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florescents

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cotillion

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Re: florecents

I used the bulbs that came with under the counter fluorescent lights in my set-up last year and had no problems at all. Just make sure you keep the plants close to the lights.
 

DonH

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I've been using T5 fluorescents. They kick out a lot of light with little energy usage and the plants do really well. They are also quieter than the cheap flourescents. But the cheap ones work fine.
 

Knucklehead

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Re: florecents

I used the bulbs that came with under the counter fluorescent lights in my set-up last year and had no problems at all. Just make sure you keep the plants close to the lights.

Same here. Three years running. I tried the aquarium/plant bulbs side by side with the standard ones and could tell no difference.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Re: florecents

I find it difficult to believe that it's totally the same. Aquarium grow bulbs come in many different spectrums, and serve different purposes. I noticed a big difference in my aquarium plants, especially with a combination of different bulbs. Mind you, the difference between aquariums and hydroponics vs starting tobacco, is that we are only aiming at a small portion of the plants life span. Maybe the difference shows with aquarium plants because they are going through much more of their life cycle, including flowering , sending out rhizomes, and so on.

I also noticed a difference with my tomatoes. I was using 65W of compact fluorescent grow bulbs and they were doing fine, then I switched to 93W of non - grow light CFLS, and the tomatoes began to stretch badly. Now, others have said that you just need to keep the lights close, which is true, but CFLS get much hotter than tubes because the ballast is right there, so that's a problem.

I would get t5 grow lights at a hydroponics store, rather than an aquarium store. They cost much less. You can get a 4' t5ho grow bulb for 6 to 9 bucks, so how much are you saving with the generic bulbs?

However, given the choice of t8 or t12 grow lights and t5 non grow lights, I would go with t5 because the intensity is much better, and that also matters.
 

Knucklehead

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Re: florecents

Given the choice of t8 or t12 grow lights and t5 non grow lights, I would go with t5 because the intensity is much better, and that also matters.

Intensity could very well have been the difference with mine. The regular bulbs seem twice as bright as the aquarium bulbs I tried.
 

Chicken

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Good info. There China voodoo...

I use the aquarium bulbs in my lights..

This year I had more seed trays than I had room for...

So next year if I see the same situation I got a 400 h.I.d.

I'll just grow everything in my camper with that big light floating over it.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I think HIDs are likely the best. Youre not constantly raising it because it's already far away, it warms the room and you can re-pot without having to renovate.
 
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