New grower,need T5 advice

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by ItsyaboiCO, Aug 27, 2012.

  1. Hello, new to forum kinda new to growing only have a few outdoor grows under my belt and one cfl indoor but i decided it time to upgrade the lighting situation im gonna go the T5 route after many hours of research due to the fact ill be growing in a small closet and heat will be an issue,i also wanna scrog and t5 should give pretty good cover,anyways her are the lights i was looking at just wonder which one you thinbk is better and why?,ill be using this light in conjunction with 3 68w 2700k cfls i alrady have.

    option 1

    48" 4 ft T5 Fluorescent Grow Light 12 Lamps 6500K Veg Hydroponics Sun 648W VG412 | eBay

    option 2

    SUN BLAZE 48 T5 HO 4 FT 8 LAMP Flourescent | eBay

    option 3
    Quantum T5 Bad Boy 8 Lamp Fixture Grow Light T-5 Fluorescent BadBoy with BULBS! | eBay

    any input would be great Thanks
     
  2. Itsy: you might want to visit your local hydro store first and see what they have to offer. I bought my first one on line from an outfit in Michigan thinking I'd save some money but after waiting three weeks for it and shipping and handling it was actually more than I paid for the second one I bought at the local hydro store. I don't know where you're located but Discount Hydroponics at Riverside, California has a good selection and reasonable prices, and they do sell on line if that's what you need. Just make sure you buy a fixture big enough to completely cover your expected grow. T'5's are great. They burn cool and they're economical to operate but they don't project the light like other types of lighting. I hope that helps. Hank
     
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  3. thanks for the response,I live in florida and all the local hydor stores have closed of or way way over preiced,so i was just gonna order one.
     
  4. Itsy: I always try to deal with local businesses. We too have a lot of hydro stores in southern California and the same problem, but I found the ones that were willing to work with me. It took a little work on my part. When I got started I priced out the things I needed at about six different stores. Some were ridiculous, some were close and a few obviously wanted my business.

    I looked for products that were comparable in both price and quality. I talked to the managers and owners and made it known that I would be a good regular customer if they didn't try to screw me. That personal effort has become it's own reward through the relationships that have developed. Out of the six, I found two that are worth dealing with. I'm a regular customer now to those two and they know that with me: price, customer service before and after the sale and quality and dependability are important.

    Over the last five or six years I've probably spent close to a couple of thousand dollars, a pittance compared to what some of my friends have spent, and the way they treat me has proven that they really appreciate my business. I've gotten a lot more than what I've paid for. They regularly offer: useful advice, free samples of products to test and good deals on others.

    If you make it clear to them that "screw me once shame on you, screw me twice shame on me" and you'll never see me again, and if they're smart business operators they'll appreciated the business you represent. Most of these business operators eventually learn that you can screw some of the people some of the time but if you screw all of the people all of the time you won't last. I've seen a lot of hydro stores open and close like closets when they tried. They are our industry and I think we need to support them first, especially for things that we need right away. I hope that helps. Hank
     
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  5. I had a 300Watt T5 fixture for vegging, bought it new, after 6 months I noticed half the lights weren't working. I touched the fixture to see if the switch was somehow thrown...ZAP! I got electrocuted! The entire fixture was hot! Took it back to the hydro store where I bought it, got a refund.
     
  6. Mr. Onion: that's why I deal with the hydro stores first. I buy on line but not if I can get it locally. Sounds like a short in the ballast. I'm glad they helped you out. Hank
     
  7. Have to agree Hank in supporting local business's. Develope a relationship with a local outfit, I've found I get better price breaks, they'll save items for me, problems with items just melt away as soon as they know & It's always nice to be able to walk into a store & know the salespersons name & their knowing yours.
    If local folks didn't support my business for 25 years I'd probably wound up working for Mickey D's:D
    Cheers
     
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  8. Supporting local shops isn't his question, though it is good practice as you typically get better customer service, and instant gratification. Also calculate shipping costs when comparing prices.

    To answer your question, there isn't much difference between t5 fixtures, really. Personally, I love the bad boy, there is something different about their bulbs can't quite recall the details at the moment though.

    Bit of bad news. T5s do get hot. I put my 6 lamp 4ft t5 in a closet with a 4" vortex for ventilation and temps still hit 95-100. The fixture covered an area that was 4 x 2.5' and needed 6" inline cooling. 4" worked until I added the filter.

    How big is your closet? Those 12 lamp units are big!
     
  9. I am a first time indoor grower and my closet space is around 5x6 ft. Around 8 ft tall. I have two 4ft light fixtures with 4 32w 6500k bulbs. Along with that is a 250w heat lamp to keep temps around 83 degrees f during 18 hour on with an oscillating fan. Around 68 degrees f during 6 hour off time. 4 bag seed seeds out of a lemon kush strain from Denver. Started in MG soil with added ferts and didn't know it would burn my plants up. (Rookie mistake I know don't hate lol). After 3 weeks growth was stunted and leaves turned yellow so I transferred them to FFOF soil. Now my run off PH is around 6.4. Still no nutes. Plants are around 2inches tall. Need help please!! Only been in new soil for 2 days. Also in 3 gallon pots. Hopefully not to big! Lights are off right now but goin to post pics when I turn light on! Advice much appreciated!


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  10. Help is greatly appreciated!!!


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  11.  
    Why do you need help?
     
  12. In class right now. I will post pics as soon as I get out. Like I said I started them in MG premium potting soil. Hot wih ferts. And at sprout they were super green. Then a week later started turning yellow and drooping. And my run off ph was 5.5 roughly. Obviously to acidic for a soil grow. So transferred to the FFOF and now have a steady ph run off of about 6.6-6.4. When I update pics I hope someone is able to help determine the problem!


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  13. #13 lightnup, Mar 4, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 4, 2014
    3 gallon pots are too large for 2" seedlings, solo cup size would be more appropriate till its 6" or so.
    Heat lamp is not needed, in fact too much heat will slow down plant growth.
    Your plants have been through a lot with the hot soil and replanting and hopefully they will recover.
    You can put your light within 3-4" of your plants when they have recovered.
    There is excellent growing information on this site, and you should read and learn all you can to have a successful grow!
     
  14. Thanks for the info! Yea I've only repotted once. Transferred out of MG in jiffy cups to 3 gallon pots with FFOF. About to upload some pics.


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  15.  
    Sounds like you pretty much figured it out.  What problem needs determining?
     
    Also, pH'ing your runoff is pretty much useless.  If you must pH, pH what you're putting in there, and/or maybe take a soil sample and pH that..... the runoff doesn't tell you much of anything.
     
  16. ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393946691.018877.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393946727.778761.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393946815.667367.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393946858.955459.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393946907.782192.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393946975.559520.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393947115.221209.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393947145.519966.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393947193.212576.jpg


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  17.  
    I'll mostly agree with this.  It's definitely possible to take a plant from start to finish in a large pot.  But it's tougher.  Tougher to keep the soil evenly moist, especially.  
     
    Also, I forgot to mention.... like lightnup said, I think the heat lamp is unnecessary (or at least turn it down).  Optimal temps are more like 72-78F.... 83F is getting to be a bit too hot.
     
  18. ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1393947266.387663.jpg
    Got another 4 ft light fixture with 2 32w 6500k bulbs I haven't rigged up yet


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  19. Lol well I have a 250w heat lamp just to keep the temps up during the cold weather in my big closet. Without it temps are around 70F lights off and no more than 75 lights on. Is that ok?


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  20. Or I could simply buy a 150w heat lamp bulb to knock down the temps


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