250W or 400W HPS

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psilocybindude

Well-Known Member
^^ What he said, and no that light wouldn't be over kill just make sure you have adequate ventilation to take care of any heat problems that may arise, i would definitely also recommend an air cooled hood, a set up like this should be fine http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-A-GrowBright-4in-Inline-Fan-&-Carbon-Filter-Combo.asp but the general rule of thumb when it comes to ventilation is that it is always better to have more than you need when you need it than not enough, also a fan speed controller would be a good idea.
 
Weedasaurus

Weedasaurus

Well-Known Member
depends on your budget and amount of plants., but bigger is always better. just have to worry about ventilation needs with higher wattages.
 
Jloi

Jloi

Well-Known Member
If you got the money to spend on a 400 watt set up I'd buy it. You can run a 250 watt bulb in it then if you cant control the temps with the 400watt and if you can well then your set. You'll spend less in the long run by buying bigger and what you want the first time rather then up grading to a 400 watt set up. And for the size of the room your fine to run a 400 watt. They have a ruff 4x4 foot print for a good grow. A suntube/cooltube would work well for your room.
 
ItsSaturday

ItsSaturday

Well-Known Member
chicanoindo said:
hey guys im currently using 8cfls and one led so i plan on upgrading im liking the idea of a 250w in my 2x3x5 but i might get better results with the 400w but im thinking it might be a overkill for the size of my tent what do you guys think? and what type of vent would be good for these lights?
link to descriptions on my grow tent: http://www.virtualsunhydroponics.com/Agricultural/products/VS3600-20.asp?rt=2
Click to expand...
I have a 400w in a 1.5x2x5 just make sure you have plenty of ventilation.
 
Clown Baby

Clown Baby

Well-Known Member
aircool your hood and get a 400.

Better yet, get a 600w dimmable and run in on a lower setting for now. You know youre going to upgrade eventually.
 
ItsSaturday

ItsSaturday

Well-Known Member
Clown Baby said:
aircool your hood and get a 400.

Better yet, get a 600w dimmable and run in on a lower setting for now. You know youre going to upgrade eventually.
Click to expand...
Air cooled hood is a must have. A 600w on half power will still be very hot even with a cooltube or hood. It's good if your going to upgrade but if you plan to keep growing in that small of a space you will have major heat issues with a 600w and it could be a fire hazzard.

My 400w setup echanges all the air in the room about 10-15 times per minute to keep the temps down. The radiant heat from the bulb will heat up the room no matter how much ventilation you have running through your cool tube or hood. I would stick with a 400w max for that sized space expecially if you're not experienced with small grows. Any heat above 90F will kill your plants very fast in a small area. Aim for a temp in the 75-80 range and you should be fine.

There is an Apollo horticulture setup on Amazon for under $200.00 that has everything you need for a 400w but it's upgradeable to 600w 800w 1000w and 1500w if you ever wanted to upgrade you just need to switch out your lamp and ballast. I just made things simple when I started my stealth grow and bought a 400w kit with cooltube and a 600w matching ballast and MH/HPS bulbs the cost was under $400.00 for everything and now I've got two setups lol one for veg and clones and one for flowering...

400w kit http://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Electronic-Dimmable-Reflector-Hydroponic/dp/B005215SUO/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1349464197&sr=8-15&keywords=apollo+horticulture+400w
600w Ballast http://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Switchable-Electronic-Digital-Hydroponic/dp/B0052AESTM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1349464273&sr=8-3&keywords=apollo+horticulture+600w+ballast

Both work very well.
 
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