CFL or MH/HPS

[IndianHay]

I have cca. 40x40x40cm growbox from two PCs. I have also 3 x 8cm fans for out and 2 x 12cm fans for in(all on 5V because of noise). Now i still havent decided what kind of lamp should i put in that box. I was thinking about 200W CFL dual (for veg and flo) and 150W MH/HPS (veg/flo). What do you think about that lamps? Is the wattage ok? Whitch lamp will produce more heat(cfl or mh/hps)? I can also buy 125w cfl dual or. 70w hps? Please help me out!

Indian Hay

 

[zolar]

check out advancedtechlighting.com they have CMH bulbs

in lower wattages for a small space like that a 100 or 150 watt
might be perfect CMH bulbs have more of a light color like a blend of MH and HPS but they need a special ballast

there is a 250 and 400 watt compatable with some HPS ballasts


about those fans get some fender washers and some rubber garden hose sealing washers stack a couple layers and put between the fan and the cabinet to absorb vibrations /noise
so you can use both 5 and 12 volt settings on the fans

each layer is 2 metal 1 rubber and you just run the mounting screw through the fan and all them into the cabinet

you could use high watt CFLs in a small space like that
i'd use 80 % of the bulbs with a color temp higher than 5000K

to keep more compact growth with the bluer light
even though most folks want redder light to flower
the 300K bulbs will give more strech in flowering...

you could get CFLs in BOTH 3000K and 5000K too

CFL drawing 65 - 85 watts usually put out about 5000lumens from
tech data charts from bulb companies

oh the CMH bulb and ballast i suggested up top was around 90 dollars

i've seen 85 watt CFLs around 20- 30 dollars hope this helps

 

[IndianHay]

Ive heard that nothing can compare with MH/HPS so i will go with the flow...The only question remains 70 or 150w mh/hps? what do you think? Its not the problem with vibrations...its the air flow...maybe i could get 12mm fans on 12V but the 80 there is no way to put them on 12 because they are way too loud.

 

[Mt Toaker]

http://www.1000bulbs.com/ is a good source for bulbs as well. There are a bunch of high output florescents that use a conventional light socket.

 

[Quazi]

check out advancedtechlighting.com they have CMH bulbs

in lower wattages for a small space like that a 100 or 150 watt
might be perfect CMH bulbs have more of a light color like a blend of MH and HPS but they need a special ballast

The 250 and 400 conversion bulbs are okay. The lower wattage ones are not rated for open use and would be a fire/health hazard to you and your plants in such a small environment.

CFLs for PC boxes if you're just getting started with micro. If you can get a decent amount of wattage of CFL in there, then you can decide to upgrade to a small HPS or something later.

-Q