T5 High Output Fluorescent

VictorVIcious

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
Ativas said:
A buddy of mine uses 4 x 4 bulb sets T5's (16, 4 foot bulbs in 4 fixtures) and his plants grow very well and his yield is good. I use a 1000w MH and a 1000w HPS from seedling to harvest - for the same number of plants my yield is twice what his is, sometimes more. It all depends on the many personal factors involved which lighting is best for you. If T5s seem like the best choice for you personally, you can't go wrong. Yes, they are very good lights, but you can never change the fact that more light is always better.
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You are right, things can vary and you do have to pick the best choices, I am sure 2-1000 can produce a fair amount of bud. How do you flower four tables with them? All of the other factors, system, medium etc. would have to be the same, not likely to happen.
His four t-5's use 220 watts of power each and put out 20,000 lumens. If he is getting 1/2 your yield from 880 watts insted oif 2000watts I guess he should have bought the 8 bulb, Thats kinda an apples and oranges comparison. Garden Knowm agrees with you, he says the 1000 is the way to go if you have all other factors right. VV:blsmoke:

PS. He wrote the book on growing with cfl's.
 
Ativas

Ativas

Well-Known Member
VictorVIcious said:
You are right, things can vary and you do have to pick the best choices, I am sure 2-1000 can produce a fair amount of bud. How do you flower four tables with them? All of the other factors, system, medium etc. would have to be the same, not likely to happen.
His four t-5's use 220 watts of power each and put out 20,000 lumens. If he is getting 1/2 your yield from 880 watts insted oif 2000watts I guess he should have bought the 8 bulb, Thats kinda an apples and oranges comparison. Garden Knowm agrees with you, he says the 1000 is the way to go if you have all other factors right. VV:blsmoke:

PS. He wrote the book on growing with cfl's.
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You're right about the apples and oranges comparison in certain respects, but to clarify, I wasn't actually trying to compare the two setups against each other, I was simply demonstrating the difference a higher 'volume' of lighting can make. Not everyone is able to use a couple 1000w lights; if they do have the means/space etc to do so however, then their yield will increase proportionately. (I know you know all this, I'm just clarifying for others.) My point is to use the best possible lighting that fits in with your own personal situation which can include many factors - space, money (both equipment and the hydro bill), stealth, house/apartment/living with others and so on and so forth. Thanks for adding your thoughts Victor, I appreciate it.
 
VictorVIcious

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
intensive said:
damn, they almost cost as much as hid lights, whats a link for a good t5 light for a good price?
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When you are comparing hid's and T-5 costs, include all of the costs, like a air handling system, and a cool tube. That cool tube fan is going to be on at least 12 hours a day 365. And remember the difference in height you will be allowed using the T-5. 2' more growing height. Now what is the cost? VV:blsmoke:
 
C

capncash

Well-Known Member
VictorVIcious said:
When you are comparing hid's and T-5 costs, include all of the costs, like a air handling system, and a cool tube. That cool tube fan is going to be on at least 12 hours a day 365. And remember the difference in height you will be allowed using the T-5. 2' more growing height. Now what is the cost? VV:blsmoke:
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Difference in height? HPS light is effective from 3 or 4 feet. T5 is what like 6 inches
 
yelodrvr

yelodrvr

Well-Known Member
capncash said:
Difference in height? HPS light is effective from 3 or 4 feet. T5 is what like 6 inches
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think your miss understood him. if not i apologize.

hps cant be as close as the t5s. i can let my plant be inches from the t5s no exhaust, no hood, and the only adverse affects where a little mutation in the leaves.

my 1000w hps is 18" - 24" away from plants. but that is with a air cooled hood, and exhaust. my hood $110, inline exhaust fan $35.

intensive said:
damn, they almost cost as much as hid lights, whats a link for a good t5 light for a good price?
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not if you goto the right place. 2' - 4 bulbs T5s 96watts $138 plus tax.
most all of the T5s lights i priced on line where way more expensive than what i paid for at the local hydro store.

this is the cheapest site i have found the T5s at is http://www.gokigc.com/category_s/24.htm
in store is cheaper

i bought the 2' 8 bulb T5s for $175. they had been used for 1 month. like me the guy loved them and wanted to go bigger. so ask about used trade ins. everybody i know as soon as they get them they want more, or bigger. so i am sure there is a lot of used one out there.
 
gsspike

gsspike

Well-Known Member
Well I decided to follow the "MORE BUDS FOR LESS" method and go with CFL's.
I put my first 6 seeds in cubes today.
 
VictorVIcious

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
capncash said:
Difference in height? HPS light is effective from 3 or 4 feet. T5 is what like 6 inches
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An hps light is at least 8" tall, and you can not put it to close to your ceiling unless you like fires or you air cool it. It must be no closer than 8" from the top of your plants and then there is that fugging ballst to put some where, its a part of the t-5 fixture. You will have at least one more foot of space to grow in with the t-5 light, so you can grow 3' tall plants instead of 2' tall plants. That is the important difference of the height. And no the HPS light is not effective from 3 or 4 feet away. You are simply underinformed. VV:blsmoke:
 
VictorVIcious

VictorVIcious

Well-Known Member
smartbadguy said:
what??? i dont know some thing that really good i can find blubs for it but i cant seem to find t5 ballast
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The ballasts for the t-5 lights are internal, they are inside of the fixture, there is not a sepereate ballast, nothing else to buy, they even have mounting hardware to hang the light on the hook you place. If you want to take a look at a discussion of the t-5 lights, you could look at my journal, its in my signature, Current set up: Journal? VV:blsmoke:
 
rezo

rezo

Well-Known Member
copy my setup .. veg and clone under your t5 and bloom under hps.
i use a 4 bulb 4' 216w t5 to clone veg and mother in the closet while the hps is flowering. when i start flowering 1 set of plants i clone a new set of plants then veg them . by the time the flowering plants are done the vegging ones are ready to go . youll get 6 harvests a year instead of 4. the t5 works better than mh in my opinion and creates almost no heat at all.
 
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