HELP ! me pick out a lightfixture.

Hey guys. I've been looking into light fixtures for an indoor Grow.
I have about 4' by 4' to work with, in a closet. I am thinking around 12 plants, but less would be O.K.

Honestly Guys, I don't know much about spectrums or anything like that. Typically im looking for somthing under $500. I've been looking at HPS, like this one http://www.insidesun.com/index.php?action=item&id=727&prevaction=category&previd=2&prevstart=0

But i've heard somthing bad about hortilux ? like they aren't the best for your money or somthing.

Help me out here guys, STONER INDISTRESS !!

A 600 watt HPS would be great for that area. If I were you, I would check the price of one at your local hydro store. I got a 600 Hydrotech with a 24 in reflector for 249.00. If you have a problem, most now have a 5 yr warranty. I know its a little more money but it is nice to have someone to take them to if there is a problem.....

well are u going to veg somewhere else..??...is that just for flowering.4x4.?? HPS u got to have for flowering...for Veg i like the NEw wave T5s lots of lumms less power and no heat.. great lights..Hortilux are very good more money but worth it i think for that 4x4 either a 600 watt or 1000 w depends if u can cool that 1000w down enough good luck..

if u can cool it go with the 1000 watt. i kno some ppl will say that that is overkill but u will see the benefit in the yeilds trust me. for a commercial grow it may be better to go with less light but as your just running one light go with the 1000 your buds will thanks u.

thanks guys. I heard somwhere that the 1000's aren't the quality of the lower wattage bulbs, because they are older or somthing. I don't know if you guys have heard anything about this.

I think im going to use the same room for vegging and then flowering. For Now...
Are T5's really better for vegging?

hey man check this out www.htgsupply.com theyre cheap honest and quality u can get a 600w W/aircooled hood for 365 i think, as for veggin with t5's it works but can be costly to buy them thats why i stick with regular CFL's for vegging and yes a 600w has a better lumen per w ratio than a 1000....i think

hey thanks rasta, Im going to check that out right now...

what do you guys think about this one ? http://www.htgsupply.com/productdetail.asp?productID=463

The bulb has 30% more blue...
would the HID/HPS combo be better then just HPS ?

Flyv, forget the rest of those deals... HIDHUT is the best by far/ the one you posted above has a shitty hood with no cooling.
for $320 you get a 600w hps, digital ballast, and aircooled hood.... i dont know how much more you could ask for... digital ballasts alone are anywhere from $200 - $300, and theyre way better than magnetic ones.... here is the link:
http://www.hidhut.com/catalog/600w-120v-240v-smart-digital-ballast-bulb-reflector-p-71.html

ive used them and also a good friend, its the best deal imo... then you can afford a good blower like a vortex and cool that 600 so well that you can stick it right over those plants.

hortilux bulbs are awesome. makes a difference in flower. i've never heard of issues with them.
inside sun sucks. i've personally been ripped by that guy. stay away from inside sun is my advice.

Before you buy a 600, be certain you have proper ventalation and intake to keep things cool. I started out in a 3 by 3 with a 400 and it was to much for the cab. You will need a solid air intake and exhaust with fans to keep a 600 cool in that area.

As for the vegging, I used to use a MH until I blew a bulb and decided just to veg with the HPS. I really didnt notice much of a difference and all I use now for both is the HPS. I suppose it would be better to have both but for the difference I noticed I dont bother anymore....

FlyvAgaric said:

thanks guys. I heard somwhere that the 1000's aren't the quality of the lower wattage bulbs, because they are older or somthing. I don't know if you guys have heard anything about this.

I think im going to use the same room for vegging and then flowering. For Now...
Are T5's really better for vegging?

Click to expand...

they arent lower quality a 600 simply is more effecient (ie it puts out more light per watt of power) but a 1000 will put out more light overall. personally in a 4x4 space i would probably go for 2 600s but it depends on your grow stye. if your growing treed u def want the 1000 for the penetration, if you want to do a SOG or SCROG the 600s are the better choice.

Hey, THATS SOME GREAT INFO ! thanks guys, for the quick reply's and the solid information. I really don't know how im going to set this up yet (like all the reflective stuff for the walls and all that.) I'm just focusing on the light for now, Honestly i don't think cooling the room will be a problem, The closet is a huge walk in closet with a window, And im only using like a 1/4th of the closet space for the grow. So there will be plenty of room for heat to disperce. Im likeing this HID/Hut store, thanks for the link sensirocker.

Why is it important to have differen't light spectrums for flowering than vegging ?
does it really make that big of a difference to mix the spectrums up at differen't stages of growth ?

hmmm... I saw the double ended reflector, but that doesn't come with the ballast or anything. http://www.hidhut.com/catalog/delux-dual-lamp-dual-spectrum-reflector-p-289.html

they are always trying to get as much money out of you as they can.

Bump...

flyv dont worry about that dual spectrum crap yet, your JUST starting to grow... using an MH during veg is better than an HPS but its not MONUMENTALLY better by any means at all, especially for beginners. What i would do in your case if you dont want a separate flower and grow room is to get that 600w hps with the digi ballast i showed you before, get some 6" ducting, and get a 6" blower like this one for 120 bucks:
http://www.hidhut.com/catalog/cannon-huts-250cfm-p-286.html

if you hoestly think that you dont need cooling, then those temps in that closet better be atleast 68 during the hottest part of the day because that 600w will RIP those temps up and burn your plants.... i HIGHLY recommend getting the blower and that 600wHPS digital system becuase you will be able to put the light MUCH closer to your plants which i promise will result in those massive ass colas you see around here, once you get the hang of growing of course. Please consider that blower. It will keep you under your 500 dollar limit and im almost positive youll just be getting one in the future anyways.

btw, that dual spectrum thing is just a hood for two separate bulbs and ballasts... so you can use, for example, a 400w MH and a 600w HPS.... obviously it would make one insane ass light but its expensive... go with that 600w digital setup, you cant get a better deal than that.

As far as the room, all you need is mylar if you want to cover the walls.... white walls are 90% reflective, mylar is 96% or some crap... dont worry about that yet, make sure your environment is safe and secure and maintains good temps (no hotter than 85 during the day and no more than 50- 60% humidity).

Ok, now that we have that covered, this is what i think you should do if you want a separate veg box and a separate flower box, which i highly recommend doing..... get the 600w digi, and get a 4bulb T5 floro system.... that thing can veg 8 plants (from clone) to a good size in 4 weeks which is the perfect number of plants for your 600w. I personally prefer vegging more because i like getting 4oz+ from each of my plants rather than STUFFING the grow room with 24 small plants which also increases your legal risk. If you want to get a little more agressive with the veg period, get a 250w MH or 400w MH setup from hid hut, but i really really dont think thats necessary and a bit overkill when just going to a 600w. This way you can have a perpetual harvest, or atleast have healthy, large veg plants waiting for your flower room when you chop....

good luck man!!!!

-sR

Hey, this really helps man. I was totally lost there for a couple days... now im almost there.

Why does everyone veg there plants under less light then they are going to flower with ? Can i veg my plants with a 600w hps ?

I veg my plants with a pair of 600 watt HPS. As I said, I used to veg them with a MH, but after vegging with the HPS, I didnt notice enough differece to say so....

Thanks JJ

www.1000bulbs.com 1000 watt hps for 99 bucks 600w for 60 bucks