Okay so I'm needing some input before I buy my light kit . Wanting to know from actual grows which light refwctor would be best for my setup. I'm getting a kit and the price is not an issue. I just wanna make sure I get the light best suited for my setup. I'm gonna be using a 400w dimmable ballast in a 3x3x6 tent gonna use 6 inch fan n scrubber 440 cfm for exhaust and a 6 inch booster 240 cfm for intake. I think m good for cooling the tent and light I just need to determine which style . Plz help asap wanna buy kit asap. Thanks in advance
Air cooled hood or cool tube??? 3x3 400w tent
- Thread starter illa101k2
- Start date
nickelz419
Active Member
Look into vert growing. Better chance of getting higher grams per watt
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get a cool tube reflector hood....has both the glass tube and the reflector hood for maximum light space...don't get a wing...get the cool tube reflector HOOD...you wont be disappointed...just got one for my setup and love it..lowered temps and i can put my plants closer to the light...
nickelz419
Active Member
Dont get cool tube! It robs 10-15% of light when its clean. No need for HOod either if vert. Why reflect light when it can go straight to plant.?
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crispypb840
Active Member
I use a sunsystem 2 air cooled 6" hood in a 3x6' box. It wasn't too much and is good quality and easy to clean. check out my grow if you want to see my plants.
dbkick
Well-Known Member
Depending on the light , sounds a little close. something about photosynthesis stopping at over 5500 footcandles.
OK I was actually looking at one of those on eBay . The issue is space . I'm only growing in a 3x3 tent
I actually just got my hood about a week ago...i'm currently in the first week of flowering...I'm growing Sour D, Afghan Kush, and two bagseed strains...also have a couple of clones from the sour plant that just started to root...here is a link to the hood i got...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151084927575?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
its pretty effective and takes up the entire top of my tent. I have a 32x32x63 tent. I have a thread for the afghan...ended up getting twin plants from one seed!...heres a pic of my setup before the lights go out in 15 mins
nickelz419
Active Member
Dont get it dude.! I bought a cool tube reflector and tore it apart cause its of centerd, glass takes away intensity and going vert you can utilize the light better. Or buy it and learn like i did by wasting time an money on cool tube bs. Get a good exhaust and floor fan...
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To be honest...this is my first grow with the cool tube and i can't say your wrong...but i can say that this cool tube makes everything easier for me and my plants seem to love it...in only 3 days of flowering, i already see crystals forming on the leaves...its just amazing! The reason i got the cool tube reflector hood is because i wanted to avoid going the carbon filter and ducting and fan route. with this cool tube, it keeps temps way down and just get an ona block or two for odor control...done.
nickelz419
Active Member
Well ur next one or even now i would change if i were u. Get a light meter and u will see there is only a small area under tube where light is most intense.
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Nizza
Well-Known Member
think about it like this....
it will be great now.. but if you dont keep it clean dust will build up and further reduce your lumen output.
if you build a filter for the intake air going to your hood/to your room it should help a lot.
i like the idea of a light mover or a vertical setup with bare bulb / open reflector way more because when you compare numbers, the bare bulb has a lot more lumens, and once u add a reflector thats when you are deciding light spacing/penetration . this has to do with like said above, being under 5500 . you want it further than that because it increases possible surface area of the grow, because more plants get light and are still at their max threshold.
glass kinda throws calculations out the window for me and is really only tangable on a BIG setup where heat is a major problem
a rule of thumb is 25-50w per square foot.
it will be great now.. but if you dont keep it clean dust will build up and further reduce your lumen output.
if you build a filter for the intake air going to your hood/to your room it should help a lot.
i like the idea of a light mover or a vertical setup with bare bulb / open reflector way more because when you compare numbers, the bare bulb has a lot more lumens, and once u add a reflector thats when you are deciding light spacing/penetration . this has to do with like said above, being under 5500 . you want it further than that because it increases possible surface area of the grow, because more plants get light and are still at their max threshold.
glass kinda throws calculations out the window for me and is really only tangable on a BIG setup where heat is a major problem
a rule of thumb is 25-50w per square foot.
nickelz419
Active Member
This is how ur gonna want to utilize the tube....
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mike4c4
Well-Known Member
cool tubes are good and if you are new to growing they will save you alot of headaches.but like they said use a light meter and you can see how much light is lost, in witch you have to put the light closer to the plant. I have a 32x4x4 box with a 400watt hps open hood and my temp is 75 all the time i cant seem to be able to raise the temp up any so when i flower im going to half to run a heater and my "sweet island sk" is doing great in its scog i will post a pic tomorrow.
Shaggn
Well-Known Member
I get around 1g/w (sometimes just above and sometimes just below) with a 600 in a 4x4, using a cheap 80$ cool-tube and a cheap 100$ tent (that actually glows, when the light is on). Can't remember the forum, but a guy did testing with a light meter on a wide range of hoods and found that the average cool-tube loses some lumens. I think is was like 3% or something, not 10-15%. Stop reading someones bs that they didn't even test. My advice is to try it out. If you aren't getting as much yield as you're expecting, then try something else. I also only use crappy dry nutrients, nothing special. Peace!!
Crispy Bacon
Member
OP, not sure about doing a vert grow in your case...especially with HPS. 6' isn't a whole lot after you consider pot height, plant height, the distance between your canopy and light, and the reflector itself. You could do it but you'd be better with your light horizontal IMO.
Back to the original question...I've tried different cool tubes, different AC hoods, different wings. In my experience the AC hoods are superior to the tubes mainly because they reflect better, but getting bulbs in and out of the hoods is way easier. Get one that fits your tent well and get the smooth reflective insert, not pebbled! Also consider the room you will need for your duct and filter. Good luck man!
Back to the original question...I've tried different cool tubes, different AC hoods, different wings. In my experience the AC hoods are superior to the tubes mainly because they reflect better, but getting bulbs in and out of the hoods is way easier. Get one that fits your tent well and get the smooth reflective insert, not pebbled! Also consider the room you will need for your duct and filter. Good luck man!