Metal halide Lighting question

[gawf4fun]

What are the repercussions of using a 150 watt HQI bulb with a 250 watt HQI ballast?

Will it fire properly?
Will it decrease/increase the bulb life?
Will it reach the proper color spectrum (14k in this instance)?

The reason I'm asking is I bought an inexpensive fixture that includes 4 x 24 watt actinics. I'm hanging this over a 16" x 24" frag tank and don't think I need 250 watts of halide light, as the tank is only 10" deep and my hanging limitation requires the light to be just 8" above the water's surface.

Any guidance along these lines would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

[andresp]

You cannot use 150 watt halides on a 250 watt fixture. It just won't work. Make sure you use the proper things like the 150 ballast for it.

[andresp]

You can start a fire or something don't play with electrical components.