400watt hps vs 4' 8 bulb t-5's

ok the gen rule is 2500 lumens per sq ft to grow with in any grow room. ok so if thats a fact then why not take a 4' 8 bulb t-5( 3000k red bulb's for flowering) that puts out 5,000 lumes per bulb totaling 40,000 lumens (8x5000=40,000) witch will cover a 4x4 area ( 40,000 lumes / 16 sq ft = 2500 lumes per sq ft) instead of a 400 watt hps that puts out much more heat( not including the heat from the ballast ) that you'll just have to spend extra to vent. i understand you get more lumens from a 400 watt hps around 45K but with having to put the light so far from your plant b/c of the heat i dont see the plants getting all of the lumens that are comes from the 400 watt light anyway. on the other hand the t-5's stay so cool that you can put them only inces away from the plant with no problem getting the full affect of the lumens they put off. so why does anyone use the 400 over the t-5's? besides the fact that a 4' 8 bulb t-5 would cost more b/c thats just money u'd prob have to pay to vent anyway. now 430's i'd understand.

HIDs produce denser buds, that's a fact. I love t5s for vegging but their downside is lumen intensity. I use them for veg because while they can illuminate a 12" plant fine they would not work for a 24" plant nearly as well, and I dont trim foliage. Because the light they produce is not as intense far away you NEED to put them closer, but even touching the tops of the plants the light will decrease in intensity to a greater degree then a HID a few feet away.

HIDs are without equal man, if its a cost issue, you get it back

yeah i was thinking about using the t-5's for a veg room, im sure they would work perfect for that, just not so sure how well for flowering.

t-5's for veg, but 400hps for flowering. Just like Speedhabit said, " there is no comparison when it comes time to flower." HPS ALL DAY!!!!!

Lowkster said:

t-5's for veg, but 400hps for flowering. Just like Speedhabit said, " there is no comparison when it comes time to flower." HPS ALL DAY!!!!!

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He SPeaks The Truth SOn

this arguement will never end. There are WAY too many variables involved with growing weed to be able to determine which light is best. Floro, MH, and HPS are definatly the choice bulbs for growers...but think of all the other variables involved in growing...strain, medium, nutrients, ventilation/air quality, temperature-humididty. If the end result is all we have to go by, and there is no real proof with tests and controlled variables....then really....its a simple matter of opinion.

The best setup, and the best weed i have ever seen/smoked was grown on one 4x8 table, with one 1k Halide lamp, and one 1k HPS lamp on a sun circle. The medium was rockwool with a reservoir and drip system. The buds were lime green, covered in trichomes, and smelled STRONG yet sweet at the same time. it was incredible.

So now i grow with a 175 halide and a 250 HPS. with 4 34W t8's for side lighting. Its just a light combo that i picked AFTER seeing another mans successful garden.

im curious if getting a switchable lighting system is worth it.. it can run 400 w for metal halide and high pressure sodium its a little chunk of change but very convinient being that u can use halide during growth and sodium during flowering

Get a digital ballast, they run both bulbs, brighter, use less electricity and are silent.

PLEASE get a digi, I regret getting a magnetic ballast.

I just use a MH conversion bulb in my HTG supply grow bright ballast.

Lowkster said:

t-5's for veg, but 400hps for flowering. Just like Speedhabit said, " there is no comparison when it comes time to flower." HPS ALL DAY!!!!!

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yea after doin a lil more looking around i agree with this all the way. but do you think if you were trying to only grow a lil weed then using t5's would do the job good enough?

that sounds perfect for a good grow

I am in the process of developing my grow and wills tart here as soon as time allows me. i plan on using a t5 for my vegging room which will be vegged from clones and a 600w hps for the flowering process.so i would say combining th e2 would def be a good solution. but to come up with a good answer to which is better can never be proven but im sure the vast majority will go with the hps for flowering and the mh for vegging.

yea i just posted another post in the grow room design & setup area that jus lik what you said only im thinking of using a 400 or 430 to flower with. what size rooms will you have for flowering and veging?

using a 400 could get you like a 1/2 pound every 2months in a 3x3 or 4x4 room.

HPS tried and true.

I don't understand why lots of people always say " I know HPS works the best but why don't I do this instead". Money shouldn't really be an issue because it all costs about the same. If the HID costs a little more up front you'll save money changing one bulb vs. multiple flourescents.

Also you have to change your way about thinking about lumens. ( 8 ) 5000 lumen bulbs do equal 40,000 lumens but the brightest is still 5000 lumens.

HPS is 50,000 lumens and the brightness will be 50,000 lumens and that is one reason why the HPS beats the flourescent. 5,000 lumens brightness vs. 50,000 lumen brightness.

Also it doesn't matter if you use HPS or flourescent, 400 watts of electric puts out the same amount of heat. Most people think Flourescent's run cooler, they are thinking about lower wattage setups is why they are cooler.

Don't know if you've been around the T5 - 54 watt HO bulbs but I guarantee you don't want to touch them. Those things burn hot. I don't know why you think they burn cool but they certainly don't.

the same thing you can do with 8 bulbs of t5 (which im quite sure is more than one 400 bulb)you can do with 1 hps bulb.you can get a 400 hps for 119.00 show me where you can get t5s that have about the same amount of efficiency for the same price.

wyteberrywidow said:

the same thing you can do with 8 bulbs of t5 (which im quite sure is more than one 400 bulb)you can do with 1 hps bulb.you can get a 400 hps for 119.00 show me where you can get t5s that have about the same amount of efficiency for the same price.

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Where can you get a 400W HPS for $119?

i use T5 for veg and it works great. i have never flowered with it but as far as veg goes my 4 foot 4 tube T5 at 20000 lumens is great for keeping my mother and clones

I don't think some of you have been around T5 ligthing, 8 four foot 54 watt HO tubes are really really bright. 4 should be plenty to veg, 6 would be borderline too much and 8 of them in a closet type grow would be overkill. How big is the space you are growing in ? I couldn't find it.

i think im gonna be using a 6x6x6 tent for my vegging and cloning tent just for ease of moving around and if it dont work out ill make it my flowering room if im not happy with the amount i produce in the 4x4 i am planning on using for my flowering room. I plan on using a 600w hps for my flowering room and for the vegging like i said i think 2 4 foot 4 lamp t5's for my clones and then another t5 for my mothers.
whats the link for your other post so i can check it out bro?

jonezin said:

Where can you get a 400W HPS for $119?

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Ballast 60 bucks, + a $20 bulb from home depot… enough money left over for a happy meal.
400 watt HPS Grow Light BALLAST KIT MH 175 250 600 1000 - eBay (item 150293977515 end time Sep-29-08 13:00:00 PDT)