How dumb was this lighting decision

[Bluey]

Yes. And download a light meter phone app and calibrate it to your ight in a tent...use either of those sites for the nubers

[Smallgrow]

Second what Bluey said about Migro or Dr. Coco, they both do plenty of reviews of budget lights that you can trust, google them

[Smallgrow]

That’s all you can do, we’ve all been there.
I bought too small and led to start , then a CMH 315w ballasts and reflector and jammed it in a 3’x3’x6 cause it was locally made and available, then I moved to a quality LED before I settled in. Would have saved some money and heartache had I done better research and had more patience.

The number one thing you need in this hobby is patience, lol. Just keep at it

[Gingerbeard]

The only reason I have a badass light is because of a Covid stimulus check.
My first was a pieced together 'bank' of 3, 18" t5's in the 1'x2' side of my 2'x3' perpetual grow tent. Got me a few weeks of good fem veg until my very first actual grow worthy LED.

[Bluey]

I did the same. When I started out I bought 14 blue lights around 405nm 12 watts, 6 deep red & far red lights 30W from China, 6 or 7 150W highway lights & 5 or 6 80W food lights for a total of 30 odd different lights in the one space.....lol. But they worked well for about a 1lb a plant after 135 days. The light racking was a bit rough too.

I learnt that saving money on lighting by doing it yourself was far from ideal, but it was fun.

[Allenpro]

I started out cheap and then upgraded about 10X before I bought lights to do what I want and now I have a closet full of LED's with probably 2-3X the $ invested in them as oppoised to buying the good ones on the 2nd round, Lights have changed a lot over the years too,

[Bluey]

Just NO. Noisy, Old, LED life done, I think it might even have a cooling fan.

Go watch some YouTube videos over at Migro or another reputable reviewer, there are plenty that are not, and learn what works well.

I learnt quickly that every dollar saved when it comes to buying grow lights and setting them up is another dollar spent in the long run. I had my own setup I built but in the end ditched it for proper grow lights.

Wait for specials and use codes to save money.

[Bluey]

It's my view also that light movers are pretty much a total scam. The plants still get exactly the same amount of light, distributed almost exactly the same without a mover, too much in the centre and less at the sides and corners. A really good fan moving the buds around probably does a better job at helping with light distribution. You'd be better off buying a couple of under canopy lights or small lights for the sides.

I also like the idea of reflective milar or similar under the canopy .

[CheeseOnToast]

I've been offered a mars hydro 192 used for $55 locally. I'm not about to just storm out and get it, so carrying out a bit of research. Any and all advice welcomed

[Bluey]

It will work ok for autos on an 18 or 20 hour schedule but it does lack in the corners a little.

I have two of them in tents for vegging out clones. They are fine for that. I suggested those because the OPs budget is really tight.

Not ideal, sure

[Allenpro]

I am a fan of the 35-40 true watts per sq ft and a bare min of 450 PPFD at the outside corners and 1100 or so ,max in the center of the canopy. From experience a SF 2000 doesnt realy cover a 2 X 4 canopy even with a light mover. I use mine for seedlings in a 2 X 2 X 4 tent and its mounted to the top of the tent.. Works great with the dimmer and I did a SCROG in there with it and it came out ok

[CheeseOnToast]

Thank you both for the input. I'm going to check out these lights and look what I can afford.

Bluey the ballast steps to 250, then 300w (450, then 600). If the tent remains cool in our location, would it be advisable to keep it on one of these steps for this grow?

I appreciate I've muddled a load of stuff up, and glad to be picking up learning for next time too.

[Bluey]

A 4x2 tent will need a 200w LED if doing autos or a 300w one if doing photoperiod plants.

A 600w HPS is at risk of setting fire to a 4x2 because of excessive heat. Its not recommended to use those in a tent any more given LED technology.

If you're growing in a really cold room it will be fine though.

Lights I recommend and use myself for that space below.

https://spiderfarmer.co.uk/products/pre-order-i-new-spider-farmer-se4500-evo-320w-led-grow-light-dimmable-full-spectrum-for-2x4-70x140cm/

https://spiderfarmer.co.uk/products/spider-farmer-g4500-cost-effective-full-spectrum-led-grow-light/

https://spiderfarmer.co.uk/products/sf-2000-200w-led-grow-light/

https://marshydroled.co.uk/products/fc4000-evo-led-grow-lights/

There's a few other brands but I've used the above and they work great. The bar style lights are the best followed by the quantum board style. The bar style have a more even spread and a larger sweet spot so height from canopy is not as critical. The quantum need more headroom for even light spread.

[Gingerbeard]

If you already have your seeds going and need quick, cheap light you might already have, t5 fluorescent lights and CFL's are just fine. Those are also on the website. Do not use incandescent bulbs.

[Gingerbeard]

Spacebucket!!! Still have pictures? I want to do a Spacebucket.
An inline duct fan/filter is only effective when the tent is closed, and you will not need to worry about odor control for another 4 weeks when you start flowering. Me, again getting personal, I would spend my money on the light before worrying about the smell. And if you are growing autos, you do not need to worry about closing a tent.
My tent is 3x3x6 and I live in a small apartment. Odor is of minor concern. I do not use a heater or AC. My tent is always open because I grow autos. On whatever occasion I have to close my tent (usually if management wants to invade my space), a simple 6" clip-on fan in the ceiling port provides plenty exhaust and a few others circulate the plants. Point here is bells and whistles are great but not always necessary. I don't know your situation.