Lighting Suggestion for 4x4 Tent

I just set up an AC Infinity 4x4 tent with a cool tube with a 600w mh bulb and a 600w hps bulb. Ibhave an AC Infinity fan pulling air through carbon filter and pushing it through the cool tube and out of the tent and vented out a window. I also have ducting from my home ac into the tent with a 6" fan. I have a CO2 monitor/controller as well. The temps got to 88 last night so now I am contemplations going to led in particular the Spider Farmer G8600. Would this grow as well as my current set up?
 

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Jonesfamily7715

Well-Known Member
Quantity yes, quality, that's debatable. It's not gonna be an easy switcheroo everything has to be dialed in with led. I think hid is just easier as long as you can manage the heat. Ever try cmh?
 

GBAUTO

Well-Known Member
Led's grow better when leaf temps are in the low 80's.
I use a 480w QB clone fixture in my 4x4 for quite a few grows over the years.
The lamp you suggested is a bit of overkill for a 4x4
If you're using soil or coco, I wouldn't worry much about the temps, but hydroponics would need a chiller to survive.
 

jimihendrix1

Well-Known Member
88f really aint that bad, especially if you are using Co2, and its not all escaping, and is replenished when it should be. While Ive never grown in a tent, from what I know, in sealed enclosure, it must be sealed to the point, where there is No Place, the Co2 can escape. If there is the smallest way, smallest hole, for it to escape, it will. But you say you have a monitor ect, so, if the monitoring is correct, higher temps, are actually recommended when using Co2.
At 2x 600w HID, in a 4 x 4 area, how well the plants do, will be up to the grower/genetics. That much light, in that area, is getting close to as much as the sun puts out, per sq/m

At its brightest, the sun puts out 1350w sq/m. and 2x 600w HID is 1200w, in a sq/m. Though, the sun doesnt suffer from getting weaker vs distance, like an artificial light.

MassMedicalStrains grows with 99% HID, and is coming out with both a 1000w Halide, and a 600w Halide, that are as close to the spectrum of the sun, as your going to find in an artificial lamp.

It is like the 1000w Hortilux BLUE, but is more powerful. Its the most powerful HID, there is, for the Spectrum. It is going to have a 6000k color temperature the sun, is 5800k. The Hortilux Blue, is 5500k. And I think they have discontinued the Blue. Blue was also $200. The 1000w, MMS is going to have, is $70.

But for what you have now, and with the Co2, and if it is being controlled correctly, and everything is dialed in correctly. Theres not much thats going to equal what you have, no less be better.
Also, remember. Some strains wont tolerate being blasted, and some will. And 2x 600w HID, I would for sure consider blasting them, in a 4 x 4. I myself, also start my seedlings under a 1000w HID, and have been know to start them under a DE 1150w Gavita, at 40 inches. 1000w HID either 20in, or 24. If I use a Hortilux Blue its 20 inches, and 24 if I use a 1000w Hortilux HPS.
As far as spectrum goes, nothing beats HID/Haide. LED may save some heat, and electrical consumption advantages, and not saying it cant grow some good weed, because it can, and in many cases, an LED, is the better choice, especially if one cant control the temps, or live in a very hot region. But HID/Halide has a huge spectrum, on both sides of the Invisible Range. Not just from 437nm-720nm.

The Hortilux Blue, and the MMS bulb both go from about 315nm-2000+. You would have to have multiple LED diodes for each individual nm, to get the same spectrum, as what an HID can produce. Which would be 10s of thousands of them.

If one wants to add UVA/B, add 2 Solacure 32w T12, for each 4 x 4 area, and 1000w HID. This bulb covers from 280nm-365nm, but is most powerful from 280nm-305nm. Its the only UVA/B bulb, that goes down to 280nm. It takes expensive glass to do this.
Agromax Pure goes down to 290nm, but is T5, 5/8 inch diameter, and has a much smaller surface area, and relies on a reflector, which YOU CANNOT REFLECT UBA/B EFFICIENTLY. The Solacure has a special chemical reflector built into the bulb, and is a T12, with way more surface area. T12 is 1.5in diameter, but will fit almost every fixture at the hardware store. Can be run from 25w-80w. But standard/default is 32w. It will burn your eyeballs out in short order, at 80w, and no protection, and will also burn your skin, big time.
 

