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bulb diffrence

  • Thread starter naich
  • Start date
what is the diffrence between halogen spot light bulbs and the florecent tubes...all i hear about are tubes...why not bulbs...i found some today that gave off 1300 lumen
 
what is the diffrence between halogen spot light bulbs and the florecent tubes...
The difference? Maybe about 100*F? :D

Seriously halogen grow bulbs are some bad choices cos they'll cook your plants. and if you move them far enough away that they don't cook them they won't be supplying enough light to the plants.

If you don't want to use tubes you can try twisty compact fluorescent bulbs in DAYLIGHT spectrum. I would use at least two 26W twisty bulbs over your 10 gallon and see if that is bright enough and temps will stay below 85*F. Aim for 80*F (or less) with the lights this time of year so you'll have some leeway for when summer comes and temps rise. But don't use two halogen unless you want to eat your steamed CP veggies! lol

It'll be much easier on you to achieve good (cooler) temps and a much brighter growing area if you get a couple of 4 ft Fluorescent shop light fixtures for $10 at the hardware store and hang them side by side over a 2 ft w x 4 ft long table. That gives you 8 sq feet of CP growing area compared to the less than 1.5 square ft area with the 10 Gallon tank. Just set your plants in or over a water filed tray (depending upon species) and they will easily stay humid enough.
 
I agree with swords. Halogen lamps are a poor choice. A lot of heat, very few PARs. I would go with either flourescents or metal halides. I don't like shop lights myself--I know there are people who use them successfully but I like having a larger growing height that are afforded by shop lights. If I were to use flourescents, I would either go with an array of 6500K spiral flourescents or a fixture of T5's.

I, myself, use 2x140 watt compact flourescents with metal halides (1x400 and 1x175 watt) .

-Hermes.
 
Right now I run on 2 cfl s that illuminate a 1 by 3 foot area. they dangle just above my plants. theyr over 1000 lumen and are 6500k. they are a "daylight." they do alright. i mean my plants grow and get some color. it works till i upgrade. cfls are quick easy and cheap. you could probably use anything 5000 to 6500k. the hottest my plants get are like 80 to 85 in the day
 
If your going to spend money, go ahead and spend a little more and get t5 HO. They're cooler, cheaper, and last longer than PC and can use individual reflectors. PCs are outdated.

I like 10,000k, it has a nice color. I'm using 2 10,000k lamps and 2 6,700k lamps. It's cool to see the difference because each set has it's own on/off switch. 6700k looks brown in comparison, 10000k looks a little washed out but is white/blue, and both on at once is perfect and a big difference in color.

CFs waste a ton of light.
 
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