The T5 thread
- Thread starter 21lowens
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Co1e
Well-Known Member
I use em but on my first grow so yield I don't really know. Like mine just for the reason your thinking about it. I do add some cfl's and looking for a better way to do it. Would go 8 bulb if I did it again. 4 4 ft bulbs now. They growing, they in flower but time till harvest seems a bit long. Just me but I would go cool tube since you already have a good light.
Rudy Rudiger
Well-Known Member
I use T5's for clones. Two bulbs. They seem to work well but produce more heat than I expected.
I dont think I would use them for flowering.
I dont think I would use them for flowering.
hybridbuds
Well-Known Member
I just set up a 400HPS cooltube, but I know of a guy that ran a killer t5 set up on another forum. Here's a link, you'll need to make an account to see it, but his results are incredible and worth the small amount of time it takes to make a login name.
http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/462512-16-plant-sog-under-6-bulb-t5.html
flip through the pages there and you'll see some great buds. He describes his whole set up from the get-go. enjoy, this may be the convincing you are looking for
Hybrid
http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/462512-16-plant-sog-under-6-bulb-t5.html
flip through the pages there and you'll see some great buds. He describes his whole set up from the get-go. enjoy, this may be the convincing you are looking for
Hybrid
WEED NINJA
Member
do you save money on electricity if you use T5s for VEG
hybridbuds
Well-Known Member
I'm thinking it depends on the wattage. Now I will say that some argue that 350watt T5's are more efficient that 350hps, but I think they take into account temps and how close plants can get. Obviously there are more lumens closer to the bulbs no matter what kind of bulb it is. But if T5's are as cool as they say they are, then IMO they are pretty legit as far as being able to compete with MH/HPS.
infinitescrog
Active Member
I have twin 150 Watt T5HO 4' strips each with 1 10k and 1 actinic and they get pretty hot but they work great for me to veg...plants exploded under them with very little stretch.
t5's tend to run at a PF around 50-60% (google search says around 50%, my kill-a-watt meter says mine are 63%). So yes, they are more efficient. But that's very misleading 
T5's are great, but they are not a point source, so they won't penetrate like an HID. This is why you will more commonly see them used to veg short and bushy plants, who move to an HID to bud with it's awesome penetration.
T5's are great, but they are not a point source, so they won't penetrate like an HID. This is why you will more commonly see them used to veg short and bushy plants, who move to an HID to bud with it's awesome penetration.
hybridbuds
Well-Known Member
Well said, and right on target. There is nothing that penetrates like HIDt5's tend to run at a PF around 50-60% (google search says around 50%, my kill-a-watt meter says mine are 63%). So yes, they are more efficient. But that's very misleading
Well the issue is twofold. I have a difficulty in regulating heat. It gets too hot under the metal halide. The power usage is also pretty hefty. I'd love to get a cooltube, but to be honest, that's just another fan running on power. I'm turning off my flower-tent next week (harvest 
). Right now i'm looking to do something about my veg tent though. There's no way i'd use a T5 for flower, but I've heard good things about T5 for veg. If T5's give off some heat, that's totally ok. Do they use less power? Let's say i have an 8 bulb 4' setup with 84 watt bulbs. will ea h bulc really use 84 watts? or is that just the output, input being a lower figure?
). Right now i'm looking to do something about my veg tent though. There's no way i'd use a T5 for flower, but I've heard good things about T5 for veg. If T5's give off some heat, that's totally ok. Do they use less power? Let's say i have an 8 bulb 4' setup with 84 watt bulbs. will ea h bulc really use 84 watts? or is that just the output, input being a lower figure?
surphin
Well-Known Member
I've used T-5's for both veg and flower, for veg they're awesome. Using them in flower I've notice a few things, a 4ft 8 bulb 432watt t-5 will heat up a room just as much as 400mh will. You can keep them very close to you tops without burning the plant, which is good because 10 - 12 inches seems to be the limit on still effective light penetration. So keep your plants short. I hit .7/watt using a 432w t-5, and a person could do better with good training like scog or supercropping.
Stick with the HID's for flower, but I'll say it again for veg t-5's rock out.
Stick with the HID's for flower, but I'll say it again for veg t-5's rock out.
Total Head
Well-Known Member
if the only issue is whether or not to spend the $$ cooling your current light or getting t5 the choice for me hands down is just cool the mh. i have used a 48'' 6 tube t5ho fixture for 2 years (350w or so depending on the bulbs). they do veg very well, but not what you will get with a mh of equal or even lower wattage. they are also do not instantly run cold just because they are floro. they actually can produce quite a bit of heat. not like the hid lights but plenty of heat. it is less concentrated of a heat so it is easier to control, but if i had the money and space to set it up i would switch to mh for vegging and use the t5 for clones and seedlings. if you swithc to t5 it would basically be a downgrade with some advantges.
ColoradoLove
Well-Known Member
I use a 4ft 4 tube T5 for vegging. I used to use a 600w but ditched it for a couple reasons reasons. My T5 is 216w so it's 2/3 less consumption than vegging with a 600w which should be reflected in your energy bill. I've been pleased with the results I've gotten from it so far. I'd recommend a HID light for flowering but you can get pretty good results with T5's too. Do some searching on here and you'll find a lot of people vegging and flowering with them
ataxia
Well-Known Member
I recently upgraded from cfls to a t5 fixture ... It seems to have given me a larger yield with shorter plants ... everyone is correct (obviously) about the penetration qualities of the t5 .. but if you could do a scrog. I think your yield would be exceptional. I only threw a few single stemmed clones in there ... but from the light ... you only have about two feet of usable light. So if your planning on doing it ... try and make sure you train your plants to stay short. I'd post pics right now but i'm in a rush... and i cant say for sure how it improved my yield yet since i haven't harvested. but i can tell that it's doing better than cfls for me ... but you HAVE to have that even canopy imo for fluro tubes
ColoradoLove
Well-Known Member
Look into Sunshine Systems LED's. Once again, maybe not the greatest flowering option but most seem to agree that LED's, even the really little ones, are effective in veg. It's just too damn expensive to get the big ones that would flower well.
