well as far as bulbs go, if you decide on single ends, go with Radiums, if your going double end, do Phoenix 14k. as far as reflectors, the lumenbrights are about twice as tall as the lumenmax elites, so they require a larger canopy, or a true pendant style, IE hanging from the ceiling. now, those $100 lumenbright youve found are just the reflector only. on the actual pendant, (which is the same cost as the lumenmax elite btw), you get the finished black housing, and the parts to hang it.
single ends will also be a couple inches longer fixture as well, so you have to take into account the actual mogul base hanging outside of the pendant itself, but is not really a problem if you are a bit handy making things fit and work. i like double ends for the fact that all the pendants have a UV shield built in them, which is great for splashing. if you get salt on it, wipe it off. with single ends, they dont come with the glass shield, thats an extra option and usually cost an extra 15 to 25 dollars. and if you get the pendant dirty, you have to take it apart to clean it.
of course, everybody likes their own setups, but i recomment 250w double end Pheonix in lumen max elite pendants. they are the lowest profile. for ballasts, i would definately go with coralvue's dimmable ballasts. easy way to control intensity and acclimate new corals.
