Will 150w HPS outperform 372w of T5HO?

Ah Ranger. I worked in the water industry for a while too! Sounds like you may have worked the water treatment end, while I worked the other end. I worked for water resources international. We made filtration systems & RO units. While water treatment plants were busy pumping chems into the water, we were busy filtering it back out! Haha!
-- I've taken the little rockwool cubes in the little baskets & hung them along the back rim of my aquariums (where the bubbles rise from the air stones) with clones in them. Rooted faster than any other way I've done it. That was due to the hormones in the tank water. The natural nutes kept them healthy, but its the hormones that encourage the rooting. :)

You water people may find this interesting, though not unexpected. I started keep track of the pH of my tap water a few weeks ago. Here are the values, taken every other day: 6.3, 5.8, 5.5, 6.5, 6.5, 5.5, 5.2, 6.2
That's some fairly large jumps and in a completely erratic, random manner. It's true that outside temps have fluctuated a lot over that period, and water temp will affect pH, but that's an alarming variance in pH if you ask me. I'm really starting to hate my tap water.

That's municipal water for you. I can't stand clorox, so I hate even turning on the tap where its city water. But there's hundreds of nasties they can pump into the water. After you told me where your water came from (disolved solids), I knew they were putting some heavy duty chems in it. I wouldn't even bathe my dog in that. Please tell me you don't drink that shit. I hate your water & I haven't even seen it! Don't get me wrong though. The minerals aren't what bother me. Its those nasty chemicals they add to it. I don't know what other pollutants would be in you untreated water, that varies by area, but minerals are needed, though they taste bad & most leave stains. You might want to consider a bottled water delivery service.
-- Ranger, he posted about where his water comes from early in this thread. Re-read that & tell him what you think.
--I'd feel better if you at least tell me you don't drink that slury!:mad:

I was in distribution, getting the treated water to the house, water lines, meters and such.

Want a scare, find out about a burn out. Lay a new line and then sterilize it, then flush the chems out. Right, they go thru the whole system, every leak, every repair an chance for a problem. So chems required by state to make safe(try to kill everything) in the water you drink and bath in(you absorb more thru skin than anywhere). I was in charge so you try to be careful, but keeping up with your labors and contractors is tough. Then there's pvc, and chlorine-like it's the good stuff.:wtf:

Here we filter all, double filter drinking and cooking, distilled for babies and baby plants and clones, rain water(not acid here) but I still like my limestone for the ladies(buffers ph).:jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by Chromophore

You water people may find this interesting, though not unexpected. I started keep track of the pH of my tap water a few weeks ago. Here are the values, taken every other day: 6.3, 5.8, 5.5, 6.5, 6.5, 5.5, 5.2, 6.2
That's some fairly large jumps and in a completely erratic, random manner. It's true that outside temps have fluctuated a lot over that period, and water temp will affect pH, but that's an alarming variance in pH if you ask me. I'm really starting to hate my tap water.

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-- See Rangers post, #73, this thread. That would be a good way to go for your plants. The fish are a bonus for trace elements, a little nutes, growth & sex hormones. Plain ole gold fish. Can be found around here @ $1.00 a doz. Freezing doesn't hurt them, but don't have them on the sunny side of the house in the summer. Theyre a cold water fish. You can't get cheaper or more natural, & fish are fun! You can find limestone at most landscape nurseries. Look for them no smaller than two fists put together. And I still don't want you to drink your damned tap water! I'm serious!
-- OMB, I'm sorry, but I don't want you to drink Chromophores tap water either! LMAO! I thought we were on Chroms thread, sorry we keep 'jacking' you! But do take note, water quality should be important to everyone. :) :) :)

Couple more pics at 4 weeks and 1 day in. The T5's are still winning, but the HPS is filling in. The HPS plants were spread open a bit today...I was going to let them just be natural, but i tied them down/open a bit. The added couple CFL sidelights are helping a bit.

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What a hell of a difference! Just lovin' me some T5's! Now imagine, get a bunch of bottle lamp kits @ walmarts, around $3.00 ea (the cord comes out the side on the bottle lamp kits, so no holes for wire need be drilled). You can use bottles, vases, but I use inverted clay pots. Heavy enough to be tip proof. Now, under the T5's, alternate plant, cfl, plant, cfl etc. Get the picture? Try it this way & I bet you throw that hps out the window! Or you could alternate cfl/plant under the hps the same way, but I'm liking the T5's too much! ;)

I do love the T5's too Mama! It's so easy with my strain to make those short little uniform bushes of cola's, and they stay nice and even when I cinch down the strings! Lol
The Stem's of the two T5 plants are like banzai tree's....thick, and branch within an inch. Crazy little bushes, hopefully I won't have any issues and it's quality smoke.

Looking good OMB. Your flowers and mine are almost identical in development right now. But I have to look up to see mine, you have to bend over! I love this system you have going here with the T5's. I'm thinking I may install mine along the walls in my bud room for side lighting. This would bring my total wattage to 1000. Your setup would seem to be far more efficient, though I guess watt per gram product is the real measure of that. Also are those paper pulp pots? We use them in the greenhouse for certain things but I never thought of using them for my Cannabis grow. How do you like them?

Yep....gotta bend over for these little Girls. The 2 foot T5 sidelight seems to be helping, but I have no hard evidence of that. The HPS girls are filling in now too. The CFL sidelights I added must be helping, thanks mama catbuds!
They are indeed paper or peat pots. Cheap, and seemed like a good idea... no problems that I'm aware of with them so far. At this point I'm just trying to get through the whole process with a decent product. There will be lot's of "Tweaking" I'm sure, but right now it's the KISS principal.
My total wattage for the T5 girls is still 372. The HPS girls are about 200 total with the CFL's. It's fun to watch, but I need to learn patience, that's for sure.
Thanks for the kind words Chromophore.