Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light Discussion

[arellanobrian]

ok, i am in,, mars hydro ,, up, up and awayyyyyy,

you cant go wrong man, best lights for a bigger to delve into. hope you decide to join the awesome mars family

 

[db003]

hello to all my fellow mars hydro led growers I got a question for you I was looking at some of the other led company's that use uvb lights near the end of flower to help increase resin like California light works solar storm has them and it sparked a idea.


me having a idea in itself is a miracle thanks to all the dank bud I just harvested using my mars II 400.



I plan on using my mars II 700 I just got but want to add a few cfl uvb bulbs or a few uvb t8's- or uvb t5's to my grow towards the end of flowering.

So I've been doing some research on UVB light and it's affect on Trichomes development and potency. It seems that people are pretty much in agreement that UVB increases potency.

However, I have not seen much in the way of actual usage and safety. I'm wondering if a reptile light would work. It puts out UVB light.

Another piece of info I have failed to come up with is how many watts and how long to leave the light on.

I realize UVB is destructive in high doses so I've heard of growers hitting the plants for 20 minutes a day and getting results. Still, I would like to know if anyone has done this and if so, can you give some details.

if you use them or know about them can you help could anyone "shed some light on it" sorry that was a bad pun lol and thank you


p.s. I forgot to mention that I was looking in to side lighting not with the uvb's but with fluorescent lights

 

[Mars Hydro]

Got the Mars Hydro 192x3 and i'm very proud that i bought it

IF someone let me know how to upload pictures here i will show some results

Here you go. Photo Gallery Guide - How to Resize, Upload & Post Photos

I am jealous now, if only I could grow...

192*3 Watts

First Pics

 

[Mars Hydro]

morning, santb.

This might be a weird question.. Could the fans on a 144x3 be used as extraction fans? Like if the grow box roof/ceiling was attached to the light so it could be raised and lowered, with holes for the fans to vent... What's the CFM of the fans? Trying to figure out a budget exhaust setup; mainly concerned with noise so maybe have to replace the mars fans if too loud?? I'm thinking air has to go through the light anyway, might as well be straight out the roof...
Or would it be a bit too much effort for the fans...? My box/room will be approx 40 square ft...
Cheers.

Find the volume of your room. To calculate multiply length x width x height of your growing area e.g. A room that is 8' x 8' x 8' will have a volume of 512 cubic feet.

Your extraction fans need to exchange the air in an indoor grow room once every three minutes. Therefore, 512 cubic feet / 3 minutes = 171 CFMs. This should be your minimum CFMs.

Now Add:

Number of HID lights – add about 5% per air cooled light or 10-15% per non-air cooled light.

Filters: if a carbon filter is to be used with the exhaust system then add 20%

CO2: add 5% for rooms with CO2 enrichment

Ambient temperature: for hot climates (such as Southern California) add 25%, for hot and humid climates (such as Florida) add up to 40%.

I hope that helps


EDIT: LED's I would only add 2% per light if they have fans 5% if not. Also this is not a concrete formula, it's just gathered from various resources and what I use to find the minimum. My 5x5 I went with a 720 CFMs.

the CFM of the fans on Reflector 144x3w is 79.75CFM.

Thanks for all that.. But I thought that you should replace air 3-5 times in one minute? I was really just wondering if the fans on the light itself would be enough to change that 40cfm 3-5 times per minute, if I could get the air out the roof...
Sara, can you tell me the CFM of the fans on a 144x3?

 

[Mars Hydro]

congrats, BeaverIslander, you got 96x5w, the max power is 480w. The most obvious difference is led chip. 5w has better canopy penetration than 3w and will run a little hotter, while the updation Reflector adds heat sink to dissipate the heat.

I live in the USA and am confused about which light I bought 3 weeks ago. It was listed as a 96X3 but some have suggested that it is a 96X5. How do I tell the difference? There is a tag on it that says it is a MZ-480 96LED.
Also, what is the difference in the 96X3 and 96X5?

thank you, santb

96x3= 96 3w diodes/LEDs on the light. 96x5= 96 5w diodes. 5w diodes are more powerful for better penetration, but create more heat..
If there is an instruction sheet/manual in the package, there should be specs written there somewhere. Otherwise, someone here should be able to let you know from the model number.
You may have got lucky, and got shipped an updated model! Fingers crossed.

 

[Mars Hydro]

yes you can cover 4X4 with a mars2 1200W and it will be good light power. but for full light power you need a mars2 1600W.

The Mars II 1200 would be a perfect fit for a 4x4 area.

