T5 Bad Boy Question?

mellokitty said:

thanks, i'd been wanting to supplement our 1000w hps's with those but couldn't for the life of me figure out what those damn blue lights were called.... (someone told me about them years ago; it piqued my interest but i was *ssstooned*)

gonna check it out when i'm more awake....

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I use aquariumspecialty as a preferred vendor they have the largest supply of T5 i can find @ the best prices.. also marine depot but they dont have as much in stock... bet prices i have found including shipping... VERY good support !!
I ahve pretty much researched all types and brands and have a BINDER full of info on each bulb... UVL is the only vendor with internal reflectors! which greatly improve the efficiency of their product!

Out of curiosity, have any of you used Tek Lights? I use an 8 bulb 4 ft unit for my clones, and I thought it was the best T5 on the market (I believe I got it for around $400)... the results are amazing. I'm not sure if it's opinion or not, but can anyone give a definitive answer as to whether or not Tek lights or Bad Boys are the top of the line t5 on the market? One nice thing about the Tek Light is that it has two switches - one turns on the 4 outer lights (the inner 4 bulbs are dim), the other turns on the inner 4 lights while leaving the outer 4 dim - and then of course you'd flip both switches to run all 8 bulbs... this is a really cool feature in my eyes... fresh cuttings only need the light of 4 bulbs, and as they grow I can turn on the other 4 bulbs... now that's efficiency at is finest in my opinion.

Sensi

Badboy has 2 switches as well and that's how i use them. 4 bulbs for seedlings and clones and switch on the other four.. and switch only 3 out for blooming with my setup... bad boy fixtures can be dimmed as well with a dimming switch.. but that's just unnecessary.
Its all about the ballasts that are in the Lights i dont know what kind of ballasts tek lights have however I DO know what ballasts are in the Quantum Quantums of course! they dont buzz or hum and are centrally located on the fixture.. also badboys save on weight by only having reflectors behind the bulbs... and less metal altogether.

very cool...thx for the info...ima get some soon. i think i want the 12 bulb ones now, not the 16...mb too wide

those are 12s in my pic.... they're about the same width as a 4 tube fixture of the conventional fluoros (maybe a leeetle bit wider)

Just an opinion, I don't think you even need t-5's for seedlings or clones, I use small cfl's for seedlings and clones. Clones do not need a lot of light, you are not trying to grow leaves you're trying to grow roots so a lot of light is not needed. I let my plants go for a week or two before putting them under the t-5's to veg for a few weeks before putting them under my hid lights. I use two six hundreds.

the 12 is the same as the 8 and the 16 is a little bigger bit of no concequnce..... 12 is PLENTY! HOWEVER I personally think the T5 vs a 1000W dual spectrum NEEDS to be explored and im looking for donations or contributors, even someone who would test this for me or who are willing to help me test? 1x8 lamp plus 1x12 lamp bad boy vs 1000W
6 Weeks left i want to start my competition...
We have a vote on the tester strain, And for fairness we will use an older reliable every day strain like White Widow, AK, Northern lights #5, or NLxHaze, something with solid genetics and predictable growth.
A soil grow to limit certain factors such as rez temp and water issues. and a 1 part program... and 1 additive... besides anything deemed preventative or maintance... like cal mag or superthrive etc..

well, i'll have to talk to my man but we just happen to have 2 of those things already..... and a 1 part nute.... and a range of additives to choose from.... and soilless..... *hint hint*

not sure how he'd feel about partitioning though.... (it'd be hard to run a side-by-side without partitioning the 2 somehow, yeah?)

EDIT: not to mention, now that i've gotten his attention with actinics, i'm just going to do what women do best..... nag until it materialises.

mellokitty said:

well, i'll have to talk to my man but we just happen to have 2 of those things already..... and a 1 part nute.... and a range of additives to choose from.... and soilless..... *hint hint*

not sure how he'd feel about partitioning though.... (it'd be hard to run a side-by-side without partitioning the 2 somehow, yeah?)

EDIT: not to mention, now that i've gotten his attention with actinics, i'm just going to do what women do best..... nag until it materialises.

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Partitioning would be necessary but the T5 could be thrown in a tent vertically. or throw the 1000W in a tent with a cool tube either way...
It would be a good stick in the Eye for both HID and LED..

it's kind of a double-edged sword, scientifically, though, isn't it? i mean, i'm sure if i ask around there'll be someone in our circle with a wee 'jardin' they're not using, but the conditions in a tent and in my main room aren't going to be the same even if i put the tent in the room (which is probably what'll have to happen)....
and i don't know if i'll find *2* jardins to borrow... that might be a tall order....

hm. maybe we can jury-rig something with panda film or something. i'll ask, though i'm not holding my breath.

mellokitty said:

those are 12s in my pic.... they're about the same width as a 4 tube fixture of the conventional fluoros (maybe a leeetle bit wider)

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can i get some bulbs for flowering? or do i have to take what they give me?

they sell their "Grow" and "Bloom" bulbs...