# T5 Bulbs? What's the best combo of K?



## 000StankDank000 (Jan 23, 2015)

So what is the best make of bulb for T5? I seen crazy priced 54 w Hortilux bulbs.

What would you say is the best combo for veg? Example all 6500 k a mix of 6500k and 2400k or what?

So what do you feel is the best bulb setup for T5?
Stank


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## JustAnotherAntMarching (Jan 23, 2015)

for veg all 6500k


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 23, 2015)

I have always vegged with all 6500K, but this latest light, since it is 12 tube, I got 4 that are red.  Too early to tell if I am going to like it though or whether I am going to be getting 4 more 6500K tubes for next veg.


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 29, 2015)

I was just looking at bulbs also an seen those Power Veg Hortilux T5 bulbs, for 30$ a piece says they give off uva an uvb. http://eyehortilux.com/products/power-veg.aspx?gclid=COeJ2__gusMCFY-JaQodNDoANw


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 30, 2015)

Thanks blowin . That's what I'm talking about. If I could find them local I'd grab 4 and mix them in with my 6500K bulbs.
Do you know where I can order them?


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 30, 2015)

Over the 30+ years of growing, I have found that high priced bulbs are simply not worth it.  You can throw in those, stank, but IMO, it is a waste of money and I doubt that you will see much if any difference,k if any, in vegetative growth adding those $30 bulbs, than if you are using regular cheap 6500K T5 tubes.  That kind of money could actually buy another fixture...


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 30, 2015)

Since I went T5 I wish I never did veg has gone to ****.


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## pcduck (Jan 30, 2015)

000StankDank000 said:


> Since I went T5 I wish I never did veg has gone to ****.




Really?  You are doing something wrong


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 30, 2015)

Clearly..... It's the fact I had it all dialed in and now it's not. I was told was nute burn flushed em and it's gotten worse. I'm thinking it's the cold 56F the lowest when bloom lights not on. It's like the plant is killing itself. I have a sick plant thread I will update


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 30, 2015)

I dont know how good they are like Goddess said i just happen to come accross them. Does the uva an uvb help MJ grow? BtL


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 30, 2015)

They have to be better then my Chinese bulbs I'm running


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 30, 2015)

Hey Stank nothing changed accept the lights in your grow? Im planning on setting up another setup an was planning on switching to T5 cause ive heard alot of good things. Check out the link in my other post, i fixed it so it works now. Its the website for those bulbs, from what they say there the bomb but how much is truth an how much is sales **? BtL


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 30, 2015)

No 3 things changed . Light, no worm castings and cooler temp oh and strain lol.
I have a thread in sick plant section. I'm a novice grower far from pro . 
I'm a fan of hortilux bulbs I run there MH and HPS so why not T5?


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 30, 2015)

I just read in Ed Rosenthals book that uvb light is good for plants, those hortilux bulbs emit uvb light an it says normal T5 bulbs dont. So if thats true the hortilux bulbs should work good, he also says you only need 10% of uvb to help so if you had a 1000 watt garden you would want 100w of uvb. Any buddy done any testing? Im always looking for ways to improve yield! BtL


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 30, 2015)

If I could find them local for $30 a tube I'd toss 4 in my 8 bulb fixture and see.
Wonder who sells those in Toronto Canada ? Everything is more that Oakland PH pen says $87 MSRP it's $120 local for me. I bet those bulbs are gonna be $50 a bulb local which would make it not worth it.


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 31, 2015)

Theres a Hortilux dealer 8 miles from me, ill probably check into them.


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 31, 2015)

you can get 10000 kelvin t5 bulbs with uv a at high tech garden supply for around $10. i only use them in flower though. i know the light color is very blue for the flowering phase but i have only used one uv a out of my 4 t5's (the others are bloom spectrum) and supplemented with bloom color temp cfl's.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 31, 2015)

000StankDank000 said:


> Since I went T5 I wish I never did veg has gone to ****.


 
This cannot possibly be a result of the T5s.  I has to be something else.  The timing a coincidence.  I cannot imagine anything, even in my wildest dreams, that could cause your grow to go south because of switching to T5s.  Tell us what is going on?


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## Dr. Green Fang (Jan 31, 2015)

56° then it's most likely your root zone is WAY to freaking cold!! I'm going through the same exact thing right now, and the only remedy for me is to go back hydro as there's much more precise (and quicker) control with the root zone! 

I have yellowing from the middle down, and a bit of a droop going on. I was thinking it was bugs or PH or toxicity, but after checking.. the PH is great (6.1 run off) the PPM's were fine (1050 PPM but that's also factoring in "waste") but the temps of my run off was 58°. I'm using Bluelab pens that were recently calibrated. 

Changing the light spectrum most likely won't fix a dang thing with a root zone at that temp. Many processes slow down and even nutes will lock out. I know.. it sucks.. I've literally just come to this conclusion in my own room a few days ago. Find a way to get some head near that root zone at night. I run a small heater on the outside of the tent...but if I had a way to "duct in" some heat that'd be best! I have 2 runs to finish up before switching hydro. Doing the veg room switch today. 