Check out this thread in the grow lighting forum. You'll find where the Mars II 1200 is evaluated for a 4'x4' grow space.

How to Select the Right Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light for Your Specific Gardening Needs

 

[santb]

Morning Sara!
"the CFM of the fans on Reflector 144x3w is 79.75CFM."

Thanks for that info.. Is that 79.75cfm x 3 fans total or for one fan??

I am lucky to have this thread to read; I bought 144x3 last night on ebay for very cheap! Thanks, Mars Hydro.Au
And thanks Sara and all contributors here....
Anyone have any opinions on my idea of using 144x3 fans for extraction??

 

[Mars Hydro]

that's correct. simply from coverage side, both 1200w and 1600w will be enough. Hmm... speaking of watts per sq/ft, it may be up to specific condition.

Apologies for contracting you there DarkSideofMike. But IMHO both the 1200 and 1600 would work for a 4'x4' space.
With the Mars II 1200 set @ 18" above the canopy this would provide approximately 37 actual watts per square foot.
Sure the 1600 would provide more power but at @ 48 watts per sq/ft it's also on the verge of overkill for this size area.

sorry for contracting you too uncle ... but 48w / sqft is not overkill at all, it is the perfect ratio. mars2 1600W is the perfect fit for 4X4 and im completly sure of that.

1000W HPS is perfect for 4X4 ... but many have amazing results with 600W HPS too in a 4X4 area ... while some others need more ..... this is the same thing here, yes you can be very good with less power, depend of your style of growing

to replace a 1000W HPS you need a mars2 1600W panel

to replace a 600W HPS you need a mars2 1200W panel


35 or 37w/sqft is the power needed for better quality panels than mars hydro mars2 series ... mars hydro is a great product, but not the best for power draw

maybe the new panel with cree chips to come soon will use around 35w/sqft, maybe, but not mars2 for sure

Whatever you say brother. But if you have a peak at my current grow, my space is 4'x8' (32 sq/ft) and I'm drawing 1,200 actual watts from the wall for 37.5 watts per square foot. Same as what would be the case for a Mars II 1200 in a 4'x4' space.
Do you think my girls need more light?
Maybe proof that 37.5 watts is adequate for the average Joe to achieve respectable yields for a personal grow even when growing in organic soil without any added "nutes"?

On another note, if I do add more light I would probably need to supplement with CO2 to get the full benefit of the added rays.
In addition, I already have a 15,000 BTU split type HVAC installed in the bedroom where my tent is and if I add more lights to my space I'll be pushing the limits of my AC to keep tent temps within acceptable limits. This is something that all light junkies need to consider before selecting a light.

Anyways, I'm not saying that I'm right and you're wrong. The point that I'm trying to make here is that not everyone needs or wants the largest light possible for their garden. There is no one size fits all.

lol

Hey Mike, just so you know man, I haven't put a contract out on you brother. It's either a spell check issue or the fact that I hadn't had my coffee before logging on this morning.

I truly feel thankful for your advice, it's very thorough.

yes, less power is often enought for most .... i say that everytimes i give an advice .... just trying to give the best infos for all, cause somes really want to know what is full power and the rest is not important

depend of your setting .... depend of your budget ... depend of your style of growing

respect uncle, your journal is amazing

 

[Mars Hydro]

hope you have found the solution to height adjustment.

hey there everyone. ive got a quick quesiton about the reflector series height adjustment.

the lights are currently hanging from the end of their ropes, to two hooks on the ceiling of the grow room, but i need to move them heigher.

is there any way in shortening the ropes so taht i can move the lights heigher up? thnks!

Get some keychain rings and run them through the connector points. Run a rope through the rings and your ceiling poles. If you don't plan on moving them till after harvest, use zip ties. If you need more ceiling poles I've had buddies use curtain rods that matched the diameter of their original ceiling poles. I rarely use the cables provided with the lights. I stick to keychain rings and ratchet ropes as the keychain rings are strong and easy to connect to.

I may need a similar solution in a couple of weeks, but my flowering growth has slowed down a lot so I may be OK. But if I have to, I plan on getting some thin metal rods and running them straight through the brass eyelets, cut them to length and then bend the ends out. It looks like that should gain me another six inches or so.

Good luck...and I'm all ears to other suggestions.

It looks nice.

Some use the clips on the wire and replace the wire with a short chain I use a #8 all thread rod with a 1/4 in clevis eye others just use rope or a heavy zip tie between the mount eyes

 

[Mars Hydro]

super grow! Another Harvest! Good Job!

The last of my flowering plants came down yesterday. Here is the White Widow for your viewing pleasure.

