So I Have My Metal Halide Lights, Now What?

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by CurriePower, Apr 23, 2014.

  1. Hi, Please Help Me out
     
    I know this is quite a newbie question but now that I have my metal halide lights, I have not the slightest idea what I need to use to plug them in and in what I should plug them in. I only have the lights. I tried to screw it into a regular lamp but its far to big. What do I need to do/ purchase so that I can use these lights. I just have the bulb, nothing else with it. They are Philips 400 watt metal halide lights.
     
    Thanks a lot

     
  2. Well, now you will need a ballast and some sort of reflector with the socket. A 400 watt mh or hps can only be ran through a ballast..

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  3. I would take them back and shop for a combo package on eBay. You can get a whole cheap 400 watt setup for around 100 dollars. With a hps & mh bulb. And mh is only good for vegging. Not good for flower. Look for a combo kit. And remember a 400 watt will only do a 3x3 footprint, and no good penetration. So I would really suggest to you being a new and all, to really consider a t5 setup to learn with. Environment, feeding, medium, and such play a big role, not just a light. So learn with a nice 4 or 8 bulb t5 fixture and switch between warm and cool bulbs from veg to flower, and get all aspects right before messing with big bulbs. Just my opinion.

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  4. Thanks that helped a lot. I have researched on ballasts and will try and find one. Could you explain to me what a T5 setup is? Is it lots of fluorescent lights next to eachother?
     
  5. Yes, a t5 is fluorescent lighting. Runs a little cooler. Can put right next to tops of plants. Also a 8 bulb, 4 foot t5 will also run about 400 watts but you could stuff 3-6 plants and have better coverage over the canopy (tops of plants.). You won't be able to grow any monster yeilds with either a 400 watt hps or a t5 setup, but you can yield better focusing on the canopy with the t5. Search "8 bulb t5" on eBay.

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  6. Also with the t5's you have a little less heat to deal with. You can also search "t5 grow journal" to see many successful and happy grows..

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  7. Everyone is gonna say go led or hps/mh, but just starting out seriously consider t5. If you do go hps/mh route, you better look into online fan, aircooled reflector, be able to cut into walls or have a close window to exhaust the heat, and then you also need a filter to hide the dank smell, and then with higher lumens comes higher feedings, scroging, tying, and other LST methods. So, without having to deal with half of that and bypassing cannabis cultivation 101, start small, and know somewhere in your first couple grows, something is bound to go wrong. Cannabis is a always learning thing. I got a lot of years of growing and many successful harvests under my belt. But I have also had my losses in those many years as well. Hope I gave you some answers you were looking for

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  8. Yeah thanks a lot man that helps a lot. A grow using hps and metal halide lights seems pretty complex, and LED lighting still seems somewhat experimental. Ill stick with fluorescents and I have 12 cps lights and will plan on getting a T5. Peace
     
  9. The floros T5, will grow beautiful plants, you will not get huge tight buds but you will get a respectable harvest.
     
    When the buds are trimed and drying you might look at them and think "FUCK I wish I had the 1,000 watt HPS for flower"
     
    Id look at buying nothing but 1,000w grow lights and never even look at the smaller lights.
     
    You get out what you put in. ;)
     
  10. #10 nuker121hydro, Apr 25, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 25, 2014
    While I absolutely agree with you snoop d-o-single g, I don't think its a good idea to steer novice/first time growers in the "master" direction. I think its better to steer the direction of simple, inexpensive routes. Let's face it, there's just some people that cannot grow if they had too. Then of they can grow, they gotta get past the whole "I can grow more if I add more" and the whole impatience everyone goes through their first couple grows. It wouldn't be fair based on the fact that the OP didn't even realize he would need a ballast, to make him think he would need thousands in equipment, and feed numerous bottles of nutes and supplements, and put out a master level of grow room. Its more fair to to steer a novice towards a lesser grow level to get the understanding of cannabis growing. As he moves along, he will increase his level as he sees fit. I think the OP would only be growing for personal, and yes while t5 may not produce rock hard dense buds, it will produce very dense buds and produce enough for personal use. So Mr Currie powder, go the t5 route. Get a simple one part nutrient.( NO MIRACLE GROW!) And grow yourself some smoke.. And later down the road, don't believe the 1000watt hype, get a 600 watt, with LST or scrog and just 2 plants you'll produce enough to last ya til your next harvest. Or 2 600 s over a 5x5 area for best results. Me personally have been using a 1000 watt with 2 400 watt mh on each side over a 5x5 scrog. But am now gonna experiment this summer with LEDs.. I am sick of paying Edison to have to cool in the summer.

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  11. I agree with the 600w advice.  Slightly more efficient than a 1000w in lumens however when multiple lights/ballasts come into factor 600's aren't as cost efficient as 1000's.  Sounds like op is just gonna go with 1 though.  So 600w I'd recommend as well.  I kind of have to disagree with the t5 advice though. I must stress KIND-OF. While yes you might be able to get a decent harvest I'm a firm believer in "buy the best so you only have to buy once".  I've been through the whole upgrade this upgrade that upgrade-upgrade-uuupgraaaayeed thing with many hobbies.  It can just burn huge holes in your pockets.  I would only go the 400/600/1000w route if you plan on doing this looooooooong term that way your equipment will last for years and you will likely only have to replace the bulbs.
     
    Then again the T5's will come in handy in the future for seedlings and/or clones and as mentioned before the heat output is a lot less. I don't know....... 
     

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