As far as the ballast goes looking for Metal Halide and t5.... ive heard some things about workhorse ballast for t5's. Anybody have any experience with these or specs?
I dont currently have any, but have friends who have had good luck with them. Personally, I'm a big Icecap fan.
The workhorse ballasts are made by Fulham. http://www.fulham.com/ Ive used them for years to drive many different bulbs, very good reliability.