dimmable flourescents!

[Bingo]

At work I recently came across a DIMMABLE flouerescent ballast. I am wondering how useful it would be in an aquarium setting. On the train home, I worked out how I would have to build the circuitry, and was wondering if I built them, would they be usefull?
the ballast is a NO ballast. I haven't done the research to see if they make HO or VHO dimmable ballasts. , but I figured this would be an 'add on' light system not the primary one for a tank.

Does anyone see the need for me to persue the project?

The way I was thinking of designing it was:

You set the time you want your lights to be on and the duration. IE your lights should be to full intensity at 8am, and then stay on for 12 hours.
So, at 7am (or 7:30 or so) the light starts to fade up. and at 8pm they start to fade down until 9 or so, when they go out.

Would there be an easier way to run the program?
Should I make the Fade in/out times controllable?

Has someone else already done this, so it is a mute point?

thanks for all the help,

B

[Wrasse Man]

I know that the IceCap VHO ballasts are dimmable, and that Solar makes a dimmer for them. Sorry.

BUT, I don't know about NO.....