 

[randy355]

Morning Sara!
"the CFM of the fans on Reflector 144x3w is 79.75CFM."

Thanks for that info.. Is that 79.75cfm x 3 fans total or for one fan??

I am lucky to have this thread to read; I bought 144x3 last night on ebay for very cheap! Thanks, Mars Hydro.Au
And thanks Sara and all contributors here....
Anyone have any opinions on my idea of using 144x3 fans for extraction??

Once you add ducting and any turns those fans will be lucky to cool the lights let alone the room a 6in fan can be had for less than $65 better that then burning up the light if that is to expensive a boost fan is about $35 . Remember heat control is a big part of growing indoors both exhaust and circulation is a area where a few dollars can be the difference between success and failure.

 

[Mars Hydro]

We are preparing for the test of PAR value. personally I prefer good exprience.

It would be really-REALLY great to see a valid and reliable PAR chart for Mars II 1200 on a 4' x 4' grid @ 12" and 24" high... then you could say anything about CO2 supplement and coverage and anything else, I think so. Until then, we only have the experience.

will look for that .... ever saw a nice comparaison beetween growblu and marshydro products with umol and PAR values for each ... cant find it at the first search ... i will soon

Actually I saw a Platinum P450 vs Mars II 700 comparsion video on the website of Platinum, but the guy measured PAR only in the middle, which is more than nothing of course. Though it is still not a complete Mars chart.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Haha, congrats!

Oh... and meanwhile I became a Member

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hi Nicker, for grow space 3'11"x3'11"x6'7", both of MarsII 900w and 2pcs MarsII 400w will fit. The coverage of MarsII 900w is 4'x4' at the height of 2', while the coverage of MarsII 400w is 3'x3' at the height of 2'. I advise you to choose 2pcs 400w, for two small lights will give you better light disctribution.

How's it going everybody? I'm brand new and don't know what to do.... Lol Anyway I have been reading for over the past 8 months or so on growing. I'm currently a mmj holder and want to start my own garden sometime soon. My question is about the Mars hydro 2 900w promotion wih tent on Mars hydro website. Grow space is 3'11x3'11x6'7. Is this light efficient enough? Would it be better to get 2 of the 400 series over one 900. I want to go with led lights and Mars hydro is going to be taking my money someday soon I guess I'm just looking for some positive resurance. Thanks all!!

Oh, Anybody ever grow veggies under these lights just curious?

Someone should grow with only half of their normal wattage. You will lose only 15% of your harvest amount. For someone with a small tent that grow just for their needs, it can make a difference in heat and electricity.

Several small lights is the way to go. Not much weight also.

I have grown peppers and used the lights to start my garden plants works great. I prefer multiple smaller lights over one large light but it all depends on your growing style and pocket book

 

[Mars Hydro]

Nice buds.

You should be fine with that setup. I am using a M2 900 in a 3'6x3'6 area. 4 girls and getting close to harvest.
Here are some recent pictures.

THC Bomb at the back

All four girls under the light

THC Bomb #1 out for some bondage

Awsome plants

Thanks Maccamoo

Getting anxious to harvest LOL I will be checking on the weekend to see how close they actually are, no quite ready yet

You should be fine with that setup. I am using a M2 900 in a 3'6x3'6 area. 4 girls and getting close to harvest.
Here are some recent pictures.

THC Bomb at the back


All four girls under the light


THC Bomb #1 out for some bondage

Outstanding grows. I love the Bomb strains.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hi santb, it's for one fan. Three fans in total is 239.25CFM. not sure whether it's ok for extraction. I am all ears on.

Morning Sara!
"the CFM of the fans on Reflector 144x3w is 79.75CFM."

Thanks for that info.. Is that 79.75cfm x 3 fans total or for one fan??

I am lucky to have this thread to read; I bought 144x3 last night on ebay for very cheap! Thanks, Mars Hydro.Au
And thanks Sara and all contributors here....
Anyone have any opinions on my idea of using 144x3 fans for extraction??

 

[Mars Hydro]

sharing is learning.

Thanks CO

I would like to grow more of the Bomb strains in the future. The IceBomb really interests me as well as the new CBD Bomb and their Killer Purps which seems to be unavailable yet as their site has no price on them yet

The Ice is my fav. I like Ice,THC,Berry and Cherry

I have THC and Cherry under the lights. Outside I have 2 more THC, 4 Cherry, 3 Big Bomb and 2 Cluster Bomb.

