I am thinking about building a dresser grow box and I was just wondering if it would just be more efficient to use a single HID bulb most likely HPS or if i should get several CFLs, possibly 2 125w CFLs with several supporting smaller wattage CFLs for side growth. My main concern is heat. With a single 250w hps light would i need a serious ducting system or could i get away with intake and outtake computer fans? Same question with the CFLs. Remember that they are not conventional CFLs. I'll include a picture for comparison. The ones I want are the big ones.
they can still put off some serious heat. I had about 150 watts of cfls equiv to nearly 600 on my last grow and I had to really try hard to keep the heat down. It usually hovered around 80 but was very finicky. It helps to have an occilating fan that can blow air out and around the plants effectively. Try setting it up differently (the fan and air flow) and you can see the results will vary widely
most tube lighting will work. t-5's work best, but nothing out there (cept the sun) works better than h.i.d. lighting.