Lighting question

[mseguin]

I have a question for the plant experts on here *looks pointedly at BigDaddy* :-).
I'm looking to upgrade my lights over my 29 gal, but given my present financial situation, that isnt about to happen anytime soon. Is there any point to changing the kind of fluorescent that is in there right now? It's currently a standard 20 W daylight bulb. Will any of the other kinds (plant-gro, etc.) have any noticeable effect on plants in my tank, or would it just be a waste of money?
Thanks.

[BigDaddy]

Recent concensus is that plants really don't see HUGE improvements if you change the light spectrum.  The improvement comes from add MORE.

If you have a prebuilt hood, my recommendation would be to swap out the existing ballast with an electronic two bulb ballast.  By hooking up the lamp to both leads, you will be "overdriving" the bulb, which will increase the light output from the single bulb.

If you have a glass top or can go that route, you can build a cheap dual bulb setup.  $25 or so for the ballast, $8 for bulbs and around $10 to $15 for wood.