T5(20,000 lumen kit) vs. HPS/MH 400watt
- Thread starter damon21
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Zoomin Loomen
Active Member
I've been mulling this very thing lately myself.
One thing I would say, for sure, is that no 20,000 lumen system is going to be on par with a 400w MH. But if you bump it up to the 8 set of 54W 4' tubes, those units put out around 40,000 lumens and you have a closer comparison.
Consider that 400W MH bulbs are putting out somewhere in the same neighborhood in terms of lumens, but also kick out lots of heat which requires more distance from the plant. So you give up a little bit of efficiency in a trade-off for heat issues/proximity.
Bearing in mind that the number of lumens degrades significantly over distance from the source Im not so sure that a canopy wouldnt get more light from a 432w t5 fixture stationed 2" away over a 400w MH bulb 2' away. Y'know? Then again any HID is going to have better penetration. Hm.
If I had to go the whole grow with just one fixture I take the HID switchable. If using specifically for veggin in a seperate room, especially one with possible temp issues, I would go t5.
At this point its all theory in my head, as Ive not been able to speak from experience on this particular issue (yet).
One thing I would say, for sure, is that no 20,000 lumen system is going to be on par with a 400w MH. But if you bump it up to the 8 set of 54W 4' tubes, those units put out around 40,000 lumens and you have a closer comparison.
Consider that 400W MH bulbs are putting out somewhere in the same neighborhood in terms of lumens, but also kick out lots of heat which requires more distance from the plant. So you give up a little bit of efficiency in a trade-off for heat issues/proximity.
Bearing in mind that the number of lumens degrades significantly over distance from the source Im not so sure that a canopy wouldnt get more light from a 432w t5 fixture stationed 2" away over a 400w MH bulb 2' away. Y'know? Then again any HID is going to have better penetration. Hm.
If I had to go the whole grow with just one fixture I take the HID switchable. If using specifically for veggin in a seperate room, especially one with possible temp issues, I would go t5.
At this point its all theory in my head, as Ive not been able to speak from experience on this particular issue (yet).
thedoctorzoidberg
Well-Known Member
the satellite iv uses 420 watts is way better for veg for the amount of wattage it's using, it will put out 44,000 lumens. a 400 watt mh will put out 36,000 lumens and run way hotter.
hps 400 watts puts out at least 50,000 lumens... 6,000 less than the 4 bloom tt105 tubes....
but....
the satellite will grow out a 4ft sq room no problem... with 400 watts of hid you can really only cover 3ft sq.
potlike
Well-Known Member
what is actually usable in that matters... you can make a 2-4 t5's outweigh the efficiency of HPS & MH depending on how the lighting is positioned.
20,000 lumen t5 setup is more efficient than MH when MH lights are position at around 2 feet above the plants and the t5's are positioned right above them.
There are, however, competing theories such as PPFD(Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density... I think) that are being used to make arguments for Cold Cathode and LED grows.
Refer to
Marijuana Lighting Types and Intensities
and
YOR - Lighting Resources
for some good resources on lighting.
-potlike
20,000 lumen t5 setup is more efficient than MH when MH lights are position at around 2 feet above the plants and the t5's are positioned right above them.
There are, however, competing theories such as PPFD(Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density... I think) that are being used to make arguments for Cold Cathode and LED grows.
Refer to
Marijuana Lighting Types and Intensities
and
YOR - Lighting Resources
for some good resources on lighting.
-potlike
thedoctorzoidberg
Well-Known Member
cold cathode lighting (ccfl) will not grow plants..... they do not put out the light spectrums plnats need to properly grow (blue & red). not to mention they take more energy to use than regular cfl's and max bulb lengths are around 16 inches with a diamiter of less than a quarter of an inch...... you'd need about a hundred to match the light output of a hid light.... and it still wouldn't work... spectrum....
potlike
Well-Known Member
Sorry to burst your bubble there doc, Cold Cathode HAVE grown plants, just not as efficient as other lights. Nasa has conducted experiments with them. I also was not aware that Blue and Red were not the correct spectrums for marijuana cultivation.
Cold Cathode can be had in 2700k as well as 6500k, please don't tell someone they are wrong unless you know that for a fact. Granted, the efficiency as well as light intensity will be nowhere close to matching HID.
For me I'm going to stick with t5ho for vegging and HPS mixed in with a couple UVB lights for flowering.
-potlike
Cold Cathode can be had in 2700k as well as 6500k, please don't tell someone they are wrong unless you know that for a fact. Granted, the efficiency as well as light intensity will be nowhere close to matching HID.
For me I'm going to stick with t5ho for vegging and HPS mixed in with a couple UVB lights for flowering.
