T5 vs. T8 vs. T12

[sap_boy]

Simple question:

I have been told that T5s are the best flouros to use, but I'm just curious as to how much better they are than T8 or T12. Is lumen/watt ratio all I should be looking at, or should I be paying attention to spectrum, too?

I ask because the cheapes 4-bulb T5 I can find is $130.00, but I can get a 4-bulb T8 or T12 for 20-30 bucks at Home Depot.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[DLtoker]

Yes, the only reason I choose to use the T5 fixtures over the others is due to the high lumen to watt ratio. They are expensive, but I feel it is well worth the investment.

 

[sap_boy]

If I go with T8 or T12, what bulbs should I be using? T5s are advertized as "grow" and "bloom," but the others aren't.

What terminology am i looking for? Soft white? daylight? warm light?

Thanks

 

[octobong007]

if you go with t8 or t12, you need to look at the temps in "k". for veggies you want 65k if possible-or close to it, and flowering you want 2700k-3000k...but if you can go with t5's, the 4 bulb 48" system only runs 150/shipping included, and the results are BAM compared to the t8 or 12's. on another note, just tried iso-hash under glass and :holysheep: ...so that should explain the ramblin. all the luck at ya sap-boy.

 

[sap_boy]

So I've decided to go with the T5 setup. I am going to use two four foot four bulb systems, one for veg and one for flower. But I have one more question:

Should I use a mixture of grow (6500) and bloom (3000) bulbs throughout my entire grow? For example, two grow and two bloom both the veg and flower room? Or should I use four grow in my veg room and four bloom in my flower room? using different bulbs makes sense to me, but a friend said that with the T5s it's better to have uniform and diverse light throughout the process.

Thoughts?

 

[yeroc1982]

I got sum t5's for cloning and they work great!!

 

[DLtoker]

My seedlings grow under 6500K bulbs for a week or two. Once they outgrow that setup, then it's under a combination of both spectrum for the whole grow. That's just the way I do it and I love the results I get. I am not saying it is the best because I haven't done full blown, technical experiments comparing different set-ups.

 

[bigweedo]

I have great results in veg with the 4 foot two 40 watt T8 setup. The light/ballast and bulbs are 20 bucks at walmart and you can buy the "sunlight" t8 bulbs that are right next to the fixture.