From a fellow grower: I would really appreciate some straight forward advice as to which t5 would be good for my 4’x8’ tent and later for a 4x4 veg tent. I’m pretty disabled and tired of going on searches without that put me in a going in a circle. I have had to return a tent because it was junk, replace the tent and return fans as well as filters and replace them. I’m seriously tired of this. A simple suggestion for the type of light, maybe a brand and watts would really help.
I guarantee if the grower joins the forum, they will get a lot of good advice, not only about lighting, but about all things grow related 
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I second that!
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Hi Sean! Welcome!
I don’t mean to pry, but you mentioned having a disability. Could you explain any limitations you feel we should consider before making recommendations?
Also, it would be useful to know your budget range, all told. We’ll probably include genetics in recommendations. You mentioned a tent. Do you have any other equipment currently?
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The lights are going to be your biggest investment and the one you should consider not skimping on (depending on your budget). Read @dbrn32 threads and posts and you will learn a LOT! This person is super knowledgeable and is very helpful. 
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Cheapest fixture to veg a 4x4 is 400 watt 8 bulb 4’ t5 fixture. Obviously two would be needed for a 4x8. There are certainly better fixtures at higher cost.
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Agreed.
T5’s are fluorescent and they have terrible light penetration at about 6 inches max (for the use of growing) , this one of many reasons LED’s are taking over.
That being said you want your 6400k’s at the Wattage @dbrn32 suggested.
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What do you think of the HLG 550 V2 Eco?
Should work, but probably not as rigid as the original 550 with aluminum heatsink.
A very warm welcome, @sean1977, we are here to help and advise you on cannabis cultivation.
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I use one of my blurple LED fixtures for seedlings. You just need to set the lights 24 to 30" away from the seedlings. No need to spend money on fluorescent lights which could be applied to higher end LED’s.
Also; the best value for the money would be using MH/HPS or LEC but can be a problem if heat is a problem in your climate.
FYI you won’t be able to respond for 24 hours. It’s an anti-spam thing. Once you start posting regularly you won’t get locked out.
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This is an example of what @dbrn32 was talking about:
https://www.amazon.com/Hydroplanet-Fluorescent-Included-Horticulture-Gardening/dp/B019J3UPUS
I’ve had the experience of being misled by Amazon LED importers who overstate the equivalence of their lights. Most “1000w” LED lights actually draw 150w from the wall, and can’t grow a 4’x4’ canopy of cannabis flowers. Can you tell us the brand and model of your current lights? It might be that you already have suitable vegetative lights, and really need coverage for 4’x8’ of flowers.
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We are trying to help you, there are variables and there are different options depending on those variables.
You don’t need to veg off of florescents… But you can.
@KeystoneCops gave you a good option of you want to go with florescents but coming from experienced growers if you ask them what they would veg with if they had to buy lights today they will tell you LED’s in 4k like the HLG’s.
Buy two of these. Don’t think anyone here would say that this isn’t a great option.
That being said I have a very high suspicion that your two current lights are false rated amazon lights and would be better off in you veg tent and spending money on flowering lights would be a better use of your money.
What brand/model are your two lights?
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That seems kind of rude there has been multiple people in here helping you I dint know what else you expect. You have been given links to lights and told the lights you have will work. What’s the problem?
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Ilgm sells seeds they don’t sell lights and equipment so that being said the info they have is very limited it is a complete different line of work and I would recommend staying on here there is a lot of info and people willing to go the extra mile to help out. And there are 100s of thousands different lights so there wont be a definitive answer all lights work to grow weed but I imagine with you being disabled you are going to want high quality medicine so you’re going to need a high priced light a long with having such a large area in growing in. I used two 1500 w bestva LED off amazon for $300 it grew the plant But it’s not sense and not amazing quality so i had to spend like $800
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We’re only trying to help. Part of the problem is that your budget for lighting might not be enough for a 4x8 tent that you already own. The cheapest route is probably a pair of 1000w sealed dimmable digital ballast HPS/MH lamps. You can use one of your fans to draw air through the lights without a filter, and the other fan/filter to control heat and humidity in the rest of the tent. All told, you can get those lamps for under $325 (for the pair).
Something like this will work. The 600w (two of them) would be adequate and save some money upfront and long-term.
VIVOSUN Hydroponic 600 Watt HPS MH Grow Light Air Cooled Reflector Kit - Easy to Set up, High Stability & Compatibility (Enhanced Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P8P51ZQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_MAJfEbXBYNY6N
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Also, I’m sorry about the trauma you experienced and the way that’s affected your daily life. Everyone here means well, and that includes the ILGM people. You’ll notice they came here to help get lighting suggestions for you, which is above an beyond what most seed sellers will do.
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Totally agree with you @KeystoneCops!
I can attest that ILGM, have always given me the best customer service they could provide. Most of the seeds banks will promise to stand behind their products, but few will replace the seeds if they are lost or not germinating. The only complain I have with them (and it’s no fault of theirs) is that they don’t ship to Canada anymore…
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I use my HLG 260xl rspec lights for everything. From start to finish. Only 1 grow tent. As soon as the seeds are planted, they go immediately under my HLG’s. Less stress and more friendlier on the power bill.
When I ran my Viparspectra PAR600 I did the same thing as mentioned above.
Also lights is the most important thing you need. There is no substitutes with these…from my perspective.
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