fluoros (maybe a leeetle bit wider)


can i get some bulbs for flowering? or do i have to take what they give me?


----------



## pr0fesseur (Jun 29, 2011)

they sell their "Grow" and "Bloom" bulbs...


----------

