T8's are cheap... really cheap...

i was looking up prices to make your own t8 fixtures, whatever size, shape and however many bulbs you want. It would only cost $7 for every bulb, which each put out 3000 lumens.

Using this ballast: GE ProLine #23675 - Electronic Fluorescent Ballast - Operates (3 or 4) F32T8 Lamps at 120 Volts Light Bulb

these bubls (or the ones in the 3500k range, same price): F32T8 5000 Kelvin

and these sockets:
Snap-in/Slide-on - Lamp-lock - T8 Light Bulb

If i had a 4x2 closet that i was growing in, i'd think this would be perfect, right?

You could probably set up close to 20 bulbs in a 4x2 space. That's 500ish watts of good light, 60,000 lumens perfectly evenly spaced out. for only $140. I think that's a lot cheaper than you could even do with cfls...


I think it would be fun to build the whole thing myself. Would it be worth it? or should i ujst stick with cfls?

well...the t-8's will not be good for flowering. a 4'-8 tube T-5 will put out 40,000 lumens, a 400 watt hid 43,000, many here swear by the cfl's. Your flowering results will be better with the cfl's than with the t-8's. You might want to check Humbolts cfl journal. VV

Mh and Hps are the way to go. They do cause heat problems, but the quality of herb in unbeatable. I have never grown with t bulbs, but I think they would be great for small plants and clones.

i think you'd be better off with 2 250w hps lamps... better penetration and spectrum... and the heat they put off is managable...

yeah, if you're going to be dropping 140 for 500 watts in flouro light, you'd be better off shopping around for a 400 watt hps and probably get better results.
but I'm no hid guru, It just seems like if that's what you are gonna do, I'd go with hps myself. besides all those fixtures are probably going to be just as hot. and you'd have to place them all over. so the entire room might heat up faster.

VictorVIcious said:

well...the t-8's will not be good for flowering. a 4'-8 tube T-5 will put out 40,000 lumens, a 400 watt hid 43,000, many here swear by the cfl's. Your flowering results will be better with the cfl's than with the t-8's. You might want to check Humbolts cfl journal. VV

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The fixture i just talked about making puts out 60,000 lumens. In any combination of these color temperatures: 3000k, 3500k, 4100k, and 5000k. 3000k is low enough for flowering isn't it?

I'm planning to do a scrog so penetration doesn't matter quite so much..

Headies said:

Mh and Hps are the way to go. They do cause heat problems, but the quality of herb in unbeatable. I have never grown with t bulbs, but I think they would be great for small plants and clones.

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Do you think they'd be good for scrog? I know i can't afford both HPS and MH. Also, i plan to be growing in a 4x2x(however high) space. The lights'll be mounted on what's basically a false cieling which can be raised and lowered above the plants. Once they hit the screen, the lights shouldn't have to move much.

lumberjack_ian said:

i think you'd be better off with 2 250w hps lamps... better penetration and spectrum... and the heat they put off is managable...

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scrog, so i don't think petetration will be an issue. I plan to be growing in the back of a closet, so the heat needs to be nonexistant.

quadrophine said:

yeah, if you're going to be dropping 140 for 500 watts in flouro light, you'd be better off shopping around for a 400 watt hps and probably get better results.
but I'm no hid guru, It just seems like if that's what you are gonna do, I'd go with hps myself. besides all those fixtures are probably going to be just as hot. and you'd have to place them all over. so the entire room might heat up faster.

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Check the false cieling idea again. There would be computer fans mounted across both the face of the bulbs near the plants and across the ballasts to exhausts. I think that should take care of heat, especially if i place the ballasts on the outside of the box...

I think it may work. With maybe 5-8 inch plants. The lumen's are there but as we know fluorescents lose lumen's like crazy every inch. Your scrog idea may work to.

You may have better gram per watt results with HID lighting, but your idea will work. The colas may not be as heavy or dense as with HID lights. But who knows. Iwould buy a switchable ballast light like a 400 watt. To me growing is like a car stereo, if you are not going to do it right then just leave the crappy factory stereo.

2700k is what most people suggest for flowering.
and the heat will be an issue, I've used similar flouro fixtures and they do, although not as much but they definitely produce heat. also, to maximize the efficiency of your tubes you will have to have them within a 5 or 6 inches of the plants which will also be very difficult, seeing as how you will have to move your light probably every day. perhaps twice a day, because you have so much light. If it were me, I'd try and save myself a little hassle, and money and just buy a 400 watt hps. which is suitable for flowering and veg. with that setup I'm sure you don't have the recommended spectrum for flowering which is 2700k but that can be fixed with different bulbs i'm sure. anyway, if it was me i'd go with hps.

All depends on your wants.Figure a digital 400 watt switchable ballast is $99 new or a complete package can be found for like $149 new.I use T8 fixtures for vegging.I basically buy a commercial fixture that holds 4 tubes in it but you can add a ballast and sockets and make it an 8 tube fixture in about 15 minutes .The fixture with bulbs cost about $40 including the extension cord you will use to make it a plug in unit instead of a hardwire unit.The hid light will make a beter flower but these units are great for veg and sidelighting. I do have a friend who uses the 4x8 hydro huts with the 8 tube t5 fixtures he uses 4 fixtures so thats 32 t5 bulbs each fixture is about $285 with bulbs for those.Heres some of my T8 setup pics..I did a post thread on how to wire one of these up with a cord and get it going..

If the area you want to light is 2' by 4' and heat is an issue, when is heat not an issue, the t-5 is the way to go, mix red and blue bulbs. Start using 1/2 the fixture , turn the other half on when you need it. VV

Hey FF, got any pictures of that 4 lamp fixture with 4 bulb sockets added? I don't think I know how to do that. Thanks.

i use t8-48" fixtures from Lowes. the bulbs i got frow a lighting warehouse, 5000k.

(3)--2 light fixtures, 6 bulbs total