I'm going to be doing a micro grow soon and have been considering CFL lighting. Unfortunately, the largest readily available CFLs here are 25 watt 1600lm. My space is 50x30cm (20x12 inch) and 77cm 30in tall. I see micro grows like this as being the future for stoners like me across the world.

Small HID lighting is more efficient than the CFLs available here, at low wattages, being 70w/6300lm. The closest i could get with CFL would be 75w 4800lm.

Ceramic metal halide lights are causing quite a stir at the moment, people are saying they whomp HPS into last week, at equivalent wattages.

I'm planning a perpetual SOG system, which I have seen used to great effect in slightly more space than I have, under about 200w of CFL. I need to minimise the wattage I'm using preferably to less than 150w of flowering power.

I think for my space a 70w HID would be too small for SOG. However there are 100w versions available, should be about 10k lumens from CMH.

Does anyone have any ideas/sugestions/advice for me? Think it'll work? I'm going to put mylar and stuff up so i should get good reflectivity and maximum use of available lumens. Hoping to get a 100w digital balasted CMH light to get my personal

Hey Cap,

You have almost 2 square feet of canopy, which translates into 75w per square feet, with a 150w bulb. The problem is that the lower wattage bulbs are not as efficient as the higher wattage HID's. 75watts per square foot of MH should work great for veg, but I think that you would need more watts of HPS in flower for tight/dense nugs, due to the lack of efficiency of lower wattage HID's. If I was in your situation, I'd add an HPS with the MH during flowering, to improve your grams per square foot.

Hey there - What about a 150W in a cool tube like design. My biggest worry in that size space would be the heat... this way you can vent right thru the light to keep it cool. Also, maybe a setup with t-5's would benefit you. A few 2 footers in there would do nicely.

150W HPS Digital Ballast, Bulb and Glass Tube Reflector Combo

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It's my understanding of CMH lights that they can't be used on a digital ballast*** unless the ballast specifically says that it is safe to use with CMH bulbs. It has to do with the frequency of the ballasts and the bulbs. I would be sure to do lots of homework on any potential digital ballasts I wanted to use with CMH bulbs.

*** - Ok, I just reread the thread on ICMag, and I see where the OP said "The CMH lamps 150w and lower should work with digital ballasts." I would still be sure to do enough research on this to be sure.

I'm also very interested in CMH, and I'll probably be setting up a 400w system soon for my growing space.

As for your situation, I would recommend the most powerful lighting that you can afford to run. Just make sure you have proper ventilation, because I know that in a small space such as yours, heat will definitely be an issue.

I personally would go with a 150w.

EDIT - I would also recommend this excellent thread over on ICMag: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=72215

Aye, cheers guys.. have sourced a new cab, slightly bigger - 53x35x80cm, and am going for a 150w lamp. The annoying thing however is i cannot find any 150w digital HPS ballasts in the UK anymore, they're all magnetic gear trays.. So it looks like being a more expensive ceramic metal halide on a cmh specific digi, £120 for the lamp and ballast. Philips CMH (by far the best CMH) are 2800k, so they're fine for flower. I'll do a DIY cooltube if it needs it but I reckon a decent intake/extraction setup plus a pc fan blowing on the bulb will keep it cool, CMH doesnt get quite as hot as HPS i've been told, and tis only a small lamp anyway. i have a couple of 25w 6500k daylight cfls in a pc case for keeping bonsai mums, early veg, cloning etc. In flower i'm going to run 2 small plants with a couple of zero veg budsicles ala drbud around the sides.

Got some REALLY nice beans to pop in there, a UK only, very, VERY rare, just released for distribution last month underground strain which is based on the blueberry strain including a UK, clone only strain in its parentage.. These seeds, from the test grows, look to be one of the finest strains around at the moment.. So i'm wanting the best setup for my grow.. I'd buy a digi hps to start with but as i said i cant find any digi ballasts for HPS. gah..

should be popping soon.. expect to be cropping march.. Cheers dudes :D

EDIT: btw turboflame lighters RULE yo.. *fires up bong*

might try out a 150w hps on a closet grow. would this light be enough for a hydroponic SOG of about 6 plants? through veg and flowering?

captain matey, if your going to invest in a cool tube you can up the wattage to about 250 i think and i wont heat up. i only say this cause of what framster said about wattage-mass ratio... my cab is exactly double yours. i have 5 plants and a 400W HPS, i had also thought of a perpetual SOG but there is no space for it unless i only harvest 1 plant per month. as soon as i put the ladies in there and watched them grow i realised i didnt have the space for it. i would need more space for it, in your case i dont think it would be very efficient, but ill keep my fingers crossed for you.

( wow a UK test breed, im looking forward to seeing what comes from it...
a few years ago it was ahrd to find breeders, new underground strains or v much info on the subject... i think things are looking up for us growers and breeders alike... )