4ft 8 tube or 4ft 12 tube, that is the question

[cougnut]

hello all, i have finally built a stealth room 5X10 in the garage/basement and have everything except lighting. i was going to order the 4 ft 8 bulb T5HO setup, but see that there is a 12 bulb available. my veg area is 4ft and my flower is also 4ft long approx 3ft wide each, any advice before i order would be appreciated. newb
cougnut

 

[danklover79]

Cram as many lumens as you can effectively cool in there, so I would do the 12 bulb if you can keep temps between 70 and 80 degrees.

 

[solocup]

I would get a 600 watt mh for that area but a 2x4 t5ho 8 bulb would work great also.The 8 bulb runs @ I think 428 watts so the 12 bulb would run 642?? somewhere around there.the mh would cover the area and penetrate a lot farther than the t5 if you going to veg for a while.The reason I say this is because the t5 well mine anyway still requires atleast a 165 cfm 4 inch inline fan to keep it cool and it is kind of loud.

This is just my opinion.I do like the way the t5 veg's,it seems like it gives the plants a deeper green color and makes them look healthier.

 

[Graytail]

I agree with solocup - you're better off with a 400 watt HID.

That amount of T5s is going to throw off more heat than you might think. The HID would get you a lot more light for the same wattage.

More light is almost always better, whether you get it from wattage or efficiency. So, yes to 12 T5s - but even better to go with a HID.

 

[solocup]

I agree with solocup - you're better off with a 400 watt HID.

That amount of T5s is going to throw off more heat than you might think. The HID would get you a lot more light for the same wattage.

More light is almost always better, whether you get it from wattage or efficiency. So, yes to 12 T5s - but even better to go with a HID.

Plus the h.i.d is cheaper to purchase and will run around the same on your utility bill.
The only down side to the 400 watt is the coverage for your room.If you go with it you might have to supplement with cfls on 1 end but you will veg a lot faster with the h.i.d in my opinion,at least I do anyway