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Originally Posted by blueblue48  Im making a 81 watt DIY fixture for my 10 gallon salt, its going to have 3 27 watt quad power compact bulbs. i was wondering if had to get a ballast or not, and if so do i need 3 small ones or can i get one big one and put them all going through that one. thanks |
If the bulbs you are talking about are the curly type with a regular bulb screw in socket then no you don't. The ballast is integral with the bulbs.
If not, if they are like regular tubes then you will need a special ballast for them. I'm not sure if you can get a 3 tube ballast. Usually they are multiples of 2.
I know folks that have driven 4 foot tubes with a ballast designed for 8 foot tubes. It works but the tubes don't last very long.