[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: small metal halide lamps



> >I just came back from Home Depot (a general hardware/gardening store) and I
> >saw a metal halide bulb which screws into a regular incandescent light
> >socket.  It is sold as a 100 watt bulb.  Other than that, the package
> >provided little information other than the claim that it provides more light
> >than regular incandescents.  Any thoughts on these as a possible light for
> >planted tanks?
>
> Doesn't sound right.  MH's require a BIG heavy ballast.  Could it have been
> a quartz hallogen bulb?
>
>
>
> Karen Randall
> Aquatic Gardeners Association
>

Karen is right. I went to Home Depot last night to look at these small metal halides
(an exciting Saturday night at the Schneider residence). Even though they have what
appears to be a normal incandescent lamp base, there is a warning on the package that
they must be used with a ballast. Hopefully these won't even ignite without the high
voltage startup pulse from the ballast, because if they did, they would explode
without the ballast to limit the current.
I guess if things seem just too good to be true, they probably are.
Harvey Schneider
<harvsch at earthlink_net>