Flowering lights

is there any special light i should use for flowering and what hour ratio im currently using a 43w CFL (150w equiv) and a 16/8 ratio

switching to HPS for flowering will result in massive stretching between nodes, youll get huge beautiful colas. i use a 1000watt hps and switched from 1000watt mh and the plants are doubling in size. if $ is an issue, atleast get like a 250watt hps. i would recommend going the extra mile and getting a 400watt hps though. those are actually really bright. you wont regret it! the buds you would get from flowering w/ CFLs are whispy and the high isnt anything special. also, the hour ratio you want for flowering is 12/12

awesome, is an 18/6 ratio a good ratio for now? and also where would i be able to find an HPS?

18/6 and 24/0 are standard for veg, i use 24/0. i would recommend buying a light online, you can find the best deals for entire kits; it includes a reflector, ballast, light fixture and sometimes even a hanger. you can get deals for around $200-300 for a really nice 400watt or even a 1000watt if you look hard enough. my 1000watt hps was $350 for everything including switchable ballast. there's also local hydroponics/hardware stores that sell hps lights, but the best prices are online

sounds nice, should i consider using a 400w hps for the veg stage along with flowering? basically im asking should i use it the whole time instead of using CFLs?

MH is better for veg, and HPS for flowering. thats why a switchable system would be perfect, you would have to buy 2 bulbs though; one for mh and one for hps. you can get away with vegging with CFLs but vegging with a 400watt HPS would be better, even though mh is superior for veg.

mh? is that metal halide, isnt there conversion bulbs so i can use mh and hps in same socket? and is it a special socket or just a standard one, i know i can buy light kits that are for HPS only or MH only, is it possible?

yea mh=metal halide. i dunno much about those bulbs that do both, but my socket is pretty standard and handles both. the normal kits will include a ballast that only supports mh or veg, and the ballast is generally the most expensive part of the kit - especially when you buy a switchable ballast. im pretty certain your standard socket, as long as its attached to atleast a bat wing reflector, will support mh/hps. its the ballast the you have be specific with.

ok well thanks alot for your help, ill look into gettina light kit i seen a nice one for mh and hps and it was a reasonable price and a good size reflector for my area of growing. ill show you a picture of the plant i have now with the 150w CFL i am currecntly using tomorrow or monday.