Plz help a newbie with lighting.

I am just now getting my grow room together and I am buying the parts. I have a small grow tent 2'8x2'8x5'3 and plan on growing 4 plants at a time. I have picked out this grow lamp http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400172347089&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_18622wt_1139 but I am not sure this is the best lamp. Any help would be appreciated.

What kind of lamp ? Pictures would Help .

I put a link up in the thread, but if a picture is easier, here you go:

Can anyone help a newbie out? Is the light pictured above a good light to use for a 32x32x63 grow tent?

that will work wonderfully for 4 plants

Snickelfrits said:

that will work wonderfully for 4 plants

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Great, thanks for the help. The main reason I asked is because the 400w HPS/MH that I see on websites are priced at double that amount. I was wondering why ebay had full kits so cheaply.

dude i have the same light and my babies have done great under it. i went to htg and got it. screw 30 bucks shipping they have stores everywhere.

I'm glad to hear from someone who already has the lamp and that it's a good buy. But, and this is hard to believe, Chicago only has 1 Grow store on the North side. Their prices are around $300+ for a good 400w lamp and ballast. Also checking the net, most prices are close to $300, so the ebay route is much cheaper for me. I just need to know that it's got a decent ballast and that is not too much wattage for my 5sq foot tent.

the heat will be an issue if you dont have ventilation. my room is 6 x4x6 and its plenty my girls look great.htgsupply is great too. check out theyre website.

Would a 250w HPS be a better choice for my small grow tent???

Mine is a 400w dimmable to 250w. I agree that you will have serious heat problems if you leave that tent closed up without very good ventilation. I frankly always wonder about the need for a tent. If people you don't want to see the grow are in the room with the tent, how are you going to explain it? If they are not, then why not just lose the tent and solve your heat problem? If the tent is for total darkness, use it for lights out and open it when lighting.

IMO, i would go with a 600w digital unit, they run much cooler than ordinary ballasts and they take less power too, you just need to control the heat problem, but if you have a nice 6" inline duct fan you should be ok, the other way to keep temps in the tent down is to use a coolshade they work brilliant. peace and good luck

cheaper. not ness. better though.

howdy joker.

i have almost the same size tent that i used to use for veg. a 250 will be best for that size tent unless you plan on leaving it open. you should also get a dual electronic ballast. they are quiet and you can use it for MH- metal halide (veg) and HPS - high pressure sodium (for flowering)

fatboyOGOF said:

howdy joker.

i have almost the same size tent that i used to use for veg. a 250 will be best for that size tent unless you plan on leaving it open. you should also get a dual electronic ballast. they are quiet and you can use it for MH- metal halide (veg) and HPS - high pressure sodium (for flowering)

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Thanks for the tip, Fatboy. I plan on getting a MH/HPS dual ballast...Since it is a very small grow room 32x32x63 I wondered how much heat would be an issue. I plan on using a grow tent because of the ability to have total darkness for flowering on a 12/12 schedule. Including the tent, I want to order a 4" inline intake fan and a 4" Carbon filter fan for exhaust. How does that sound???

MidnightJoker said:

Thanks for the tip, Fatboy. I plan on getting a MH/HPS dual ballast...Since it is a very small grow room 32x32x63 I wondered how much heat would be an issue. I plan on using a grow tent because of the ability to have total darkness for flowering on a 12/12 schedule. Including the tent, I want to order a 4" inline intake fan and a 4" Carbon filter fan for exhaust. How does that sound???

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sounds perfect! what ferts are you going to use? most are good so don't stress over what to use too much.

fatboyOGOF said:

sounds perfect! what ferts are you going to use? most are good so don't stress over what to use too much.

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heat will always be an issue in a closed area like that. the set up you're buying will keep it reasonably cool in there.

fatboyOGOF said:

sounds perfect! what ferts are you going to use? most are good so don't stress over what to use too much.

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I was going to go with the Flora Series Nutrients. Will that suffice?

yeah they will work great, whats your medium?

The shipping on that is nuts. I would suggest a dimmable lumatek over that. Here is a lumatek with bulb and reflector for the same price (when you factor in that $50 shipping charge). http://www.urbansunshine.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=233_373_374&products_id=18508

Can dim to lower wattage if heat is an issue and during the first part of grow.

Lumateks are far superior to HTG's digital ballasts as well - I own a 1kW digital HTG ballast and a 600w lumatek and my god is there a difference. The lumatek is dimmable, completely silent, and puts out more light.

Hell, for ~$80 more get the 600w lumatek with bulb and reflector. That dimms to 300w and 450w and if you want to go bigger you have the 600w as well.