have you tried contacting jbjlighting on sending you a replacement ballast? how old is the tank? ive heard of jbj sending out replacement ballast, its worth a shot..also try nanotuners.com im sure chris could hook you up with a replacement...you could retro fit a 70w de halide under that hood but add extra computer fans to keep it cool and prevent a melt down..theres a thread on nano-reef.com that goes through a step by step processes on retro fitting the 12g NC with a 70w halide..i hope some of this helps

jonathan