Metal Halide lighting question

[brinkdrum]

Hey guys, haven't been to the board in a while but just had a random question. I have an old reptile hood that is 48 inches long and is perfect size for my tank. It supports a 40 watt NO florescent and has 3 fixtures for incandescent bulbs. I looked and the moguls are rated for 660W each. Recommended wattage for these are 150 however. I think i know the answer to my question but please just confirm it with me. The reason i can't use this hood with just 2 - 150 watt metal halides is because it doesn't have a seperate metal halide ballast that will "fire" up. Thanks guys let me know! By the way i have the link to the exact hood i have if you want to check it out.

 

[robchuck]

You're correct in that you answered your own question. The mogul sockets should be able to support metal halide bulbs, but you would need a specific ballast to run metal halides.

 

[golfish]

yeah, you'll need a ballast and mogul sockets. There a little bigger then the sockets you have. Also, your Hood is probably not tall enough. You want the bulbs about 8" from the water so the hood should be about 12" tall.