2 400s or 1 600 hps? air cooled or cool tube?

...with an approximate 6' x 3' x 8'h space

Hey guys, about the whole 400 (2) vs 600 (1) thing, I'm thinking the 400 x 2 way would be better since I'm guessing with good ventilation (vortex?), they'll be able to pretty much rest on top of the canopy, right? Or is a 600 hps just as good with less problems than having 2 smaller ones?

I'm a bit confused about air cooled vs cool tube designs. They both seem to do the same thing, but just simply different shapes; is this true? Is one "better" than the other?

I understand that air cooled reflectors that I've seen can be ducted inline with others (all on same intake/exhaust line). Can cool tubes also be attached the same way?

Too many questions!

Yeah mate you can use both types in line with each other, think its up to 4 with one rvk 125a1 fan. With the space you have i would be tempted to go with 2 600s in cool tubes.

Geozander said:

Yeah mate you can use both types in line with each other, think its up to 4 with one rvk 125a1 fan. With the space you have i would be tempted to go with 2 600s in cool tubes.

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Cool cool. Is there a major difference between the two (air cooled with traditional reflector style vs cool tube style)?

Hmm...doesn't appear to be that much of a price difference between the 400 and 600 watt hps sets. What about one 1k hps cool tube instead of the other 2 then? Or would that just be too much heat given off at one spot, and not enough spread of light?

I probably can't jump to both sets at the same time though, so I'm wondering the following:

Is it "bad" to have half plants under each of the 2 lights at different stages of flowering (and thus height), since I prob won't grab another light until the 2nd month.

About how many plants, in this space, would fit under a single 600 watt set?

About how many plants, in this space, would fit under double (side-by-side) 600 watt sets?.

Brick Top said:

Just to complicate matters a tad bit more you can get dual CoolTubes … longer CoolTubes that will hold two bulbs.

There are your two lights, 400-watt lights hooked in line right there in one longer CoolTube.

I have seen them as long as 60 inches but that is getting a bit large there.
　
One other thing to complicate matters is with the 600-watt if you wanted you could use one of the dual-arc bulbs that have one filament that is HPS and one filament that is MH and have both light spectrums at once.

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dont want to sound thick! But dual arc? Both filaments in one bulb? Take it they different to dual spectrum? Sorry for all the questions mate!

it might be hard to get 2 cool tubes in there... i would get the cool breeze magnum... it is 48" wide which will give you 2 feet to run the 8" duct... it 180 shipped at horticulture source http://www.horticulturesource.com/product_info.php?products_id=673 there... I would go with 2 600hps.. more light the better

You should check out the cool tubes that take 2 lights. Buying it as a complete kit with fittings and ballasts, will save you money. I grow between 5 and 9 plants under my 600. Alot will depend on how long you veg for. You would fit alot more if you went 12-12 from seed. Which i do not recommend! Was on a thread a couple of days back, a guy stated he could grow 30 plants under 1 600 light.