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I would build my own if I were you... you could get two of the aro 440 ballasts and run 4 vho bulbs. Also you could ODNO with a vho ballast and use lights from hardware store.. or you could go into getting tar and coil metal halide... I think you could DIY a three light setup for 250-400 depending on bulbs mainly... if you get 10 dollar bulbs used on ebay or 70 dollar bulbs at retailers.
When you say do it yourself do you mean a retro fit or buying it piece by piece. where do you guys recommend for buying the equipment from? I am doing a fish only but I would like metal halide if I can do it for cheap enough.