500w Metal Halide

[newfishaddict]

I saw a light at a hardware store, it was a 500w halogen work lamp. It was $16 Canadian. Could this be used to grow aquatic plants? I am not sure if all metal halide lights have a similar light spectrum…..

It was small and had a reasonably nice reflector, I could build a canopy with a couple of them....

 

[andywg]

They can be used to grow plants, though the spectrum would have to be right.

Another problem with most hardware halides is that the ballast is mounted in the light unit (i.e. not seperately with the ballast remote) which helps push the temperature up nice and hot. Put a couple of 500W MH in a canopy and it would need to be pretty much open to even start dissipating the heat.