Sorry about my rant, maybe you'll find some good in there.. lol!  :aok:


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## Dr. Green Fang (Jan 31, 2015)

And yeah.. it's not your T5's mate. I had amazing benefits to attaining T5's after using my MH. Less stretch, closer nodes.. less heat, I think better spectrum? Just where it's at, as far as veg is concerned. :aok:


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 31, 2015)

oldfogey8 said:


> you can get 10000 kelvin t5 bulbs with uv a at high tech garden supply for around $10. i only use them in flower though. i know the light color is very blue for the flowering phase but i have only used one uv a out of my 4 t5's (the others are bloom spectrum) and supplemented with bloom color temp cfl's.



Nice! Thanks for the info, im planning on a 4' 8 tube fixture for a 2'×4' space for veg an somtimes flower. Wouldnt they work great for veg also? With the blue spetrum an uv? BtL


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 31, 2015)

i use 10000 kelvin for veg. my only thought is that the spectrum may keep them very squat. i need that in my grow space but it may be disappointing to someone used to faster growth. i still veg for 8 weeks from seed but my plants are no taller than probably 2 and a half feet when i harvest them. i use one of the uv a 10000 kelvin bulbs in my flowering. i will be sing 2 this go round as i got a 2 bulb 4 foot fixture to go along with my 4 bulb 4 foot. i think a broader spectrum can't be bad(i see amazing results where folks mix led spectrums) and where you have 8 slots, i would give one or two of those slots a try with those bulbs.


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 31, 2015)

I am using led for red an blue spetrum right now as supplemental lighting along with an hid. Growth rate was awesome! Im using a 600w digi mh/hps now but my 2nd setup is gonna be T5 lighting an eventually ill switch the other setup also. Thats what i was thinking using the slots for different tubes, i can cut the veg time down by cloning, im tryin to get a continous grow going so i can harvest every couple months or so. BtL


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 31, 2015)

My bulbs in my chineese fixture are whack. I put 2 plants under my. View attachment ImageUploadedByTapatalk1422747695.267655.jpg
 bulbs and plants picked up.

The bulbs in the fixture in question say 6500K that's it but they don't seem to be doing well. I'm gonna off some girls tonight and start with fresh clones testing under each light.
View attachment ImageUploadedByTapatalk1422747858.955412.jpg


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 31, 2015)

You need 54w tubes not 24w like that one says.


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 31, 2015)

The 24 watt is from my 2 foot 4 bulb fixture that is much higher quality in fixture and bulb that's why it's 24w
My 4 foot 8 bulb has cheap bulbs that are 54 W 6500K but that's it . The other bulbs are much nicer. I wanna find the 4 footer bulbs for $10 like the OP said


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 31, 2015)

HTG supply is a franchised grow shop near me.You can also order online. Check out there website to see if there is one around you. Not sure if I can post this link. Moderators please delete if needed.

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-AgroMax-4ft-T5-UVA-Bulbs


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 31, 2015)

Even with the 2' id have the 54w tubes, there double the wattage i dont see how those 24w bulbs could be better but im no lighting expert. Everything i have read so far says to use 54w tubes, this could be part of your issue. Jmo....BtL


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## lyfespan (Jan 31, 2015)

Here are the UVA-b tubes and the 10,000k finishers, I will be trying a few of these in the future http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=160895821950


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 31, 2015)

Yup. Those are the ones I use. Not to be a pooper but are t5 fixtures interchangeable as far as high output and standard output?


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 31, 2015)

oldfogey8 said:


> Yup. Those are the ones I use. Not to be a pooper but are t5 fixtures interchangeable as far as high output and standard output?


not sure i understand the question, are you asking if you can put a standard bulb in a T5 fixture?


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 31, 2015)

I should probably use the whirled wise intraweb to search for the answer but I was wondering if there are high output fixtures and standard output fixtures or can use use either bulb in any t5. Been drinking this evening so I may still not be making any sense...


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## blowinthatloud (Jan 31, 2015)

I believe theres only 1 type of T5 HO. Fixture, but im no expert im just learning about them myself. BtL


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 31, 2015)

I can't find anything definitive but a couple of aquarium sites say you need ho ballasts for ho tubes otherwise the ho bulb only operates at 28 or so watts. Might be a good question to ask someone at a lighting store though. I am a noob too...


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## lyfespan (Feb 1, 2015)

oldfogey8 said:


> I can't find anything definitive but a couple of aquarium sites say you need ho ballasts for ho tubes otherwise the ho bulb only operates at 28 or so watts. Might be a good question to ask someone at a lighting store though. I am a noob too...



I believe you're thinking of VHO T-5s as to the normal HO T-5s.


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## 000StankDank000 (Feb 1, 2015)

I was gonna make a post about the aquium bulbs you use for under water plants. Has anyone used those?


