HPS bulbs

[jherrin215]

I tried searching and couldn't find anything to help me out. I am wondering if I could use a 150w High Pressure Sodium bulb/ballast combo on my frag tank. Does anyone know if this will work, or if I'm asking for trouble. Thanks!!

 

[landlord]

I would save it for the greenhouse, I would think the spectrum would be off, possible algae producer.

--landlord

 

[jherrin215]

That's kinda what I figured. Just something I could get my hands on, thought it would be worth asking about!!

 

[landlord]

Primarily these bulbs are used for vegetative growth on plants by greenhouses to get lots of plant matter grown in a short period of time. I believe that they're shifted towards the red / yellow spectrum to achieve this result.

I have seen that many of these ballast /bulb combos can be converted to run halides which greenhouses also use to promote flowering. Might be worth looking into.

..or maybe it is just easier to get an MH retro kit and not worry about the hassle.

--landlord

 

[scrombussquared]

Landlord is correct. Look for the ANSI designation on the ballast. M59, H33, etc. Then check out the MH sticky in the Lighting, filtration and equipment forum.

 

[jherrin215]

So what designation do I need for 250 watt MH? M59?