MH Bulbs

[thomsk]

Hi all.
As you can imagine, I haven't ckecked all threads first but I hope this will be useful.

The marine aquarium hobby is full of people who use BIG MH bulbs to grow corals. They are most commonly:
6500Kelvin
10,000K
14,000K
and 20,000K

in 250, 400, and 1000 watts.

Guess what- they throw them away after 6 months use. Now I know that the output changes as they age, but there is a reasonable chance that one of these bulbs will still provide the correct colour temp and last a good while.

You will probably find a aquarist store near you. Call 'em, see if they can put you on to a customer who uses MH lighting (that means virtually all marine aquarists). The shops tend to be friendly, hobby market oriented folks and the users might appreciate a token amount towards their new bulbs.

Good luck!