Need help with specific grow light + questions

Hi all,

I have read some of the stickied threads, and have done a ton of reading on the internet, however have been unable to come to a solid conclusion on what type of light to get. I am back & forth on CFL or HID.

My setup will be:
4x4x8 grow tent with mylar siding
2 plants grown in separate deep water hydroponic systems

HID generally seems the way to go but there are two really big factors that make me kind of iffy on it. First, after reading reviews on several systems it seems many of the ballasts or lights just stop working. Reliability will be big should I choose this route, because as you guys well know, if the light dies, the plants die. Second, and this is more of the pain in the ass factor than anything, but I would have to vent the heat into my attic which involves cutting a small hole in the roof to allow the vent tubing up there, and my attic has one TINY entrance so my wife would have to crawl up there to do the dirty work. Not impossible by any means, but kind of a pain in the ass. Also, on that note; these systems that have "exhaust fans"... Does that mean the fan will suck the heat into the duct and out of the tent? Or would I still be purchasing a fan to accomplish this? Or do I even need a fan, would the ducting by itself be enough?

As far as CFL lighting is concerned, I am more worried about the yield than anything. Constantly having to babysit the lights for a newbie seems not ideal at best, and a complete disaster at worst. Not to mention I have seen it mentioned that this form of lighting quite frankly sucks compared to HID.

So I guess my question boils down to which type of lighting should a new guy like myself go for? I am looking to grow the largest, most potent amount possible on my first go - I'm not necessarily looking to do a trial run. And If HID, is there a system that can be considered close to 100% reliable? Cost is not much of an issue, though cheaper is always better.

Thanks ahead.

cfl's would be easier but wouldn't give you the biggest, best results. hydrofarm and sun systems make 150 watt hps that don't give off a lot of heat but the nicer ones are 250 watt mh/hps and can also use 400 watt bulbs (sun system 2), they have enclosed ballasts but cost more than a regular grow light kit. You need some kind of fan even with the 150 watt or you might get hot stagnant air and cooked plants. Amazon has some nice, cheap 250 or 400 watt kits also hidhut.com just get a new one to make sure it will last.

I have yet to have a HID setup fail on me. Most people complain about the bulbs going out, when in fact they have not. If the light is on and hot and gets unplugged or there is a power outage they will not turn back on till they cool down.

The venting should be setup to suck cool air from outside the tent, through the light and out the other end to wherever - Any place but the same room is ideal, an attic actually is the ideal place if you have that choice. Mine just gets blown into the ceiling between floors. You will need another fan for intake into the tent to give the plants fresh air/co2 and or one for exhaust - If you have an open vent in the tent the exhaust fan will pull air into the tent from a vent. You will also want a fan blowing across the canopy of the plants to strengthen them - like a wind outside. It will make the stems and base stronger to hold the weight of the buds.

In addition, you want Digital Ballasts, not the magnetic ones. The digital use less electricity and produce less heat

JesterDev said:

I have yet to have a HID setup fail on me. Most people complain about the bulbs going out, when in fact they have not. If the light is on and hot and gets unplugged or there is a power outage they will not turn back on till they cool down.

The venting should be setup to suck cool air from outside the tent, through the light and out the other end to wherever - Any place but the same room is ideal, an attic actually is the ideal place if you have that choice. Mine just gets blown into the ceiling between floors. You will need another fan for intake into the tent to give the plants fresh air/co2 and or one for exhaust - If you have an open vent in the tent the exhaust fan will pull air into the tent from a vent. You will also want a fan blowing across the canopy of the plants to strengthen them - like a wind outside. It will make the stems and base stronger to hold the weight of the buds.

In addition, you want Digital Ballasts, not the magnetic ones. The digital use less electricity and produce less heat

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Thanks for the info! this is good stuff.

This may be a stupid question, but as far as the venting goes, I have two vents on the top of the tent. If I am reading what you are saying correctly, I should hook up a duct from each vent hole on the top that basically connect with the light to keep it cool. From the outside, I should have a fan blowing air into one of the ducts - and on the other side a fan sucking air out. Is this correct?

I ran 12, 23 watt CFL's, 1, 55 watt CFL, plus 3, 2 tube florescent fixtures on back wall, and I thought I was getting decent yields, but I put an Apollo 400 watt HPS in and I wasn't ready for the difference it would make.
I knew it would be better, but the growth surprised me. Have had no problem with the Apollo brand, and during a wind storm we had last week, there was a night where the power would flicker, or brown out, and a few times went out but come back on within a few seconds, and the ballast handled it with no problems. Cost me $135 on Amazon, and it was the 6 in. cool tube model. I love it.
If you go with CFL, by the time you buy everything you need you will have close to $100 in it any way, so I would say HID. Especially if yields are a concern.

John Deer1151 said:

Thanks for the info! this is good stuff.

This may be a stupid question, but as far as the venting goes, I have two vents on the top of the tent. If I am reading what you are saying correctly, I should hook up a duct from each vent hole on the top that basically connect with the light to keep it cool. From the outside, I should have a fan blowing air into one of the ducts - and on the other side a fan sucking air out. Is this correct?

Click to expand...

Yes, you got it right, but you just need one fan taking air out of the tent. The air will draw in from other side and cool bulb. At the moment I'm waiting on some new ducting, so the backside of the cool tube is open, drawing air from inside the tent and it is working just fine. I also run 186 watts watts of CFL in my tent as side lighting.

There's always LED bro! Not as much as HID and would work great with CFL as supplement.