I was really concerned about Big Mamma (THC Bomb), she was growing so fast I was worried about height but she seems to have slowed down in her height at about 6'6"

THC and Ice are very light hungry strains and will get huge if they get what they want lol

Thanks CO

That's good to know for future reference. I am trying numerous strains to see which ones deal best with my pain and insomnia. As well as the Bomb strains, I am looking at some of Crop King and the GDP strains

Berry and Ice work good for that. Berry will give you the most weight.

I will put them on my list for the next order of seeds.

Are any better for daytime use as opposed to knocking me out LOL

LOL. Not really from the bomb line, well If you hit thc light its not to bad.

LOL I will keep that in mind LOL What about Blue Dream? From what I have read, its seems like a good canidate

I like blue dream,Train wreck,Super silver haze for that

Thank you CO, mental note made for strains to try

 

[Mars Hydro]

Welcome in, nivek!!!

ok, i am in,, mars hydro ,, up, up and awayyyyyy,

thanks, arellanobrian.

you cant go wrong man, best lights for a bigger to delve into. hope you decide to join the awesome mars family

 

[santb]

Once you add ducting and any turns those fans will be lucky to cool the lights let alone the room a 6in fan can be had for less than $65 better that then burning up the light if that is to expensive a boost fan is about $35 . Remember heat control is a big part of growing indoors both exhaust and circulation is a area where a few dollars can be the difference between success and failure.

Cheers for reply... There will be no ducting. I am leaning toward a basic 200mm/8 inch bathroom fan (pretty quiet) that will vent directly up into open ceiling space, through a DIY scrubber attached to the inside of the ceiling, drawing from multiple passive intakes and a small oscillating fan inside for circulation... Sara reckons that the light fans total about 240 cfm, so am wondering if that might be enough for the light AND the box.. Box will be about 40 cubic feet.. About 6'5" tall, but only 1.5 ft wide by 3.5 ft long approx...
Was thinking if the light were attached directly to the ceiling, with holes cut for extraction, and the "ceiling" being height adjustable, instead of the light by itself....Scrubber can be above the vent hole instead of below it.....
Just an idea to keep it simple (and use a bit less power); I know it probably sounds more complicated than it needs to be but in my head it would actually be easier! everything will be DIY and I have to cut holes for extraction/vents anyway, so my idea would be the same or slightly less work and less power for same result.... Just one less thing to plug into the wall....
Unless I'm totally off track and the light fans just won't handle this setup. I figure the light fans are drawing air/moisture/dust straight thru the light anyway, so it all may as well go straight out of the box.....Even better if the fans draw air from the sides of the light, and not through the diodes, which I assume they do.. That's the question (took me a while to realize it!), I guess.. Would the light-case intakes be too restrictive to be effective for my idea?

 

[randy355]

Cheers for reply... There will be no ducting. I am leaning toward a basic 200mm/8 inch bathroom fan (pretty quiet) that will vent directly up into open ceiling space, through a DIY scrubber attached to the inside of the ceiling, drawing from multiple passive intakes and a small oscillating fan inside for circulation... Sara reckons that the light fans total about 240 cfm, so am wondering if that might be enough for the light AND the box.. Box will be about 40 cubic feet.. About 6'5" tall, but only 1.5 ft wide by 3.5 ft long approx...
Was thinking if the light were attached directly to the ceiling, with holes cut for extraction, and the "ceiling" being height adjustable, instead of the light by itself....Scrubber can be above the vent hole instead of below it.....
Just an idea to keep it simple (and use a bit less power); I know it probably sounds more complicated than it needs to be but in my head it would actually be easier! everything will be DIY and I have to cut holes for extraction/vents anyway, so my idea would be the same or slightly less work and less power for same result.... Just one less thing to plug into the wall....
Unless I'm totally off track and the light fans just won't handle this setup. I figure the light fans are drawing air/moisture/dust straight thru the light anyway, so it all may as well go straight out of the box.....Even better if the fans draw air from the sides of the light, and not through the diodes, which I assume they do.. That's the question (took me a while to realize it!), I guess.. Would the light-case intakes be too restrictive to be effective for my idea?

Without any ducting you will move air and if the amounts given are what they say it should work I can only compare what my 250 CFM fan puts out which is a lot more than the fans on my 144 X 5 do. While the fans themselves in open air might put out that much I don't think the volume at least with my light is anywhere near that when in the case perhaps half of the 240 cfm . Now your 8 in bathroom fan is the same motor and on some the same fan as a 8 in boost fan and that is all I need during the winter with a 6.5 x 6.5 foot tent. The main question is what kind of heat do you have to deal with if not a hot climate your idea might work and it would at least be worth a try just keep us in the loop