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## The Hemp Goddess (Feb 1, 2015)

Unless the 24W tubes are the double tubes, they are only outing out about 2000-2500 lumens each.  A 2' 12 tube fixture is not going to put out enough light for a 4 x 4 space.  It is only going to be running 24,000 to 30,000 lumens.  A 4' 12 tube T5 is going to put out 60,000 lumens.  There really is no real difference in the different sized tubes other than they are less wattage and therefore less lumens.

I also have never seen different types of T5 fixtures, other than the different lengths and therefore different wattages and tube sizes.  I really believe that all T5s are HOs.   Also what do you believe makes the 24W tubes better than the 54W tubes?  I personally have tried a myriad of different T5 tubes of differing sizes from a lot of different retailers and have never experienced any difference at all between expensive tubes and inexpensive tubes.  Exactly why do you believe that the 24W tubes are better?


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## 000StankDank000 (Feb 1, 2015)

View attachment ImageUploadedByTapatalk1422809011.600196.jpg

The fixture is rated at 24W you can't put bigger bulbs into it .

The 24w bulbs are brighter look better plants responde better the 56w bulbs are cheap dim and plants don't seem to like them at all. 

My cheap light meter always says they are better. The bulbs in question are CHEAP china fixture cost me $200 CDN most places where $400 see why I say it's cheap.


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## blowinthatloud (Mar 5, 2015)

i recently set up a T5 4' 8 bulb fixture in my veg room, i had been doin research on all the different bulbs that do all this crazy stuff, i picked the Agromax 10k finisher bulbs and you can tell a big difference in the brightness of the bulbs, i placed 4 of the stock bulbs with the 10k bulbs an also added 2 of the blue pure par bulbs, the light is very bright with a bluish tint. we shall see how they work...BtL


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## sopappy (Mar 5, 2015)

24w better than 54w does not compute. 
Besides, even T5s with 54w HO will NOT get you completely through veg (in my experience) 
When I first used my T5, the plants looked great, after a few weeks, they even started to look like they were straining to bask in it's glory but they were actually straining to reach the lamp, they weren't happy, they weren't getting enough light! I moved them under an MH and they settled right down.
I don't think there's much merit in this UVB stuff, and wear eye protection if you start messing with that. I often get caught up in this 'increase yield' stuff, I've tried a lizard bulb for UV, mixed up stuff in a bottle to generate CO2, all a waste of time if you ask me. 
56 is too cold, leave the lamp on 24 hours.


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## blowinthatloud (Mar 5, 2015)

i dont understand the above statement plenty of growers grow full veg stage with T5, how can they be stretching for the light when the light is a couple inches from them? an also a T5 can put out just as many lumens as a MH an is a whole lot closer than a MH so i dont agree with your above statements..BtL


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## oldfogey8 (Mar 5, 2015)

i have vegged in all 4 of my grows under those 10000 kelvin t5 finisher bulbs. as a fatter f mact, i flower under the t5's as well though i switch out most of the 10000 kelvin bulbs for 2700 kelvins. never had any stretch at all. 6 or 7 different strains. i am even hoping for a bit of stretch this go 'round because i screwed up the ph on my buckeye purple plant and it is stunted....


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## sopappy (Mar 5, 2015)

I figured I might have riled some folks with that claim... it was like this. I had to lift the T5 high enough for the pattern to cover the plants under it, perhaps as much as 8 to 12 inches.
Like I said, first few weeks fine, but then they started to look like they were trying too hard. Vague explanation, I know. Perhaps it was more likely I was trying to cover too many plants.


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## oldfogey8 (Mar 5, 2015)

i only grow a couple at a time in my small tent so you are probably right. 8-12 inches is really far away with t5's though. i keep mine like 2-3" away. i am not riled though. i don't know enough to be riled...


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## sopappy (Mar 5, 2015)

I'm all fired up to try a DWC under a couple LEDs and I was wondering what I'd be doing with the T5. It sounds like I could use it ( 4 x 4' tubes) over 2 mother plants. This place never ceases to amaze me.


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## 000StankDank000 (Mar 6, 2015)

I have 8 big plants under T5 that I veg the whole time under. Works well after bulb change of cheap Chinese bulbs.


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## sopappy (Mar 7, 2015)

000StankDank000 said:


> I have 8 big plants under T5 that I veg the whole time under. Works well after bulb change of cheap Chinese bulbs.



Any pictures, StankDank? That sounds about exactly the point where I thought I saw them wanting. Maybe I'm just seeing them leaning toward the light and reading too much in to it.


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## blowinthatloud (Mar 13, 2015)

After only a couple weeks using the T5 theres a noticable difference compared to the MH, the plants are short an stocky an the nodes spacing is nice an tight compared to the MH. I have plenty of space for vertical growth but i like to keep them short an bushy. I had to add a heater to the room to keep my temps where i want them cause the T5 runs so cool!!  BtL


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