can you diy mh ballast or buy it at light wholesale maybe?

[deepreeftank]

i currently have 2 660 icecap ballst with 640 watts but i want lps and sps so i have to go to mh any hints? i am kina doing it on a budget or i can save up for a bit

 

[wuelfman]

here is the info for diy mh http://www.rpi.edu/dept/union/aquarium/public_html/DIY_MH.html

 

[kyguy]

Although you probably won't be able to get them at Home Depot, you should have a lighting store in town with a commercial department through which you can get the stuff for halide lights, the main difference between the $20 halide bulbe (which you can get at Home Depot), and the $100 you see in magazines it the kelvin rating. Usually normal store bulbs run about 4000k, which is kind of yellow (You can get all the info you want from sylvania at 1-800-lightbulb). Generally that won't matter a lot if you balance it with some actinic bulbs. When I put a set together, two 175w ballasts cost $35 apiece, and 250w ballasts were $65. They even helped me with some reflective stuff for the top of the unit, and wiring ideas for some radio shack fans for heat control.

 

[mtellin]

Is there any amount of actinic light you can use to "balance out" the very yellow bulbs that are at like home depot? like if I had 2 250's on my 75 gallon tank and an icecap 660 with 4 of the 110 watt actinic do you think that would do it? or are there other reasons not to use the low kelvin rating other than the yellowness? (sorry to kinda butt in on your thread too)

Mike

 

[bensenvill]

might cause algae problems. or would I be wrong saying that.