snowcruiser

alrighty then. budget is pretty tight, but my roommate may be able to get me a deal on the light. were definitely going with a digital ballast for energy costs. it would be my parents condo so cutting a hole may be difficult to get away with, although they will not actually be living there. so i guess u could say im renting. appreciate the feedback

Well the 400 watt will get hot for sure. So I guess there's a few things to consider, 1.what's your budget?
2. Do you rent or own your home?

I'm just asking since the best way to vent from the closet would be to saw a hole in the ceiling big enough to fit an exhaust fan. It won't have to be huge and you can do it in way that you can put the piece you cut out back in and held in place with some toothpicks/small nails.

If you can't afford a cooltube because your budget is tight, you might be able to get away with just hanging a 6in fan off one end of the HPS and have it blowing up at the light. It won't cool it down as good as a cooltube but it will probably get the job done.

So if sawing a hole in the ceiling isn't an option then I'm not sure what else would work. But let me know about the situation and I'll see if I can't throw any more ideas your way.