Metal Halide bulbs from Lowes?

[porksoda]

Well i went to Lowes hardware store today and i saw they had some Metal halide bulbs and i saw the 175 watt bulbs were $24 each. But i was wondering if i would use those kinds of lights on my tank and would it be go for coral? And there is a shop here in Clovis New Mexico who has Metal halide ballest for $40 for a 175 watt bulbs Do you think i can make a retro fit kit my self with this?

porksoda

 

[dmbfreek]

I'd bet that those would be pretty yellow

 

[porksoda]

yeah i thought so too. lol. I was just wondering.

 

[Brenden]

They will not work. Wrong spectrum and lots of heat.

 

[returnofsid]

Not only wrong spectrum, they won't have the correct ballasts to fire bulbs of the correct spectrum and wattage.

 

[burning2nd]

I would say depending on the brand and type (mogel or hqi)

A Mh bulb is composted of the same stuff.....

 

[porksoda]

Well these MH bulbs were the ones that screw in.

 

[dmbfreek]

If it were me, I'd spend a little money and buy a retrofit for aquariums. Look on ebay. IMO, I would rather buy a cheap setup on ebay than to try to piece on together from lowes. I think that you would be happier overall.

 

[burning2nd]

agreed you will be happer with a setup thats made for this kinda of applacation. BUT

the bulbs your talking about at lows, are mogal type, THey come in diffrent kelvin (brand) IMO its all the same thing.....

A MH is a MH weather its 25 feet in the air in a shop or 15 " off the water...

THE way the ballast powers the bulb, and the way the gas in the bulb ignights is the same.............


Ill let you know soon,

I have a 400watt swichtable ballast from sungrow sys, its ither 400watt MH or 400 watt HPS

Of couse im not gonna use the HPS cause its oragne (5800 kelvin range) THe white mH's are about 10k (white)-14k(blueish)

 

[Minus The Ich]

The bulbs from the hardware store are made for the overhead streets lights and don't have the right color spectrum for a reef tank. You can find generic bulbs on ebay for a similar price with the color spectrum you are looking for. They don't last as long as the name brands but works good if you are trying to save money.

dennis

 

[burning2nd]

not trying to start a fight or anything.. but i tend to dissagree....

granted he's right the spectrum is the key to the problem... but MH and HPS are all made the same,

the gas content in side the bulb is what makes the specturm change.

a GE 400watt MH will give you a white, color,,,,, if you where to guage it, it would be somehwere about 10,000k kelvin......

what goes on here, is the people who make fish tank bulbs change the % of gas's in the bulb (thats what changes the color)

Im not sure what the gas is, probly something like agon, or helium or something like that......

IMO i would just go get the right stuff now.... insted of finding out later that it didnt work.....

my sump will be powerd but a 400watt MH from sungrow system... its a mogal bulb

check this out...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogul_lamp

read up on bulbs..... you will find that meny people are fool'd by the gimick of your LFS... LOL that sounds funny..

ill let you know how that works