WEED NINJA
Member
thanks people
i think ill put 2 in my fish tank
i think ill put 2 in my fish tank
ColoradoLove
Well-Known Member
Do it dude! Your fish will love it haha
bigv1976
Well-Known Member
I have seen many points made in this thread that I agree with and some I dont. I run a 2x4 tent with a 2x3 scrog and a 4 foot 6 bulb T5. I think T5's get a bad rap and I believe to be mostly because there is a place for every type of light and I dont see people using T5's efficiently start to finish. My opinion is not for the guy that uses T5's just for veg. It is also not for the guy that has a larger grow area. I am talking about using it start to finish in a small space (4x4 or smaller). I have grown with HID's in various configurations and have switched to a full time T5 grower and I will explain how I use them and why.
I use my light over a SCROG. I am a huge scrog fan and I do not have a large area to grow in for various reasons. I only grow in a 2x4 tent and I smoke about 1/2 oz. a week. So I am basically shooting for 8+ oz. per grow.
I decided to give T5 a shot and am glad I did!! I heard the T5 gives you small yields of fluffy buds. My light puts out 30,000 lumens and a 400 HPS puts out 50,000. So the HPS is better right? Not for me. Remember I have a small space and I SCROG. So why is T5 my choice? Due to my scrog my canopy stays flat and even. HID light has a small single source of light which radiates in an arced shape. This means that the cola that is in the middle of my screen is getting quite a bit more light that the cola in the corner of my screen. With my 6 bulb T5 the light source is flat and even just like my canopy so all my colas are receiving equal light. The second reason for my choice is the big one everyone talks about. Heat. I believe that there is a misconception that fluos put out less heat than HIDs and I would argue that. I think 400 watts of HID puts out generally the same heat as 400 watts of fluos. The point I would argue is the managability of the heat. My T5's heat is spread out over a 2x4 foot area reducing the heat intensity to any given spot on the canopy. Controlling heat in my tent is quite simple and I can tune it by using a fan controller. The less intense heat brings me to my final reason for using T5s. This is the most important part and I feel that it is sooooooo under rated. My light hovers 1" from my colas giving them as close to 100% light usage as possible. Light disipates very quickly relative to the distance from the source (see the attached chart). So I have to figure that 30,000 lumens at 1" is more efficient than 50,000 lumens at 12".
I am not trying to say "T5 is better than HID". Remember that I said in the beginning that each light has it's place. If you have a 10x10 grow room and you want to SOG sativas you would be an idiot for going with T5 lights but on the other hand I see hundreds of posts on how to control heat from guys trying to stuff HIDs in small enclosures. So I believe that for me a T5 is the way to go and I challenge the rest of you to figure out what is right for you rather than trying to stuff an HID in a small space because the guy sogging 40 plants told you it is the best light. Do some reasearch and post your own words rather than reiterating what the last guy said. I will answer any T5 question as best I can. Thanks for reading.
I use my light over a SCROG. I am a huge scrog fan and I do not have a large area to grow in for various reasons. I only grow in a 2x4 tent and I smoke about 1/2 oz. a week. So I am basically shooting for 8+ oz. per grow.
I decided to give T5 a shot and am glad I did!! I heard the T5 gives you small yields of fluffy buds. My light puts out 30,000 lumens and a 400 HPS puts out 50,000. So the HPS is better right? Not for me. Remember I have a small space and I SCROG. So why is T5 my choice? Due to my scrog my canopy stays flat and even. HID light has a small single source of light which radiates in an arced shape. This means that the cola that is in the middle of my screen is getting quite a bit more light that the cola in the corner of my screen. With my 6 bulb T5 the light source is flat and even just like my canopy so all my colas are receiving equal light. The second reason for my choice is the big one everyone talks about. Heat. I believe that there is a misconception that fluos put out less heat than HIDs and I would argue that. I think 400 watts of HID puts out generally the same heat as 400 watts of fluos. The point I would argue is the managability of the heat. My T5's heat is spread out over a 2x4 foot area reducing the heat intensity to any given spot on the canopy. Controlling heat in my tent is quite simple and I can tune it by using a fan controller. The less intense heat brings me to my final reason for using T5s. This is the most important part and I feel that it is sooooooo under rated. My light hovers 1" from my colas giving them as close to 100% light usage as possible. Light disipates very quickly relative to the distance from the source (see the attached chart). So I have to figure that 30,000 lumens at 1" is more efficient than 50,000 lumens at 12".
I am not trying to say "T5 is better than HID". Remember that I said in the beginning that each light has it's place. If you have a 10x10 grow room and you want to SOG sativas you would be an idiot for going with T5 lights but on the other hand I see hundreds of posts on how to control heat from guys trying to stuff HIDs in small enclosures. So I believe that for me a T5 is the way to go and I challenge the rest of you to figure out what is right for you rather than trying to stuff an HID in a small space because the guy sogging 40 plants told you it is the best light. Do some reasearch and post your own words rather than reiterating what the last guy said. I will answer any T5 question as best I can. Thanks for reading.