i have read from indoor plant growing sites that regular cool white flouro tubes provide plenty of the red and blue spectrums that you need to grow plants. (this is not my opinion, simply what i have read). i dont think the glass tubes used in standard bulbs are any different than standard plant bulbs, but the chemicals added inside are different.
i have had standard hardware store flouro's over my tank, but i like the richer tone aquarium lights give, but this is a personal preference. i am not real convinced that the more expensive plant bulbs are any better for growing plants, the plants do not use the visible light we see, more of the red and blue spectrums we dont see. so how pretty a light is, is more important for asthetics, (for our eyes), not the plant.
