Department store hallide fixture for bulb

[Mushroomman]

If I was to buy a fixture for a metal halide light at a department store (maybe some type of ballast?) , and put a bulb (or 2) of the right K and size on the fixture, would it work? Or would it be too dangerous and/or a waste of time and I shouldnt even bother. It would probably be a 250w bulb. Has anyone done this before or have an opinion on the thought?

 

[wayne]

I think the ballast is likely to be the other piece you need to change as I believe sodium ballasts have been shown to do some 'odd' and undesirable things to the spectrum and to cause high frequency flickering. I would do a lot more reading before I got stuck in. The pendant and reflectors can be used thoguh if they're half decent

 

[Lotus]

Just as a side note, I know our local hydroponics store has metal halide setups at good prices, and even had some used ones. You would probably need to get the bulb somewhere else, but it might be worth looking into.

 

[Mushroomman]

Thanks. Yeah before I do anything with this I definately need to find out more, Im not taking any chances. Got to shop around, check out the local places, and ask questions. It might be worth it in the long run to just pick up one made for aquariums.