2 400w hps or 1 hps and 1 mh

I'm in the second week of flowering. I have 2 switchable ballast and i would like to know what is better? two 400w Hps bulbs or one 400w hps and one 400w mh bulb? i was running 2 hps bulbs but one of my bulbs blew yesterday so now i have 1 hps and 1 mh going now.

My grow tent is 3x3x6.5, heat is not an issue (temp is steady at 83 degrees). I only have 2 plants in DWC.

I've seen this type of thread on the board already but it always end up with more arguements than advice. I'm just asking for your personal opinion. i know there is no right or wrong answer to this so be respectful of the other person opinion cause when its all said and done i'm going to choose whatever i feel is best.

why do you need that much light for so little amount of plants? id stick w/ 1 400 and a quality bulb.



edit* and you should move your light closer if you can, instead of 2 400 cheapo's you should have gotten one good air cooled reflector and digital ballast and a good inline fan.

I would finish with what you got. getting another hps would get you maybe 10% more yield but I think you will have a better finished product with one of each.

I would run 2 hps's although having a full spectrum setup would be cool.

intensive said:

why do you need that much light for so little amount of plants? id stick w/ 1 400 and a quality bulb.



edit* and you should move your light closer if you can, instead of 2 400 cheapo's you should have gotten one good air cooled reflector and digital ballast and a good inline fan.

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I'm really just trying to increase the yield because i lost 3 plants in the early stage of the grow. But i definitely agree with you on the cooled reflectors and eventually the whole setup is going to be upgraded but this is my first grow so i just went with the cheapo combo package.

cruzer101 said:

I would finish with what you got. getting another hps would get you maybe 10% more yield but I think you will have a better finished product with one of each.

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damn only a 10% increase in yield??

Yea, that what I got, well I compared a ceramic metal halide with an HPS and got 20% more. Just one light, I figured you got two so I split it to 10%

cruzer101 said:

Yea, that what I got, well I compared a ceramic metal halide with an HPS and got 20% more. Just one light, I figured you got two so I split it to 10%

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iight i see what you saying.. I'm going to have to do a lil research on them CMH bulbs.. i've been hearing a lot of good feedback on em.

Thats all I grow with indoors. 400w Ceramic metal halide. I got a 600 and a 1000w HPS but you just cant beat the amount of trichomes the CMH gives ya. I am about quality, if I get quantity well all the better. Now I use the HPS as supplemental lighting in winter greenhouse grows. They work great out there with the ambient blue light I get through the clouds.

cruzer101 said:

Thats all I grow with indoors. 400w Ceramic metal halide. I got a 600 and a 1000w HPS but you just cant beat the amount of trichomes the CMH gives ya. I am about quality, if I get quantity well all the better. Now I use the HPS as supplemental lighting in winter greenhouse grows. They work great out there with the ambient blue light I get through the clouds.

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Hey cruzer.. would i have to get a different ballast to run a CMH bulb?

ThaConspiracy said:

Hey cruzer.. would i have to get a different ballast to run a CMH bulb?

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I'm pretty sure you need a coil and magnet ballast to run CMHs - Pretty sure they don't work on digital ballasts.

Gastanker said:

I'm pretty sure you need a coil and magnet ballast to run CMHs - Pretty sure they don't work on digital ballasts.

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Thanks.. i just read that same information.. I need a coil magnet ballast for a hps fixture. But since i have a switchable coil ballast can i just set it for hps and be ok?

My guess would be yeah, you got a magnetic coil ballast.
I don't know how it switches, I'm not into that but I know CMH lamps don't work on electronic ballasts.

I'd get two hortilux super hps, they have an enhanced blue spectrum that looks very white compared to standard hps. I love them, but I use 1kw.

Wolverine97 said:

I'd get two hortilux super hps, they have an enhanced blue spectrum that looks very white compared to standard hps. I love them, but I use 1kw.

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Are they really worth that extra cash?

ThaConspiracy said:

Are they really worth that extra cash?

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Absolutely.

I've heard CMH bulb will blind your ass like stevie wonder.You'll be feeling for balls instead of seeing them.