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
I would put the cooltube fixture on its own closed loop with a separate fan, and then exhaust the tent with the other fan/filter by itself from a different port. Then rock that setup. ;)
 
88f really aint that bad, especially if you are using Co2, and its not all escaping, and is replenished when it should be. While Ive never grown in a tent, from what I know, in sealed enclosure, it must be sealed to the point, where there is No Place, the Co2 can escape. If there is the smallest way, smallest hole, for it to escape, it will. But you say you have a monitor ect, so, if the monitoring is correct, higher temps, are actually recommended when using Co2.
At 2x 600w HID, in a 4 x 4 area, how well the plants do, will be up to the grower/genetics. That much light, in that area, is getting close to as much as the sun puts out, per sq/m

At its brightest, the sun puts out 1350w sq/m. and 2x 600w HID is 1200w, in a sq/m. Though, the sun doesnt suffer from getting weaker vs distance, like an artificial light.

MassMedicalStrains grows with 99% HID, and is coming out with both a 1000w Halide, and a 600w Halide, that are as close to the spectrum of the sun, as your going to find in an artificial lamp.

It is like the 1000w Hortilux BLUE, but is more powerful. Its the most powerful HID, there is, for the Spectrum. It is going to have a 6000k color temperature the sun, is 5800k. The Hortilux Blue, is 5500k. And I think they have discontinued the Blue. Blue was also $200. The 1000w, MMS is going to have, is $70.

But for what you have now, and with the Co2, and if it is being controlled correctly, and everything is dialed in correctly. Theres not much thats going to equal what you have, no less be better.
Also, remember. Some strains wont tolerate being blasted, and some will. And 2x 600w HID, I would for sure consider blasting them, in a 4 x 4. I myself, also start my seedlings under a 1000w HID, and have been know to start them under a DE 1150w Gavita, at 40 inches. 1000w HID either 20in, or 24. If I use a Hortilux Blue its 20 inches, and 24 if I use a 1000w Hortilux HPS.
As far as spectrum goes, nothing beats HID/Haide. LED may save some heat, and electrical consumption advantages, and not saying it cant grow some good weed, because it can, and in many cases, an LED, is the better choice, especially if one cant control the temps, or live in a very hot region. But HID/Halide has a huge spectrum, on both sides of the Invisible Range. Not just from 437nm-720nm.

The Hortilux Blue, and the MMS bulb both go from about 315nm-2000+. You would have to have multiple LED diodes for each individual nm, to get the same spectrum, as what an HID can produce. Which would be 10s of thousands of them.

If one wants to add UVA/B, add 2 Solacure 32w T12, for each 4 x 4 area, and 1000w HID. This bulb covers from 280nm-365nm, but is most powerful from 280nm-305nm. Its the only UVA/B bulb, that goes down to 280nm. It takes expensive glass to do this.
Agromax Pure goes down to 290nm, but is T5, 5/8 inch diameter, and has a much smaller surface area, and relies on a reflector, which YOU CANNOT REFLECT UBA/B EFFICIENTLY. The Solacure has a special chemical reflector built into the bulb, and is a T12, with way more surface area. T12 is 1.5in diameter, but will fit almost every fixture at the hardware store. Can be run from 25w-80w. But standard/default is 32w. It will burn your eyeballs out in short order, at 80w, and no protection, and will also burn your skin, big time.
Thanks for the insight. I am running c02 anything but right. It gets sucked out with the exhaust fan. I was thinking since the led fixture filled my tent there would be light distribution to the edges. But I realize mh and hps will vet down deeper through the canopy
 

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
Basically you setup so the cooltube ventilates itself all on its own, running from one side of the tent to the other with another fan, so it doesn't effect the air inside at all other than the little bit of radiant heat through the glass.. Then you exhaust only the tent (not the lights) with the other fan/ and filter, so it doesn't pull through the cooltube from inside the tent. You would have 2 separate duct loops setup, with 2 fans instead of pulling everything through the one fan. One fan for the lights, and one for the tent exhaust.

