i got 2 of these housings at the store and they looks perfect for the job. i got 2 175 w MH bulbs from home depot and tried it out. do mh and hps bulbs require another type of housing or a different type of thing where you screw it in?? ive put in cfl bulbs and they worked fine. and ive tried to put the mh bulbs in my bathroom sockets and they dont seem to work. i think that the bulbs might be broken but i dont know. can anyone tell me what im doing wrong?
Yes indeed you will need a special fixture for HID lights, comes with a ballast, a capacitor, and sometimes an igniter I think. Your best bet is going to be online shops unless you have a hydro shop nearby. I wouldn't go asking around, you get some nasty looks from garden stores who know what those lights are really for.
You'll need top pick up two 175W Metal Halide ballasts and two ceramic sockets. You can use an extension cord for the wiring. You won't need an ignitor unless you use HPS bulbs. You can find everything you need online. If you figure out what you're looking for, some specialty lighting stores will sell you just the ballasts. The sockets you can pick up in just about any hardware store of a decent size. Hope this helps