IF you are new to LED and want help choosing what to buy, POST HERE!

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ellydee

ellydee

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treelover

treelover

New Member
I have a saltwater tank (that i'm about to get rid of) and currently use the SolarFlare 15w gooseneck LED strip on that. I've done ample of research and have read good and bad things about the SolarFlare's being used for growing, so I'm kind of scared to use it for my first grow. Though, I'd love to be able to use this light instead of having to buy other expensive LED's.

Here are the light specs:
two 3watt 10,000K daylight diodes,
two 3watt 6700K warm daylight diodes and
one 3watt actinic diode.


I don't have a growbox yet. I'm still putting a list together, but I don't think I'll ever be interested in more than two plants per crop, maybe rotating crops. (So at most 4 plants at a time.)
As far as lumens are concerned, for two plants, is this enough?
Is enough ever really enough?
Research concluded that lower kelvin units usually means higher lumens, right? (I know they're not directly correlated, but is this safe to assume?)

Forgive me if I sound inexperienced.. I've been reading my eyes out trying to figure if this light is good enough. Any useful advice will be greatly appreciated!
 
FiltruFRATE

FiltruFRATE

Member
Hey guys (and girls), what ratio would be a suitable for a DIY led setup? I'm thinking of 1 FarRed(730nm) : 4 HyperRed(660nm)+Red(630nm) : 1 Blue(430nm)+DeepBlue(460nm)
Any recommandation will be greatly appreciated!
 
FranJan

FranJan

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treelover said:
Here are the light specs:
two 3watt 10,000K daylight diodes,
two 3watt 6700K warm daylight diodes and
one 3watt actinic diode.
Click to expand...
Waaay to much blue for a full grow. Needs Reds/FR/IR for flowering.


treelover said:
Is enough ever really enough?
Research concluded that lower kelvin units usually means higher lumens, right? (I know they're not directly correlated, but is this safe to assume?)
Click to expand...
Hmmm I would think for the most part the opposite is true. Warm Whites are usually weaker in photo output, than lets say 4200/5000Ks and up. Most, if not all, Warm Whites have a much less blue/green footprint and have more phosphors to convert. Less green than Neutrals so they gotta work harder to keep up in the lumens rating department. CREES Warm Bulb uses more LEDs at more watts to produce the same lumens as their Cold Bulb, though the bulbs use different diodes so apples and oranges, but it does illustrate what I mean. As always with whites it depends on several factors on what Kelvin rating pumps out the highest lumens. And treelover study the lumens per watts of your lights. That and lumens will tell you quite a bit about the capabilities of your LEDs. Happy Growing!
 
Dogenzengi

Dogenzengi

Well-Known Member
Great Thread RIU,

I am interested in adding LED's to my T5 CFL fixtures.

my setup-
3 fixtures side by side, 95 watts each.
2' deep x 6' long closet.

Ebb n Flow system

so what would be a good light for Veg?

Do they make a light Bar?

can I use cfl And LED to Flower?

Same question, do they make a light Bar?

what LED lite do you recommend for flower?

Answers Greatly Appreciated!!!

peace,
DZ
 
PSUAGRO.

PSUAGRO.

Well-Known Member
captainmorgan said:
I ordered 2 of these,a 660 nm and 730 nm. Has anybody tried these or heard about these.

http://www.diamond-grow-lights.com/illumitex-LED-Mini-Grow-Light:::54.html
Click to expand...
Yeah I've seen them before.......use illumitex modules, good quality and a good purchase IMO..........yet to see anyone grow with illumitex stuff.

Dogenzengi said:
Great Thread RIU,

I am interested in adding LED's to my T5 CFL fixtures.

my setup-
3 fixtures side by side, 95 watts each.
2' deep x 6' long closet.

Ebb n Flow system

so what would be a good light for Veg?

Do they make a light Bar?

can I use cfl And LED to Flower?

Same question, do they make a light Bar?

what LED lite do you recommend for flower?

Answers Greatly Appreciated!!!

peace,
DZ
Click to expand...
Yes led work great in conjunction with any light tech for flower/veg/clone/etc..........

Lightbars?????? I got you some stinkin lightbars:P

http://growershouse.com/lumibar-led-strip-light

http://growershouse.com/neosol-50w-led-plant-grow-light

http://growershouse.com/neosol-300w-led-plant-grow-light all the bars stuck together:) this thing is bad-ass


Retrofit for T8 fixtures http://www.apachetechinc.com/24-led-tube.html
 
Dogenzengi

Dogenzengi

Well-Known Member
OK PSUAGO,

maybe I didn't add the word affordable to my query.
those are some pricey lights!

considering my tight space and keeping my CFL fixture 4"-5" above canopy my fixtures would block any light I hang above it.
that's why I thought light bar, to squeeze it in with my Fixture.