You could duct the heat from the lights directly outside to get rid of heat, but still cycle it through the filter in the tent






Like this:
1710994225402.png

Instead of like this:
1710994299744.png



Cooltubes and other sealed hoods were always designed with being on their own loop, to seal them off from the rest of the room. Growers been rigging up their hoods/tubes and pulling the room\tent exhaust through them for a long time, but they been doing it wrong. Why even have a cooltube or hood if you don't close it off on its own loop? I'm guilty too though ;P
 

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
From what I can see, there are major improvements you could make right away. Running that nice long dual cool tube you got directly from one exhaust port to the other in a nice straight line on its own loop, which would also get rid of the long duct that is hanging with all the bends\kinks that drastically alter the flow rate would help. Every 90 degree or more turn in your ducting drastically lowers the efficiency of the fan, that is already struggling enough with the carbon filter as is. Using semi or rigid ducting is always a big improvement as well..

If that duct coming in from the top exhaust port is the intake from the AC you were talking about, its just going to immediately be sucked right in to the filter that is a few feet away and not even have time to swirl around the tent or do much...
 

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
Never seen anyone trying to run a 600mh and a 600 hps in a single 4x4 before.

What's your starting temp? As in the air going in?

Where's your temp probe located? Those bulbs will give off a lot of radiant heat and mess with correct reading if it's in direct light.

A couple of 90 degree rigid duct bends and small amount of 6inch dryer hose in that section would be better than 80cm of hanging ribbed duct.

An LED would be a good choice , purely on a light spread perspective, bulbs aren't great on that, but cooltubes have shocking spread.
 
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I just set up an AC Infinity 4x4 tent with a cool tube with a 600w mh bulb and a 600w hps bulb. Ibhave an AC Infinity fan pulling air through carbon filter and pushing it through the cool tube and out of the tent and vented out a window. I also have ducting from my home ac into the tent with a 6" fan. I have a CO2 monitor/controller as well. The temps got to 88 last night so now I am contemplations going to led in particular the Spider Farmer G8600. Would this grow as well as my current set up?
 

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Never seen anyone trying to run a 600mh and a 600 hps in a single 4x4 before.

What's your starting temp? As in the air going in?

Where's your temp probe located? Those bulbs will give off a lot of radiant heat and mess with correct reading if it's in direct light.

A couple of 90 degree rigid duct bends and small amount of 6inch dryer hose in that section would be better than 80cm of hanging ribbed duct.

An LED would be a good choice , purely on a light spread perspective, bulbs aren't great on that, but cooltubes have shocking spread.
Air going in is 68f..I readjusted things and it stayed at 76f last night. I have excess hose to adjust light and down to have some play in the system. I'm just wondering now if the led would grow better than the lighting setup now.
 
I was thinking about moving the filter and fan outside of the tent and pull air through the top of the tent. That gives me room to mount a led fixture all the way at the top of the tent...or would you leave the filter in the tent and just have the led fixture hang below the fan and filter?
 
I just set up an AC Infinity 4x4 tent with a cool tube with a 600w mh bulb and a 600w hps bulb. Ibhave an AC Infinity fan pulling air through carbon filter and pushing it through the cool tube and out of the tent and vented out a window. I also have ducting from my home ac into the tent with a 6" fan. I have a CO2 monitor/controller as well. The temps got to 88 last night so now I am contemplations going to led in particular the Spider Farmer G8600. Would this grow as well as my current set up?
 

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coreywebster

Well-Known Member
I was thinking about moving the filter and fan outside of the tent and pull air through the top of the tent. That gives me room to mount a led fixture all the way at the top of the tent...or would you leave the filter in the tent and just have the led fixture hang below the fan and filter?
Leave it in.
 
I just set up an AC Infinity 4x4 tent with a cool tube with a 600w mh bulb and a 600w hps bulb. Ibhave an AC Infinity fan pulling air through carbon filter and pushing it through the cool tube and out of the tent and vented out a window. I also have ducting from my home ac into the tent with a 6" fan. I have a CO2 monitor/controller as well. The temps got to 88 last night so now I am contemplations going to led in particular the Spider Farmer G8600. Would this grow as well as my current set up?
 

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