I went to a local shop the other day and noticed several of there lights looked mercury starved some where just dim others were glowing that lovely pink color you sometimes get. What I also saw in one fitting was that the stritations in one tube were moving right to left and in the the other tube they moved left to right now this is 2 completely separate tubes I think wired in series with each other I just thought ide mention it just for curiosity sake

The striations caused by the lamps being operated with HF electronic ballasts.

I see thanks for that I thought they mite be eletronic ballasts as there are no starters visible on them you confirmed what I thought

I have a GE 175W Mercury lamp that started doing that (Stiration).  It was in a Brinks/Heath Zenith/Regent Yardblaster fixture when it started doing it (Cheap Ballast).  At the advice of another member, I took the lamp, and stuck it in my 250W Merc Luminaire, after a few seconds of stirring, it finally ignited, and started warming up.  After 15-20 seconds, I took it out, and put it back in the yardblaster (that's where I needed it at the moment), and it still works.  It just needed a jump in the arc current.