New Clone chamber, Need lighting suggestions

Hey guys, gonna try to make this a short, straight-to-the-point kinda post while still giving enough info so that i can get the best possible suggestions.

For a while now i've been cloning inside of a terrarium with a built in cfl light fixture and its worked well but takes up ALOT of space, I decided to order a secret jardin DP60 tent as it is the smallest i could find at 24"x16"x24", i only ever take 6-12 clones at a time so i dont need that much space.

My only concern is lighting. With my current setup of having a propagation tray+dome inside the terrarium under a 60w 2700k CFL the ambient temp inside the dome sits right around 82f which seems to work perfectly, however as i stated before this terrarium is large and has ample room for air to move around/under the tray, because this new tent will not be vented and wont have the same empty space around the tray for air movement i worry about the possibility of heat build up if i were to stick with CLFs inside of it.

Since im already an LED enthusiast (i use LEDs for veg and bloom) my first thought was to use just a small 25-50w panel in the new tent, however this would be new to me, i have never cloned under LED before, or used an LED smaller than 200w before, and i have definitely burnt plants before by taking them straight from the low light CFL tank and throwing them into high intensity LED tents even with those LEDS being 3-4ft above the plants. SO im looking for suggestions on an LED that will be strong enough to root under but weak enough to not cook the babies.

This was the first light i found that i thought might work well in the new tent:
https://www.amazon.com/UNIFUN-Growing-Hydroponic-Aquatic-Indoor/dp/B01F53LP46/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_fbcp_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01F53LP46&pd_rd_r=SV075YFHKRNB6RYN95BE&pd_rd_w=mjeco&pd_rd_wg=JH4Yy&pf_rd_i=desktop-rhf&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3150073222&pf_rd_r=SV075YFHKRNB6RYN95BE&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhf&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=SV075YFHKRNB6RYN95BE

but even for a cheapo that last one looked a bit intense so i then found this little 20w beauty:
https://www.amazon.com/ACKE-Spectrum-Seedlings-Hydroponics-Swithch/dp/B01LX1EO3W/ref=sr_1_41?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503964728&sr=1-41&keywords=led+grow+light

Let me know what you guys think, remembering that whatever light i chose will have to be roughly 18" from the cuttings without burning them up! Thanks in advance!

You could just use a 20w cfl.
Or you could use a single cob and engine but I don't see the need when a 20-30w cfl will work and costs a few dollars vs $45.
I don't see the need to stick 45w of blurple light in there. Blurpe burns plants easier than white light.
I guess my point is why get fancy when you can do the same thing simple and cheap. I would advise differently for veg or flower but its a clone station.

coreywebster said:

You could just use a 20w cfl.
Or you could use a single cob and engine but I don't see the need when a 20-30w cfl will work and costs a few dollars vs $45.
I don't see the need to stick 45w of blurple light in there. Blurpe burns plants easier than white light.
I guess my point is why get fancy when you can do the same thing simple and cheap. I would advise differently for veg or flower but its a clone station.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion but as i stated before:
because this new tent will not be vented and wont have the same empty space around the tray for air movement i worry about the possibility of heat build up if i were to stick with CLFs inside of it.

The point isnt to get "fancy" and i dont care if the light is full spectrum or white light, i still prefer LED regardless, the point is finding a light that will work in the new smaller area, not build up heat, and not burn plants, plus i believe using LED for cloning would lessen the shock that they usually get when they are moved from CFL to LED.

While i wait for other suggestions, hopefully from someone who has successfully cloned with a small LED, i went ahead and ordered the 20w light i had linked, i will report back with my findings on it, worst case scenario if its no good for cloning my grandmother can use it for some of her house plants lol.

JackSkell said:

Thanks for the suggestion but as i stated before:
because this new tent will not be vented and wont have the same empty space around the tray for air movement i worry about the possibility of heat build up if i were to stick with CLFs inside of it.

The point isnt to get "fancy" and i dont care if the light is full spectrum or white light, i still prefer LED regardless, the point is finding a light that will work in the new smaller area, not build up heat, and not burn plants, plus i believe using LED for cloning would lessen the shock that they usually get when they are moved from CFL to LED.

