Is my light TOO powerful??

So i have a small, 2' x 2' grow space. But i have the opritunity to get a 400 W HPS cheap (for flowering). obviously it would have to be hung about a foot above the plants....it has a cool tube.

Will it be more trouble then its worth? should i just go for a 250.
Does anybody have experience using a big light in small area?

i use a 400 watt hps in my 2x2 closet. it works out just fine and my plant loves it! it can get hot in there if you don't ventilate properly(large inline fan).

I use a 400 watt light in a cooltube (plus some accent CFLs) in a 46"x20" area, with a 6" 440 CFM centrifugal fan for ventilation. Works grrreat. If you can handle the ventilation side of the equation, I'd get the 400 watt light - significantly better canopy penetration than a 250 watt light.

I understand from my reading on forums and various web guides that you should always use as much light as your ventilation (and budget) can afford. If your grow area maintains temperatures within -- god, is it like 60-80??? -- you can always use more light. I've also read on the forums that at a certain point, the light part of the photosynthesis equation can exceed the plants ability to acquire nutrients from the soil and CO2 from the air, and vigor will cease to improve.

I'm totally a newbie though and would welcome any critiquing of my forum knowledge. I'm just started my own little project right now.

a 400W light is great.

try and lose the cool tube ONLY if temps permit. Cool tubes cut down on UV-B rays which these plants love and you will too as they result in increased potency.

What is a cool tube, and how does it cut down UV rays?

ALL regular glass greatly diminishes the flow of UV-B rays.

Special glass is needed that allows these rays to penetrate thru.

Cool tubes are nothing but glass tubes that channel the air across the bulb, thus removing the heat thru vacuum.

If you study the failure of the $151,000,000 BioSphere project, you will find the failures was due to massive overgrowth of soil bacteria...which were allowed to grow un-checked because they built the place with glass panes.

These panes eliminated most all UV-B rays.

UV-B damages plant cells and these plants we discuss here respond to that damage by producing additional resins. So, unless you have a special glass tube, these cool tubes block UV-B rays.

While it will not hurt your harvest, the use of them will prevent your plants from being as potent as they could be.

never mind, already answered