$150 lighting for small 5 plant grow box,

[Roughrider]

You're saying a couple of confusing things here...you're trying to grow 5 plants, and you've got a "small grow cabinet." Here's the problem.

A 400w HPS/MH switchable is great for 5-7 plants.
5 plants are not going to fit in a "small grow cabinet."
A 400w HPS/MH switchable is going to have major problems in a "small grow cabinet" unless you've got some serious venting going on

So let's start with basics. How big is your grow cabinet? If you've got 5 plants, it should be at least 26" x 36", probably more like 30" x 40". A 400w HID in a box that size will need at least a vented hood and a really good exhaust fan, and probably a cooltube. If you're factoring in those items, you haven't got a chance of keeping it at $150.

Why do you want 5 plants? Why not, say, 4 plants? Because I can tell you that 4 plants can be grown with a 250w HPS/MH, and you'll have significantly fewer heat issues...although you'll still need some serious vent issues. Grow in a 28" x 28" area with a 250, and you can get 4 3 gal pots, and veg for 30-35 days. I guess my question is whether that fifth plant is worth the heat, stress, and venting hassles.

[Zompton]

I am going to be making a grow room using a bookshelf frame (2.5'L, 1.5'W, 5.5'H) wrapped in panda film, that should be good enough for 3-5 white widow plants right?

I also need to know if this carbon filter with a 240 CFM fan be adequet for an exhaust system?

8 X 14 ACTIVATED CARBON ODOR SCRUBBER WITH 240 CFM

...or can i go smaller with this filter using a 130 cfm fan?

6 X 14 ACTIVATED CARBON ODOR SCRUBBER WITH 130 CFM FAN

[Zompton]

Well if i get that 400w with this cooltube

Hi-Tech Garden Supply

and do an inline air cooling it should be good right?

[DTRave420]

While I've never used em,I've heard cooltube reflectors can be somewhat inefficient at spreading light evenly...However,if you keep your veg time short and have proper air running through the tube,you should be fine...

If you have your heart set on growing five WW's,I'd veg in 1 1/2 quart pots somewhere between 10 days and a couple of weeks...Then transplant to 1 or 2 gallon pots and flip em a couple of days after that...The size of your plants have nothing to do with the potency of the grow...

Good luck man...

EDIT..."Just did some measuring...Go with 1 gallon pots and keep your veg time very short"...

[midnightAK]

good to see your getting advice other then what i could throw out. everyone seems to have the same thought as me. the space your trying to pull is a bit small for that many plants

since ur getting beans (always the best to learn) start with one. as long as you take care chance of males are pretty fukn slim...
spend your budget on a cfl/cab this will get you bulb swaping control. hid is GREAT dont get me wrong. i run 2 400 on the exact plant you are wanting in my vegroom. but for your personal quest id say this

keep your setup 2x1xthe hheight

make a diy scrubber.! buy some platform (wood cut to near lateral area) chain it up so u can rais the platform(canopy) mount all cfl or tubes. cut a hole so u can mount a fan suckin air up toward your ceiling/venting.

this should cover one plant from start to finish. LST and take things slow, id say an ounce for one is much better then the future quarter per plant it seems like u might run into....

[Roughrider]

I am going to be making a grow room using a bookshelf frame (2.5'L, 1.5'W, 5.5'H) wrapped in panda film, that should be good enough for 3-5 white widow plants right?

I also need to know if this carbon filter with a 240 CFM fan be adequet for an exhaust system?

8 X 14 ACTIVATED CARBON ODOR SCRUBBER WITH 240 CFM

...or can i go smaller with this filter using a 130 cfm fan?

6 X 14 ACTIVATED CARBON ODOR SCRUBBER WITH 130 CFM FAN

First things first. People may disagree with me here, but I'll just say it./ Don't get a 400w setup. You've got 3.75 square feet of space. A 250w HPS, which will put out 25000+ lumens, is more than enough to grow in that. A 400 in an enclosed space like that is going to require a lot more hassle for cooling, stress, and ventilation than you should want to deal with. Really, you could do a CFL grow with around 250w too. Get two clamp lights, four Y socket adaptors, and some 32-36w CFLs. That would give you about 16000-20000 lumens.

Next issue. You'll get 3 plants, max, in that area. 2 plants would be better. If you've got three plants side by side, you've got 10" x 18" per plant. You could do it, but you'll need to veg for less than five weeks...something like 25-30 days. A WW plant that gets flowered longer will be too wide for a 10" x 18" area. If it were me, I'd go with two decent size plants...you'd have 15" x 18" for each. That's a couple of plants vegged until they were 12-14 inches tall, and then taken through flower. Other issue with your grow area...you may have heat issues even with a 250w. Still...a 250w hung from hooks would have the bulb about 8-10" from the top of the cab. You'll want at least 6 inches from the tops of your plants with a 250w, and the plant will be 8-10" from the bottom of a 3 gal. bucket. That gives you enough room to grow a 35-40" plant.

Finally...you've got around 20 cubic feet of area in the cabinet. Another reason to go with the 250w or CFL lights...a 130 CFM fan should be plenty for venting, if not cooling.

I agree with midnightAK. Start with a few plants, and only try to take 1-2 all the way through. Small grows are easier, you can still pull a decent harvest, and you'll get valuable experience. Small area = smaller amount of required light = less stress and heating/venting issues. Keep it simple.