Separate Seedling/Veg Box - T5, CFL, or LED?

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by Seafood Gomez, Apr 21, 2015.

  1. I am getting to the halfway point of my first grow (all Autos) in a 400w MH/HPS tent.  I want to start a second round right behind it, but want to avoid using a second HID system to keep my electric low.  I want to keep it close to the same amount of power as the 400w so that when it comes time to graduate to the flowering tent, it's a smooth transition and no shock.  Here are a few links to ebay items I'm looking at.  Any suggestions are much appreciated! 
     
    LED
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/171260201496?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
     
    T5
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/321701588276?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
     
    CFL
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydrofarm-Fluorowing-Compact-Fluorescent-System-FLCDG125D-/181711504518?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a4ed98486
     
    Again, main concern is electricity costs.  Of course, I want my vegetative's to be the best to match the 400 HID, but I can't afford another spike in my monthly bill [​IMG]
    thanks for any input!

     
  2. For $115 that LED has to be crap, and the t5 will put out a lot of heat for seedlings and early veg so that CFL is probably your best bet.
     
  3. that's what I was thinking about that LED.  I've been trying to research the hype on LED's, but I can't tell which ones are crap or which ones are a good deal.
     
    so that 125W CFL - I could veg 3 Autos until week 4, switch them to the 400w HPS and they'd be alright?
     
  4. as they grow you would add a few bulbs but instead of the 125w cfl, I would go with lower watts spread out over a smaller space. I bought a multi socket four foot long that you would see at a work bench. I got it a home depot for $30 where I also picked up light bulbe socket adapters that are electrical plug ins. the adapter Y's so you can add two bulbs to each plug in. I then bought 13w 830 lumen daylight bulbs. this worked well for my first veg area for four clones. growth is a little slower than my MH but structure of growth was just fine.
     
    the bulbs need to be 6 inches away so as they grew, I added side lighting.
     
    I know you're thinking that the 13w bulbs won't be as good as the 125w but the bigger wattage will really make things hot in there and you still can't have the light that much further from the plants. it won't give you the coverage you'll want as they grow because CFL doesn't have the light penetration that HID bulbs give so lower watt bulbs that add up to 125w spread out all over, up and down the walls, everywhere, will give you lower heat, and better growth than one single 125w.
     
  5. #5 SleeveOfWizard, Apr 25, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 25, 2015
    I would recommend the T5
     
    They will be the cheapest overall to run (electricity draw, bulb life, cost of bulb replacement)
    You can get LED units that are more efficient than the T5, but you will have to spend more than $300 on them.
     
    You can get a T5 with a glass sheet that covers the bulbs, then you can put it right up against the seedlings without having to worry about burning them. And you can run a small PC fan inside the light fixture to vent out the heat.
     
    That being said, it wont get very hot compared to a HPS light.
     
     
     
    Those really high watt CFLs are usually stupid expensive, and the bulbs themselves wont last as long as the T5 bulbs will. Plus it draws slightly more electricity per lumen.
    You would be better off buying several standard 27w CFLs with traditional light sockets from Walmart. You will still need to replace the bulbs as often, but theyre much more reasonably priced..
     
  6. T5 HO all the way. 
     

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