t5's or metal halide?

[juniorgrower]

I am ready to buy another light for vegging and was hoping to get some opinions on what to buy. Can some of you that use t5's tell me about your experience with them? And why you think they are better than the metal halide. Thanks.

 

[FA$TCA$H]

no exp with a MH. but, we read a lot of others reports and bought a HO t-5. low heat, less watts, and we can run all 8 bulbs (ours is an 8 bulb fixture) or less if we want. and we can mix the spectrum, ie, grow and or bloom. kinda like a dimmable HPS, we can ramp up or down the growth. hope this helps.

 

[pcduck]

:yeahthat:

 

[bubba902]

It all depends, I run both the T5 H.O 54w 4ft bulbs and a 400w MH.. and honestly.. the t5's are good for less energy/heat but the MH seem's to do more justice FOR me..

 

[Hushpuppy]

Yeah I agree that T5s are really nice and work great but I also use MH with my T5s for added lumen potency and it gives extra spectrum as the T5 is 6400k and MH is 5100k. I run the T5s for young startups and until they are close to switching, then I turn on the MH for a week or longer if I am wanting to add some veg growth. I can tell you that I can see them take off when I turn on the MH with the T5s.

 

[bubba902]

my M.H bulb claims to be 6400k... hm, wonder if they are lying lol.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

T5s all the way. I have several MH lying around that I do not use anymore. I get as good or better vegging growth with the T5 over the MH with less wattage and less heat.

 

[bubba902]

THG, how many watts of T5's are you running?



I make make the change back to t5's,
I'm running a 400w MH, but I also have access to the 4ft T5's 5k L.. My MH claims 40K Lumens, to match that with the H.O I'd be using more wattage?

Sorry stupid stoned and trying deep dive into thought lol.

 

[suburban]

I was just looking at htg supply and those pl-55 fluorescent fixtures are looking danng good. They've got a 4 tube fixture (tubes are 2ft, whole fixture is 2ft by 2ft and it puts out 20,000 lumens!) for $139. Which is all I need for vegging.

 

[Locked]

Like THG I hve MH bulbs sitting in boxes because I am a HO T5 fan.....love them.

 

[mjrivers]

I have a 6 bulb t5 fixture that i used for my coral in a saltwater tank. could i use those?

 

[bubba902]

is it 6400-6500k or state, "Grow spectrum" on it?
the 10,000K is wayyyy to much and won't work.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

THG, how many watts of T5's are you running?



I make make the change back to t5's,
I'm running a 400w MH, but I also have access to the 4ft T5's 5k L.. My MH claims 40K Lumens, to match that with the H.O I'd be using more wattage?

Sorry stupid stoned and trying deep dive into thought lol.

Most 400W MH lights emit 36,000 lumens or around 90 lumens per watt. If yours emits 40,000, you are getting a little more than normal. However, the T5s put out over 92 lumens per sq ft, so it is really quite close.

How big is your space? I run 20,000 lumens (a 4' 4 tube fixture) in a space about 2 x 4. Even though I am below 3000 lumens per sq ft, I get great veggy growth. I have considered adding another 2 tube fixture, but don't really feel I need it. You can keep the T5s right on top of the plants without any problems and the light is spread much more evenly than with a MH.

 

[bubba902]

My space is small, 5x4x3. but only using 3.5/5ft hi.

The heat reduction is nice, I just don't see the wattage reduction being great enough to swap EVERYTHING out lol.

Although its easy with these Yo-Yo hangers, I love them!

 

[pcduck]

j4 once those yo-yo's break may want to try rope ratchets, they are even better. I have not had much luck with the yo-yo's they loosen up and break on me

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

My space is small, 5x4x3. but only using 3.5/5ft hi.

The heat reduction is nice, I just don't see the wattage reduction being great enough to swap EVERYTHING out lol.

Although its easy with these Yo-Yo hangers, I love them!

I am a little confused about the size of your space...is it 5' long, 4' wide and 3' tall (dimensions are generally written l x w x h)? If height is a concern, T5s can give you a fair amount of extra space. Most of them are only 3" or so deep and the plants can be right up next to the tubes. I only get burned leaves if I actually let the leaves touch the tubes. I generally do not raise and lower my light--I raise and lower my plants.

 

[bubba902]

4x3x5 sorry lol. Tell I didn't pay attention in school, EVERY post I've made about the dimensions have been backwards lol. sorry

 

[juniorgrower]

The new grow areas I just built are each 3x5. I am going to get a 4' t5 fixture. Would I be best off with a 6 or 8tube fixture? Also how many watt hps light should I get? Now I have a 400 watt setup but I am thinking that it is too small for my new grow area. thanks

 

[dman1234]

I have not used T5's yet, but i definatly have no complaints with the growth from my MH's.

 

[7greeneyes]

Love the MH, heats not an issue cuz I need as much heat as possible in my grow space.