A couple weeks ago, I heard a rumor that a local aquarium store had some 5' T5HO fixutres on sale for $25. I have a 5' tank in my living room with a couple LED fixtures (designed for growing aquarium plants) over it, and thought if I could get 2 of these T5 fixutres (single bulb) for that cheap, I'll move the LEDs to grow veggies!

Well, instead of getting 2 T5 fixtures for my tank (I did buy them, but to canibalize for another project), I got 24 72" T5HO bulbs for the amazing price of FREE!! Guess how long these metal racks are!
When I ask what kind of ballast I'll need to run these bulbs, he tells me that everything runs off the same ballast as 48" T5HOs... Boy was he wrong!! That's OK, I found a lighting supplier in town that has ballasts for signs and he sells me one that will work... wrong, again! This morning I swapped ballasts for something stronger and a little lower cost. When I get home, I'll wire one of these babies up and post some pics... assuming it all work, of course.