2' 4 bulb T5 Fluoro vs Sunburst 175W MH

I'm trying to put together everything I would need for a secondary veg light system, mainly to keep mothers and get clones going. I will have very limited vertical space, and I'm concerned about heat so I've narrowed it down to these choices. I did consider CFL's as well but unless someone knows of a hidden low cost source, by the time I priced out the bulbs and a decent reflector the cost went up quickly. I would prefer to go all out anyway, light is definitely one area I don't want to skimp.

I was hoping initially I might be able to get away with minimal cooling for the T5's but upon investigation they run much hotter than typical Fluoro's. If you check out this article http://ecmweb.com/ops/electric_fluorescent_lamp_coming/ it mentions that optimum operating temperature for T5's is 95° which is obviously way too hot. On the plus side the whole enclosure would be very thin and give me more room. Another downside is no glass lens option to aid in cooling.

As for the MH light, I expect 175W to be plenty for it's intended purpose and there's no denying the tried and true performance of HID lighting. I chose MH only because I intend this to be for Veg and never flowering. I also thought it might supplement the main HPS if needed or I changed things up. Aside from the heat the big downside is the vertical space the unit needs to occupy. On the upside, I could put a lens in it and hook it up to the inline fan.

So, thoughts? Opinions? Thanks in advance

I wouldnt go with the t5s man they get way to hot. the idea u had with the metal halide and the lens sounds great for the mothers. wat r the exact deminsions of ur grow op ?

77blazzer44 said:

wat r the exact deminsions of ur grow op ?

Click to expand...

I don't have exact dimensions pinned down just yet as I'm planning the whole thing out. The closet space I have to work with is about 30" wide 4' deep and 8' high. Within that is a big metal duct that goes to the furnace. I planned on dividing the space up so that flowering plants go above veg plants and they'll have about a 2 1/2' x 3' space under a 400W HPS. Underneath I'll have this other light with the vegging plants.

I've budgeted for a vortex 6" inline fan to exhaust the hot air from the 400W light. I was thinking I might be able to use a Y adapter and have it suck air from the other light too.

I use T8 floros in my mother/clone room and i think there jusr right. I can have them nrealy touching the olants and it dont burn them. I also use 2 600 watt MH when im in veg in a seperate room. They are way to hot for a closet set up. I would go for a 4 bulb T8 light with 2 warm white and 2 cool white. The whole thing costs about $50 at lowes. Hope this helps. 1BMM

Just from my own experience, I think the MH will give you a wider footprint. The T5's are great - I veg with them - but once you get out from right under it the fixture, the brightness drops off fast.