Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light Discussion

[Boxd Wine]

Dennise - No Longer The Newest Of Newbies - Not Growing In MG - Perpetual

That should get ya there.....

Thank you.

 

[Boxd Wine]

35-50 sounds about right. 43 falls right in the middle of that range...i think that's roughly what i'm running.

I have to say i think 35 is a bit low, but that's just my opinion. Personally i'd aim for around 45.

I kinda thought that was the whole point of LED lighting, you can use less watts, but achieve the same or higher yield, but better potency. I guy on this forum named Ravyn used a Mars II 1200 in a 5x5 space, and got 20 ozs. He was just barely at the 35 watts per sqft mark.
If i have to go up to 45-50 watts per sq ft., it seems like it's kinda taking the fun out of using LED grow lights.

 

[Jedthedog]

Well with this equation of watts to square footage I am getting a little bumbed out. I have one grow tent that is a 5 x 5 and ordered 3 of the Mars-hydro 144 x 3 reflectors thinking this would be plenty. Today looking at a Youtube video about these lights the Watt draw from the wall is 180 per light. Now I ain't no math wiz but to me that computes to only 21.6 watts per square foot.. Did I screw up before I even got started ?

 

[PurpleDerp]

I'm using excactly 66w draw power per square foot with my marsII 700 = 330 draw watts...i was using 80w per sq ft with my 400w hps but thats not draw power since a hps ballast draws more watts up near 500w i think i made the right decision anyhow

 

[Boxd Wine]

Well with this equation of watts to square footage I am getting a little bumbed out. I have one grow tent that is a 5 x 5 and ordered 3 of the Mars-hydro 144 x 3 reflectors thinking this would be plenty. Today looking at a Youtube video about these lights the Watt draw from the wall is 180 per light. Now I ain't no math wiz but to me that computes to only 21.6 watts per square foot.. Did I screw up before I even got started ?

Go back to you tube and check for a guy called Colorado Finest, those are three exact lights that he used over a 5x5 area and he grows pounds, and he love's those lights. He always recommends them. With LED's, it's not so much about the wattage, but about the useuable light they give off, and how well your lights cover your grow area to use that light IMO. The guy Ravyn I brought up actually only was at 22.5 watts per sqft and ended up with 20oz.. The Mars II 1200 uses 550 watts and he had an extra 60 watts of side lighting, but that's it.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hello speedracer1, you can use 2 reflector 96x3w based on your space and description. The coverage (4.4'x4.4') we show on our website is at the hight of 18 inches, so when you flower and hang the light lower, you can get a smaller but enough coverage for your plants. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the nice replies

I'm still on the fence about which model to choose, and I'd appreciate your help!

Old Model 100x3W
I really like the price on this! Coverage area seems to be perfect, but I'm worried it's brightness will disappoint.

Reflector 96x3W
More draw power, but overall the difference to the Old Model 100x3W doesn't seem great enough to justify the extra price. Or am I missing something? Price-wise, with shipping, this doesn't land too far from Mars II 400W...

Mars II 400W
This seems quite powerful, without being overkill. However on the website it says "This series is better for big room grow" - why is that? Is it significantly louder or hotter than the other models? Or is it just about coverage.

Grow space:
80x80cm closet style with lots of vertical space. Scrog is an option, but so is letting the plants grow tall freely. It's actually located in my living room, so silent fans is a big plus.

About me:
I've been a CFL grower for several years. I've always felt though that with CFL I'm missing out on the quality and yield that comes with HPS. So when I switch to LED, I really don't want to feel like I'm still behind the curve in terms of power.

Thank youuu!

 

[Mars Hydro]

Yes you are right mitten boyz.

So let me see if I'm understanding you correctly......the new 200 x 3 is equal to 350 watt power of hid lighting.???....
And the coverage is around 3 foot by 3 foot..??

 

[Mars Hydro]

Growing happy Randy! Email me when you need a new light.

I have 4 of the old 300w units in a 40x46 inch area. 180w actual. I'm very pleased. It's been a couple years maybe I need an upgrade.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hello Doozy, the footprint we show on our website is at the hight of 18 inches, so when flowering, the coverage will be a litter smaller you need to hang the light closer.

I think it's almost universally accepted that the coverage isn't as good as claimed for any of the Mars II units. Personally, i used the method of taking the actual draw at the plug (roughly half the stated wattage), and working out the watts per square foot on that basis. I aimed for somewhere between 40 and 60w psf, so a 400w Mars II, which draws 200w is optimum around 4 square feet, or a 2x2, a 900w (450 actual draw) is good for a 3x3, or 9 square feet, 1600w for a 4x4....and so on.

This is just my take on things, other people may disagree.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Okay thanks!

When is the sun series going to come out for the 1200 watt one?
What's everyone's input on LED only for flowering?

Hello Kinskush, still not sure when it will be realised.
If you only need our LED for flowering, you can go with our mars II flower spectrum.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hello Boxd Wine IMO, you can go with our reflector series. If you do not like the fans on our 192x3w light, you can choose 4 of the 48x3w or 2 of the 96x3w light to get the smame coverage. It will be enough for your space.