-potlike
Hell just do it the good old way dig a hole and plant and let the sun do the work. if that dont work go with the mh, and if you like the t5 go with th T-5. I do salt water tanks as well and the same bitch is going T-5 vs. mh and the threads sound just the same lol. go wit what you like!!! I like this kiss-assit remindes me of my thoughts on the debate that has no end lol. If you cant afford a can fan and the higher sparky bill go t-5 if you can afford these use Mh. Thank you Thank you
Relaxed
Well-Known Member
Ok listen up. If you have the space for a veg. and flower room. Call Tony as HTG. mention your shopping for a digital ballast lumatek 400 watter (works hps/mh and you need a 2 ft. T-5 for veg. Need anything else thro that in the package as well. Ask him if he can save you some money on a package deal and shipping. I just saved you a bundle......
Oh, call to check on the order shipping after about 4 working days...
Oh, call to check on the order shipping after about 4 working days...
jwop
Well-Known Member
you are very misinformed to think 400 watts of high pressure sodium will effectively only cover 3 squares ... try like 9 ... nice try though
edit ... wait ... that might be what your trying to say
PPFD isn't a theory.
Lumens, watts, footcandles etc. are for humans.
Photons are what matters.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting2/faq.htm
What is PPFD?
PPFD stands for Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density, and is the technically correct term when PAR (Photosynthetically Available Radiation) is measured as the number of photons of light falling on a given area in a given amount of time.. The units are micromoles per meter square per second. 1 micro mole is = 6.023X1017. So for example, when you see a value for PPFD=200 it means that there are 200X6.023X1017 photons falling on a 1 meter square area in one second.
guitarzan420
Well-Known Member
I have tried 8 bulb t-5 ho with both spectrms of bulbs for flowering and I can say from experience it will not perform as good as an hid. i do use the t-5's for my mothers, for that and small transplants they work well. i use mh for full veg and hps for bloom. nothing compares....yet!
sherriberry
New Member
vegging, get a 8 lamp 4ft t5, and never look back.
you can get 100 plants under one if you put them close enough together, and they will grow healthy as hell, up to about 1 to 1.5 ft.
then they need their space
leaves can touch the bulbs... and barely get burnt.
node strech is the lowest of all with t5's, your plants will be super dense.
I have all 3 lights... i have no reason to lie.
for budding, get hps.
the end.
you can get 100 plants under one if you put them close enough together, and they will grow healthy as hell, up to about 1 to 1.5 ft.
then they need their space
leaves can touch the bulbs... and barely get burnt.
node strech is the lowest of all with t5's, your plants will be super dense.
I have all 3 lights... i have no reason to lie.
for budding, get hps.
the end.
sherriberry
New Member
there have been recent studies that show that the t5's dont actually pull as much juice as they advertise... they are bragging about how brite their bulbs are... but the reality is they dont even pull 50 watts.
that being said, 3 8 lamp t5 fixtures are LESS or equal in power consumption to a 1000 w mh bulb.
now take into consideration shadows, leaf burn, and uneven par distribution.
it all adds up to longer nodes (believe me i use both) and in the end... you wonder why you didnt just purchase 3 t5 8 bulb setups.
as far as price goes, you can get them on ebay for 230 shipped, do a search.
your plants will be shorter and have more leaves, hands down.
and anyone who wants to say otherwise... my question for them is... where is that MH bulb getting the energy to make all that heat?
the 1000 watts.
and what are the t5's doing with their watts if they arent making heat?
making light.
its that simple. apples to apples, theres no comparison.
that being said, 3 8 lamp t5 fixtures are LESS or equal in power consumption to a 1000 w mh bulb.
now take into consideration shadows, leaf burn, and uneven par distribution.
it all adds up to longer nodes (believe me i use both) and in the end... you wonder why you didnt just purchase 3 t5 8 bulb setups.
as far as price goes, you can get them on ebay for 230 shipped, do a search.
your plants will be shorter and have more leaves, hands down.
and anyone who wants to say otherwise... my question for them is... where is that MH bulb getting the energy to make all that heat?
the 1000 watts.
and what are the t5's doing with their watts if they arent making heat?
making light.
its that simple. apples to apples, theres no comparison.
Mountainfarmer
Well-Known Member
I agree with the last comment. I have used t-5, MH, and hps in the past. The benifits of the T-5 are enormous. Just like Sherriberry said, node stretch is at a minium. My plants were so healthy, short, and dense I thought something was wrong. NOPE! Thats the power of the T-5. Again like Sherriberry said, get a HPS for flower. Nothing compares to a T-5 for veg.
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