Must I have a conversion bulb

Can I use a standard M/H bulb in a 400 w HPS lamp from HTG or do i have to get the conversion bulb?

well if they make a conversion bulb i would think you would have to have that one hence "conversion" but i would like to know..

i guess anyone that comes here to answer that will be able to answer my questions... can you mount a hps system vertical instead of horizontal?

if u want to veg get 6500 k or 6400k t5 lighting systems
if u want to flower get the digital 400 from htg with the basic bulb
u can also veg with the hps....dont believe all the hype
use cheap t12 till they are 8 inches tall and then convert to either t5s or your hps
the conversion bulbs lose a ton of lumens .......check the conversion lumens for a 400 and the lumens for an hps 400.....not even close
i used a 600 hps conversion to mh and its a joke.......1/3 less light using the same power

dagobaker said:

if u want to veg get 6500 k or 6400k t5 lighting systems
if u want to flower get the digital 400 from htg with the basic bulb
u can also veg with the hps....dont believe all the hype
use cheap t12 till they are 8 inches tall and then convert to either t5s or your hps
the conversion bulbs lose a ton of lumens .......check the conversion lumens for a 400 and the lumens for an hps 400.....not even close
i used a 600 hps conversion to mh and its a joke.......1/3 less light using the same power

Click to expand...

so is that a yes or no to the conversion bulb question?

The reason I ask. It would be convienent to go to Lowes but they dont have conversion bulbs.

Sgt. Pepper said:

The reason I ask. It would be convienent to go to Lowes but they dont have conversion bulbs.

Click to expand...

You can fire a regular 400W MH bulb in a 400W HPS ballast. This is fact. The reverse is not true. Call up HTG and ask them; they are very informative!

shnkrmn said:

You can fire a regular 400W MH bulb in a 400W HPS ballast. This is fact. The reverse is not true. Call up HTG and ask them; they are very informative!

Click to expand...

thanks, i looked at homedepot today and both bulbs require a diff ballast
but i will check htg thanks

Yes. Mh to hps is a go hps to mh is a hell no. No ignitor. Roll on buddy

i emailed htgsupply this the the response i got

If you purchased the HTGSupply 400w HPS system for $119.95, then you need
a 400w Metal Halide Conversion lamp.

If you purchased the 400w Digital Greenhouse system ($184.95), then you
can use any Metal Halide and Metal Halide conversion lamp of the same
wattage. That is one of the big advantages to getting a Digital ballast
system.

Thanks again and have a nice day
Perry
Shipping Manager
www.htgsupply.com

It all depends on the ballast. conversions arent used much now adays just on old equiptment as magnetic ballast while old and out dated developed to have a switch on them you could flip from mh to hps. Most good ballast now are all digital which are cheaper, give more light, no hard starts, light about 8 lbs, and run silent. They are built to detect if the bulb is mh or hps so you just put a regular bulb in. With HTG he usually sells the old stuff so you have to know if you bought a switchable ballst or a standard ballast. If it has a switch on it just flip it to mh or hps. If no switch then you ll need a conversion bulb and they are exspensive and getting harder to find since most dont use them as they lack a ton of lumnes compared to a regular bulb about 30% less output.Buy digital ballast in the future as they are all around a better choice and save a ton of money and time

I have always done outdoor or cfl grows now gona try hps looks like i got the old ballest.
How would you rank a hps bulb for veg. #1 being sucky and #10 being best light around (maybe mh best?) how does it rank against mh

if you dont have a switchable ballast use a conversion... it will light and work but its not correct... your ballast will run hotter lessening its life don't fuck with electricity unless you want to be the next stoner in the news with a burned down house... use nothing but proper equipment... i have veged with hps and it works fine.. i give it a 10 only because a 400w hps puts out a stronger brighter light just look at the lumens of a mh and a hps compare the bulbs the hps puts out more lumens, meaning its brighter i grew short bushy plants with hps during veg.... good luck