Hello all, I would like to know anybody's thought for the best lighting for a 3x3 tent. I want to have multiple tents for different projects and I am leaning towards the 2- 96x3w or 2-144 x3 or just one 192x3w, or even 2 of the old model 100x3w. I like the Mars II series, I have the 700w and 1200w, but the 700w doesn't really seem to cover a 3x3 well enough, and the 1200w seems like too much wasted wattage on a 3x3 area, plus the Mars II series of lights need to be hung pretty far away as to not burn or bleach the plants. Any input would be appreciated.

I do understand I need 35w of actual draw power per square foot, but I was just wondering based on user experience. I read from CO's Finest you tube channel, that the 192x3 get's pretty hot because it only has two fans. The 144x3 has a nice dimensions, but it might be too long for a 3x3, and two of them might be overkill, based on the wattage. The old model 100x3 does not have the 730 IR spectrum, so I was thinking it might good for veg, but not flower. I am trying not to use anymore watts than are needed to cover a 3x3, because I would like to run multiple 3x3 tents and not waste any electricity.

 

[Mars Hydro]

Hello hunterwithpet, you can go with our 48x3w light. Enough for your space and as it has switches for veg and flower, it will save a lot power for you.

I wonder what to take for 33.5"wide x22" deep x57" tall (or 74.5), white private closed with 2x 3gal pots? Thinking about mars UFO, 48x3 reflector or old 300w panel, but I have no experience with LED..

The first two I intend to run on 20/4, while the last will run only 14/10 because already high e bill, without any grow.

Ufo, or some 300w (180) from ebay is currently my top choice, but still waiting for some extra info from MH support.

/only for personal use. Ty

Thanks Dennise.

High Hunter... Sara is in China and it is the wee hours of the morning there right now but she is usually on here about 8 or 9 pm eastern time and I'm sure she will reply as soon as she is on here... Good luck with your lights and you will love the lights and the service you receive from Mars-Hydro......

 

[Mars Hydro]

IMO the reflector series would work really well for you.... You only have to run part of the lights during veg which of course saves you wattage and they are not hot at all... I run a 96x3w reflector in my 2'x2' tent and have a small outtake fan and a small desk fan in the tent and it runs about 75 degrees.... I actually wish it would run a bit warmer in the winter..... With a 3'x3' tent perhaps you could consider a 96x3w and the old model... which ever is the smallest in that model.... and I think you would be fine and you would be able to control some of the cost by not having to run the full spectrum on the reflector during veg and you have the IR in the reflector model... You are more than welcome to check my journal and see just how well these lights work.... I have the reflectors and a couple of the Mars II's......

 

[Mars Hydro]

If you are going to flower only, you can choose our mars II series, based on your space, I would suggest 2 1600w will be best choice for you.

I'm about to purchase this tent for flowering:
: Agromax Window Grow Tent - Size XL (98 x 54 x 78)

With that size and for 12+ plants to flower,
I'd like everyone's input on how much led and
Which series they would think for that tent size.

I've been told by htgsupply 3 180w LEDs would be perfect..suggestions?

Thanks buds!��

So that's about an 8' x 4' tent and they are telling you what????? General rule is 35 to 50 watts of actual draw power per square foot....To be honest with ya I kinda think you are going to need a bit more than that to get a optimal grow.... Your looking at minimally 1120 watts at 35 watts a sq ft.... and if you go for the 50 watts a sq ft then you need something like 1600 actual watts... That's a lot of tent to cover... Good luck and you will love the Mars-Hydro lights.... I love my Top Leds/Mars-Hydro's and I'm a real person.......

 

[Mars Hydro]

I recommend 2 of 96x3w lights.

Thanks for the info Dennise. I read your reveiws on the Mars Hydro store website and that was one of the factors in me considering the 96x3 and the 144x3 thanx for the info. You think that one 96x3 relflector and one 100x3 old model would be sufficient for a 3x3 tent for flowering? Or should I just go with two of the 96x3 for flowering?

 

[Mars Hydro]

Most people like to choose bigger size light for the grow space, 400w light wil be good for a 3'x3' area, but 700w will be excellent.

If a MH II 400W works for a 3 x 3 area would a 700W work even better?

 

[Mars Hydro]

If you want 1200w light for flower, I would recommend you go with our flower spectrum

Hey Dennise! Thanks for the input!
So for a 4x8 tent would two 1200w LED be perfect?
And is running only LED for flower a bad idea?
All help is high respected(still learning)
I have a new journal if you could check it out!

Happy growing supergrommer

I only use LED. One for flower and 1 for veg. They are working great for me!!

 

[Kingskush]

How much is two 1600w and two 1200w with shipping?

 

[Mars Hydro]

It will not be overskill King

So with that size tent(12 plants) the Mars II 1200watt two of them would be good enough but not overkill right?

Thanks Doozy for your detailed explaination, also the great pictures sharing.

4x8 = 32

2x1200 = 2400

Actual draw from 2400w of Mars II LEDs - (approx) 1200w

1200 / 32 = 37.5 watts per square foot, which is just about ok, although a bit low imo.

Personally i'd go for 2 x 1600w, then you also have the option of switching in veg and flower.

I run 2300w total in a 5x5, which works out at 46w per square foot, and it doesn't seem like overkill to me, but i scrog and use all of the available space. If you dont plan on going right to the edges of the tent, 2 x 1200w units will probably do just fine.

 

[Mars Hydro]

The actual draw power is around 430watt for one 900w light.

Has anyone hooked a Mars II 900 up to a kill-a-watt and got an actual watt reading they can share?

Thanks!

They vary, but they run at around 50% of the stated wattage.