Even as a Noobie, I can already see the disparity in distance to plant from light 5" CFL vs 25" LED.

if I raise my CFL'S to the height of the LED will it still be worth using?

are there more economical choices to add to 2'x6' closet??.
 

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Dogenzengi

Dogenzengi

Well-Known Member
Ebb n Flo system is up in running in four separate tubs covered by 3 lights currently.
I have a fourth fixture, I just didn't think ahead to the orientation of my tubs.
I should have one light per tub!
I just don't want to add 8 more hooks to my ceiling to re orient my current fixtures.

any advice is more than welcome, what would you do?
how would you fit the two types of light together as a good lighting array??

thanks Again,
peace,
DZ
 
tags420

tags420

Well-Known Member
The T8led tubes from apache match T5 output with less than 1/2 the wattage(18w compared to 54w). But if you get enough tubes to match wattage you can seriously increase power and benefit form a good white LED spectrum. Not that T5's are hot, but the ledTubes are way cooler and literally no heat.
If I used any type of floro setup I would be looking into them. Pet flora is flowering with them and cree bulbs and doing well. And I don't think he actually has that many tubes and wants more(he doesn't use the AT ones but they are all good).
 
PSUAGRO.

PSUAGRO.

Well-Known Member
Dogenzengi said:
OK PSUAGO,

maybe I didn't add the word affordable to my query.
those are some pricey lights!

considering my tight space and keeping my CFL fixture 4"-5" above canopy my fixtures would block any light I hang above it.
that's why I thought light bar, to squeeze it in with my Fixture.

Even as a Noobie, I can already see the disparity in distance to plant from light 5" CFL vs 25" LED.

if I raise my CFL'S to the height of the LED will it still be worth using?

are there more economical choices to add to 2'x6' closet??.
Click to expand...
On the cheap eh???? well you can replace your T5/cfl 's (which depreciate fast!!) with these led bulbs http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbol/h_d2/Navigation?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&cm_mmc=SEM|G|VF|DSK|D27E|LightBulbs|Cree#/?c=1&bol=bol buy them at your own pace/affordability.

And they work well for growing/flowering cannabis https://www.rollitup.org/led-other-lighting/656542-flowering-cree-bulbs-9.html#post9424848 post #87, captain rocked it!! Granted he's an excellent grower..........so that helps too:)
 
Highocaine

Highocaine

Well-Known Member
GetNice said:
How well does anyone think an 8 watt led grow bulb will do in a 1x1x1 speaker grow with autoflower?

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/e11401.m1842.l3160/7?euid=91762d608cdd48d1a1bd4c6d027335e8&loc=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120807694670&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:3160&exe=10013&ext=100025&sojTags=exe=exe,ext=ext
Click to expand...
You'd probably be better off with some strip LEDs and a couple external drivers, in that tight of a space.. Check out Chronikool'z Stripped lite Peep Show™

Not to mention they'll do a lot better than that piece of junk from china. (But they'll probably still be from China.)
 
Highocaine

Highocaine

Well-Known Member
GetNice said:
but will it work?
Click to expand...
Hell yeah, check the thread man! He fit 144 watts of 5050 strip LED in a computer case, you can probably fit easily 72W inside a 1 cubic foot box.

Edit: "Old PC Case (40cm long x 35cm high x 20cm wide) Standard Case" = 28000 cm[SUP]3[/SUP] = 0.98 ft[SUP]3[/SUP] :)
 
GetNice

GetNice

Active Member
Highocaine said:
Hell yeah, check the thread man! He fit 144 watts of 5050 strip LED in a computer case, you can probably fit ~72W inside a 1 cubic foot box.
Click to expand...
Masking if the 8w led will work. Has 125 red and some white. My cfl is too hot for this. Scares me.
 
Highocaine

Highocaine

Well-Known Member
Oh... maybe a little bit? It'd veg pretty slow, and for flower you'd really need a little more. PetFlora does some really low-wattage grows, but vegs only as low as about 20W.

Off-topic, what are you going to use for ventilation?
 
GetNice

GetNice

Active Member
image.jpgI have a fan sucking out the hot air. I'm going to try with led and if its not tightening up the nugs then ill throw in some more wattage. But I want to keep heat low.

puc of current setup. Haven't received led yet.
 
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