Help? which light for my tent?

Hello, I am getting a new setup in a couple hours and im having second thoughts on the lighting. The tent im getting is a GL80 and the dimensions are 2'7x2'7x5'11feet tall. There are 2 lights that i can't choose between, a 250w hps/mh aircooled hood, or a 400w built in ballast, it isnt sealed like the 250w but it has an attachment that i could get that lets me hook up 4in ducting to it, so i could suck the heat out. The fan im going to get is a 4inch 178cfm inline fan attached to a carbon filter that ill have outside the tent. Im worried about the heat of the 400w because i live in az, but i also know it is way more light, which is better growth. Ill have left over money after that and i am going to buy one of those little window air conditioning units and put in by my intake fan..do you think that would be able to controll the heat? thanks for any answers and ask me any more info you need, just ask me

I have a GL60 and I am running twin 250's in it. For cooling I use a 190 cfm 4" fan. It's winter now and heat is not an issue. I would not get the light with the built in ballast as that would be another heat source. Link in sig has some pics of the setup. With a portable AC at the intake I don't think heat will be a problem although I've never been to AZ.

CEEJR said:

I have a GL60 and I am running twin 250's in it. For cooling I use a 190 cfm 4" fan. It's winter now and heat is not an issue. I would not get the light with the built in ballast as that would be another heat source. Link in sig has some pics of the setup.

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so i should get the 250w? the most im planning on growing is 3-4 autoflower plants, would that be enough light?

A built in ballast in a tent could be quite hot, and leave u with limited cooling options. But the general rule is 50 watts per sq foot.

If I were buying just one light for that tent, I'd get a ceramic metal halide. Get a nice magnetic HPS ballast and a Phillips Retro White CMH bulb. This is just one guy's opinion, but I think you'd be quite pleased with the results. If your tent has good ventilation, you will not need an air-cooled hood.

Good luck.

Thinking about getting the g80 aswell with a 400w dual spec and cool tube. Hoping cool tube will keep temps down

If you use a 400W make sure you can vent the heat off the lights (vented hood or cool tube) and get the ballast out of the tent. If you do, you will be okay and the results will be better with the 400. In AZ heat you should most definately have A/C. Lived in Yuma for 3 years!!!

Ive used a 400 with a vented hood for years to veg. The heat is really not that bad. I use a $25 home depot duct booster fan and its plenty to keep the heat off the lights. I can put the lights 6 inches from the tops of the plants without burning. If you are growing in extreme heat such as Arizona, you will obviously need to take extra care to keep temps down. The moral of my story is that the heat from a 400 really is manageble even in small spaces!