Keep this 400W or trade for the 250W - grow space too small?

So I bought a new ballast and reflector today to upgrade from my 150W Sun Systems setup. Bought it from someone on craigslist. When I met him he had 2 units in his car. One with a exhaust fan on top and a glass lens, the other without both. They were both 250W systems, so he said. I bought the one with the fan and lens, including a HPS bulb, for $45 (good deal?). Well I didn't really check it out before I took it home and assumed the specs were what the seller was saying they were....

Turns out the 250W Hydrofarm Sunburst Convertible HPS/MH ballast and reflector is actually a Model SBE400: 400W Hydrofarm Sunburst HPS/MH ballast and reflector. He gave me a 250W HPS bulb though!?!?!

I just called him up and told him and he said he has a 400W bulb he would trade me for, and he is also going to take a look at the other one and see if that is the 250W system. If the other one was a 250W, I have the choice of trading for the 250W ballast and reflector, or trading for the 400W bulb.

So the dilemma....what do I do?
I would love to have the 400W power, but....

My growing setup is a mylar tent (black on one side (outside) and white on the other) with pvc frame, 20"x16" and 5' tall. The reflector dimensions (both 250 and 400W, I think) are 20"x13, so on the long edge it will be touching the "tent" material. Is this too small a space for a 400W light? Will it get way too hot? The lens will let the plants get close to the light, and the exhaust fan on top (http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-SBSYST-Cooling-System-Plants/dp/B005AXWJQA)
I can run outside the tent, so I'm not really sure which would be the best option.....Help me out fellas (and ladies)! What should I do?

I have 600 watt cootube in a 2dx4wx5h and its been fine, got a 6" inline fan connected to it. i have a thread started if you want to see it

Dude keep the 400. Heck of a deal. Temps may be harder to control, but fatter nugs are worth it IMO.

400w cmh in the open.

As much as i would like to tell you that it will work that is one hell of a small space, either use it in a closet get a bigger tent or turn around and sell it on ebay and make some money that's a damn good deal you got.

psilocybindude said:

As much as i would like to tell you that it will work that is one hell of a small space, either use it in a closet get a bigger tent or turn around and sell it on ebay and make some money that's a damn good deal you got.

Click to expand...

I know its a pretty small space....its produced some decent quality nugs from the 150W, just not as dense as I would like. The tent is in my closet taking up part of it, and I can't dedicate the whole closet. I can enlarge the tent though if I run into problems. I have a ton of extra mylar that its made of because I had to buy it in a 10'x20' roll. And all I would have to do is get longer pvc pipes and I'd be able to turn the 16"x20" into 20" (depth of closet) by whatever length and height I want.

What issues would you foresee arising from using the 400W in this sized space without any changes? And would the 250W give me the same problems or would I get away with it? Also, can anyone give input on the difference in quality between 250 and 400? If 400 is that much better I'll just invest the time into making the tent bigger.

Light is the most important part of growing so if you can upgrade the size of the tent i would definitely recommend it, I'm sure a 250 watter would be just fine as long and you have adequate ventilation but if i could i would go for the 400, i saw something recently that said for every inch closer you could get your light your buds would be 1 inch wider.

I just stopped by the local grow shop. They said keep the 400. On another note, they said I got a "decent" deal and its slightly less than I would of paid there, and that a 400W used ballast and reflector runs around $40....

Problems with living in the front range of CO I guess

build a bigger space... not only may heat be a problem your gonna be wasting alot of the lights potential just because the space isn't big enuff to fit enuff plants under it to use all the light you will have= waste of light, money, power, ect.