Weighing my options

[Fastlight]

I thought for a while that when i get my lights i was going to go with the nova extreme pro or those catalina lights. Well when i got my 90 gallon it came with another stand and a canopy. Im thinking to myself being an electrician and all i can probably get a hold of some metal halide ballasts. Now i havent looked into metal halide because i never like the price of those bad boys. Well what if i make my own under this canopy? Now from the little i do know i wouldnt need actinics right? Actnics are only there for looks right? So if i can get to ballast say for what 2 250w bulbs? 2 150w? What should i do for my tank? Will i run into heating issues because the lights will only be at most 6in above the water...? Magnetic ballast or electronic only? What type of bulbs so i dont need actinics...15000k? 20000k? any help would be great

And if you were thinking just get some t-5 ballast...we hardly run into those.

 

[yote]

You could retro a set of halides.That wouldnt be a problem.And I think that retro kits are a lot cheaper than fixtures.
Cant help with the ballasts.But with the right color bulb,you wont need actinics.I've got a friend thats running those german raidum bulbs over his 90.Almost the perfect blue and the colors of his SPS really stand out.Plus he gets good growth with em.BUT,there 100 bucks a pop for just the bulbs.

 

[ccCapt]

If you can only get the MH bulbs 6" above the water, you may have heat issues. They should be at least 10" above the water, especially if they are built into a canopy.
For a ballast, I've been using magnetic ballasts for 20 yrs and never had any problems with them. Depending on the bulbs you use, you may get better PAR from an electronic ballast, but there isn't a real big difference between them. Again, depending on the K temp of the bulbs you use, actinics may not be needed.

 

[Fastlight]

yea the idea of heat issues concerns me. Im not loaded and the last thing i need is to have to buy a chiller. well ill c what falls into my lap and play it out from there