Can I use non-marine ballasts for compact fluorescents?

[Beast]

I'm finding that everything gets 150% more expensive as soon as it has a marine pet company's stamp on it. I read that marine compact flurescent lights are actually a phillips straight pin light and you could run it off of a household or industrial ballast. I figuered this would be the case since I seriously doubt that coral life has an electrical engineering department. It would make more sense for them to take existing equipemtn and stamp their name on it. Am I correct in my thinking? Can I use a regular phillips ballast to run lights on my aquarium? My family owns a bulding comapny and I can get lighting equipment at wholesale from the local supplier... I'd rather not spend $200.00 on a ballast that is in actually only worth about $40 - probably after tax.

Do you guys know the specific part number for the right socket?

Thanks.

[Saltysteve]

I know what you are saying but, you can buy a complete hood (used like new) for under $200.00 One that is very attractive and one that comes with 200 dollars worth of bulbs. PC bulbs are very expensive :biggrin:
What are you wanting?

[Tarolisol]

I use a work horse ballast on one of my tanks with 3 55watt PCs.