Pulse start ballasts and ignitors

[Delphinus]

Looking through the specs of most pulse-start ballasts (e.g., M135), they pretty much all indicate a "ballast to lamp" (BTL) distance of 2 feet.

BTL is a function of the ignitor used. Advance offers a replacement ignitor for their ballasts which they call a "wide range ignitor" which is good for a BTL of up to 40 feet. But here's the problem: the cost of this ignitor is more than half of the cost of the actual ballast! ($80 for the ballast with standard ignitor, $43 more for the long-range ignitor).

I guess my question is this. How rigid is that BTL distance of 2 feet with the standard ignitors? If you step up the wiring guage, can you extend this distance somewhat? To something more like 5 feet or 6 feet?

The problem is that with a BTL of 2 feet, that puts the ballasts pretty much right in the canopy of the aquarium. It's much nicer to be able to move the ballast into the stand, or even hidden behind the wall behind the tank, or some such. Which (IMHO) puts the typical BTL measurement more like 5' or 6' for the "average aquarist."

...

Or, here is another approach to this question. For the people running Radium 400W's on Sunlight Supply ballasts, does your ballast come with any kind of documentation that indicates a maximum length of wiring between the ballast box and the lamp socket? Please let me know what your instructions say, if they say anything on this topic, that is. That might give me a clue as to what ignitor they're using.

If it's best to use the long-range ignitor, then I can live with that. I just want to be sure that I'm not overstating the issue, if it is an issue at all.

Please and thank you!!!