About Lighting..?

[Obsession]

My friend moved away and gave me her plants (anacharis, hornwort, ludwigia, and a sword(compacta)). I have a 20 gallon tank, and my friend told me that i need at least 30 watts of light.
The thing is, I don't have the money to buy another lighting system that is big enough for the 20 gallon, but my dad was going through the pet store and saw the lighting(the type that you clip onto the side of the tank) for the reptile "aquariums" so I was wondering would those lights work for these plants.

If not, then what do you recommend

 

[afishyonados]

As crazy as it sounds, you may be able to work with such an idea. Find a SAFE way to secure a clip-on or desk light over the tank. Then find a power compact bulb that has a screw in base to fit the lamp. Look for one in a daylight or cool white, at about 25-40 watts. This will give you the light/lumens needed to keep these plants happy.

Keep up on your water changes. The plants love the fresh micro-nutrients a new water change brings!

 

[Purrbox]

Actually, you'll want to find a daylight bulb and not the cool white. The spectrum on the cool white leaves them looking rather dim and yellow.

 

[jsoong]

Another option - Look for a GE "Bright-Stick" at your hardware store. This is a totally self-contained fluorescent that you can stick onto any smooth surface. It comes in cool white & one for house plants (get the one for plants ). At under $15 and 33 Watts each, they are quite cheap ... I used one of those for my 10 gal & it worked well.

 

[mr funktastic]

ANOTHER option would be to get a dual 24" light strip. u can get the shop light at home depot for like 25 bucks and that will put u at 40 watts(34 if u get the 17 watt bulbs)