MH light questions

[dpatte]

When I recently picked up my 210, I also got MH ballasts and bulbs. These are also new to me. The ballasts are 400W, and the bulbs are dual-arc and are for saltwater (their colour is bluish). They have a screw-in base, like a very large lightbulb. Is this called a Mogul base?

A few questions:

- They are brighter than I expected. Can I use lower wattage bulbs on the system to reduce brightess and power consumption.
- They are dual-arc, blue. Can I use single arc bulbs? Are 10,000K bulbs readily available?

Given that I have ballasts and sockets, what do people recommend for reflector(s).

[Stussi613]

It really depends on your ballast. Some of them will run multiple bulb wattages, you'd have to check your specific ballast to figure it out.  Same thing on the arc phase.

The good news is that you live 5 minutes from Buchanan Lighting on Loretta Ave N (off Gladstone close to Preston). The guys in there can look at your ballast and tell you what it supports if you arent sure.