Click to expand...

It doesn't matter if its LED, cfl or hps, wattage equals heat. So 20w of cfl or 20w of LED is still going to generate the same heat, the difference is you can get more light out of an LED for the same wattage.
Growing without any ventilation is always tricky but 20w of any light it should be fine. I have a mate who does many clones at a time, he just gets a cardboard box big enough to fit a propagator in with enough head room to dangle a 20w cfl. He might have 5 or 6 cardboard boxes laying about his house at any time. That has been working fine for him for many years.

However if all you want is small wattage LED than get a citizen 1212 cob for $10 and buy a heatsink and small driver to power it at 20w or less.

JackSkell said:

While i wait for other suggestions, hopefully from someone who has successfully cloned with a small LED, i went ahead and ordered the 20w light i had linked, i will report back with my findings on it, worst case scenario if its no good for cloning my grandmother can use it for some of her house plants lol.

Click to expand...

I didn't see the 2nd link, it says 12w on the info. That will work fine.

Thanks for the prompt replies corey, i am aware the heat difference may not be much but the cfl im currently using defiantly puts out a fair bit of heat, luckily for me its just enough heat to keep the dome at the right temp in its current setup, but as we all know when you start changing variables (in this case the main enclosure) the rest of your setup usually falls out of being dialed-in and in this case i feel confident in saying the cfl would have caused a heating issue in this new tent. EIther way all my orders should arrive within a few days and then ill be able to do some tests to see whats what. Will definitely report back with my findings!

No worries man, I wasn't trying to poo poo the idea of LEDs, I grow with LED myself. That little unit in your second link looks quiet cool and I'm sure it with be up to the job.
I Totally get the whole situation. If you find the 12w is too much, which I don't think it will be, then you could look into work lights, these days they use cob LED with a daylight spectrum and you can have as little as 8w of power. Very bright for so little power but with almost no chance of light burn.
I use one for work but I have cloned with it. I really don't see the unit you have bought causing a problem though. Not considering what I have seen done in enclosed cardboard boxes.

Nice, and i didn't think you were, just making sure the variables were understood lol. and yea i had looked a COB flood light that i thought would work well but the only issue i had with that was by the time i rigged a fixture for it the bulb wouldve been hanging atleast 6" down from the top of the tent and sicne i only have the 2ft of height i wanted something flat that way i can make sure theres a good 12"-18" between the light and the clones. Im really hoping this combo of tent+light i got will work well together so i can get this giant fish tank out of my room lmao. and ive seen some impressive shit in cardboard boxes before too, right up until one of those boxes caught fire and burned down a chunk of my boys house >.< thats why i tend to stay away from those kind of rigs, they certainly can work, but not the safest option. Plus, like many of us here, i've already spent several thousand dollars on equipment over the years, so anytime im spending less than 500$ it just dont even phase me xD

if overhead space is an issue, get a small quantum board and dial it down to its lowest setting

Hey guys, just wanted to pop back and let ya know the 12w light seems to be fine, been in the tent 5 days now, plants havent gotten any signs of light stress or burn, a few of the clones have already rooted under it (although in fairness they started under the CFL so may have already been rooted before the LED introduction) Ive gone ahead and ordered the same light but in its 24W version, im going to swap them first to make sure the 24w isnt overpowering, and if it checks out ill try both of them in there for a total of 36w, I plan on using this tent for the first week or two of veg also so im trying to find the right balance of light for clones and veg while still keeping things under 12" and not burning them. will report back and maybe post some pics next time!

Nice!

Alright, re-evaluated things yesterday and decided 2 things, 1- both lights together is fine, and 2- i needed some ventilation. Wired a pc fan i had laying around for an exhaust fan, had to cut some flex duct to make a shroud to keep light from escaping through the exhaust fan (was mostly just an issue because my bed is right next to it and i didn't wanna be staring into LEDs when trying to sleep lol), and used a dryer vent for intake, temps could be a couple degrees higher but im happy with the 79 its been sitting at for several hours now (btw for those who notice the high of 84 on the thermometer thats just because i put the battery in it while in my truck on the way home lol) Feeling pretty happy with this new little tent!