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Hey all, I am new to the forum and New to hydroponic growing in general.

I do have some general questions that I hope someone can answer. I have a pre built Hydro unit on the way to me.


In addition I have a grow tent coming to me as well that can be viewed here:

60-Inch x 48-Inch x 24-Inch Mylar Reflective Hydroponic Grow Tent: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Sadly, I had a 300 dollar budget to get up and running, so for now, unless I get some samples in the mail from one or more of the nutrient manufacturers I have contacted, I will be using the nutrients that come with the hydro system.

I mainly will be growing fruits and vegetable in my system along with some cooking herbs. So on to the questions!

First off involves lights. As of now I will be using the lights that come with the system and adding some clip on fixtures that I have on hand already with CFL bulbs in them until I can buy T-5 Lighting but that will not be till mid summer at the earliest.

So first question, the T5 fixture I am getting is 8x54 watts, 4ft long, it comes with standard "plant grow bulbs" which I am not sure on the quality of, I was wondering if switching the bulbs to these would be effective here are the links to the bulbs and the fixture:

Hydrofarm T5 Fluorescent Grow Lights - 4Ft/8-Tube Designer System (Grow Bulbs Included)
Wave-Point Red Wave 54-Watt High Output T-5 Lamp: Ozbo
Wave-Point Coral Wave 54-Watt High Output T-5 Lamp 420: Pet Supplies

The reason I ask, is all my research on plants and lighting says that plants only use light in the spectrum's between 380Nm to 520nm and between 610nm to 1000nm Or at least use those spectrum's most effectively.

Those bulbs put out MOSTLY light that is limited to the growth and flowering spectrum's, but they are intended for saltwater reef tanks so they tend to have a higher Par output than normal bulbs, so anyone have any input on the bulbs being effective?

Also I have read conflicting information on watts per square foot, I have read that anywhere between 25 watts per square foot is optimal all the way up to 200 watts per square foot is optimal, anyone have any input on this?

Also, Since I am growing Only fruits and vegetables such as dwarf blueberry's,cooking herbs,salad greens and tomatoes, do I really need to pay the extra money for the specialized hydroponic nutrients or could I get away with using Miracle grow all purpose plant food?



Thanks in advance

I would say since you are are growing fruits your going to want a bulbs with both the 2500k and the 5000k levels because with both its going to help the vegetative stage and the fruiting stage.

I would run a hydro powder nutrient mix. If your that into it you can get a three part solution but, these are usually for people who want the most out of their plants (aka Marijuana). I would recommend running a flush like FloraKleen by General Hydroponics. I have seen this stuff help with salt build ups in ebb and flow reservoirs.

As on lights a VHO or HO bulb would work fine reef lights are VHO. Granted they are more expensive but, they do kick out more lumens. If you went with 54 watts or higher per bulb you would be fine as they do produce a good amount of lumens for the watts. But if it is in a grow tent already MOST likely they will be good bulbs.

brogz wrote:I would say since you are are growing fruits your going to want a bulbs with both the 2500k and the 5000k levels because with both its going to help the vegetative stage and the fruiting stage.

I would run a hydro powder nutrient mix. If your that into it you can get a three part solution but, these are usually for people who want the most out of their plants (aka Marijuana). I would recommend running a flush like FloraKleen by General Hydroponics. I have seen this stuff help with salt build ups in ebb and flow reservoirs.

As on lights a VHO or HO bulb would work fine reef lights are VHO. Granted they are more expensive but, they do kick out more lumens. If you went with 54 watts or higher per bulb you would be fine as they do produce a good amount of lumens for the watts. But if it is in a grow tent already MOST likely they will be good bulbs.

Awesome, thanks I have got a ton of hydroponic nutrients in the mail in the form of samples some I had to pay a few bucks shipping some I didn't, but as I set right now I think I should be good for about a year or more worth of growing lol.

The lights that come with the unit are all 6500K bulbs, and that is fine for my non-flowering herbs,lettuce etc. but not so great for my tomatoes,peppers, and blueberries so thats why I was looking into bulbs. I am sure I could save a few bucks and just buy standard 2700k T5 bulbs but the bulbs I want are not really super high dollar, not like HID bulbs anyway.

They are between 12.49 and 17.99 each, the reason I want the ones I do tho is because they put out very very little light outside the spectrum that plants can use, so there is less wasted energy and if I am right faster and better quality growth.

One question for you. Are you planning on growing these all in the same tent at the same time? If so you might have some problems with getting the Tomatoes, peppers and berries to bloom. I have not grown any of these plants indoors under lights so I don't know if the photo-period will put them into bloom or not. If you only plan on keeping these plants for a few fruiting cycles then I would say you could veg them for 24 hours then run them at 12/12 but.... don't take my word for it I could be wrong try googling "(plant-name) photo-period" and see what they say about the fruiting and veg photo-periods

brogz wrote:One question for you. Are you planning on growing these all in the same tent at the same time? If so you might have some problems with getting the Tomatoes, peppers and berries to bloom. I have not grown any of these plants indoors under lights so I don't know if the photo-period will put them into bloom or not. If you only plan on keeping these plants for a few fruiting cycles then I would say you could veg them for 24 hours then run them at 12/12 but.... don't take my word for it I could be wrong try googling "(plant-name) photo-period" and see what they say about the fruiting and veg photo-periods

Oh no I'm not planning on doing them all at the same time, Tomatoes until I harvest what I want they switching to peppers etc.

I may grow some greens with them but only one flowering plant at a time just so I am sure I get the light cycle right, and from what I have read with herbs and greens it doesn't much matter as long as they get at least 12 hours of light per day.

CNS 17 is a great value and what I use for my hydro veggies. Very basic mix that is easy to use. Google it.

If I did not have a hydro store nearby, I would look for something like Maxi Bloom in a powder form to save money on shipping.

Some of the specialty hydro nutes are for exotic "tweaks", but with only enhance to a certain degree. With most veggies, I would see this as negligible.

Best of success!

If you go on botanicare's website you can sign up and request samples. Good way to try nutes before you spend a lot on them

brogz wrote:If you go on botanicare's website you can sign up and request samples. Good way to try nutes before you spend a lot on them

Excellent tip!