and every mh bulb is not the same..MH bulbs of the same wattage can output different amounts of lumens depending on the brand...for example...a hortilux MH lamp will output more lumens than a standard GE MH bulb (if they make em..lol)....lumens directly relate to the amount of light that a bulb exerts for plant asorbtion. The more light absorbed the bigger the plants/buds will grow. It's best to get a MH bulb that gives off around 130,000 lumens and 145,000 lumens for HPS....some brands can get pretty expensive
If it's a magnetic ballast, between 250 - 400w - you could use a Philips Retro White CMH (ceramic metal halide) bulb. It's the best veg bulb on the market, and half the price of most conversion bulbs