trying to get away without having to buy a $100 light fixture

I have some plants in my aquarium that supposedly require medium light. I had a fixture with two 18 watt bulbs on it and my plants went nuts with it on there. The fixture is no longer with us and so I stuck the generic 17 watt back on the for the time being. It's a 29 gallon tank and i was wondering if maybe I could get away with dosing carbon supplements and using a 6700k bulb in there to avoid having to buy a new fixture. In my experience the carbon seems to do better than the perceived benefit of extra lighting. Think I can get away with it as long as I dose the exel?

I'm sorry I dont know the name of the plant

Oh I will if it works! Just wondering if you guys think it will. What's your experience? Ever grown plants using less that the recommended lighting? 17 watts isn't very much, plus last time I threw that fixture on there I got algae so thats why I'm gonna hunt down the 6700k bulb.

Will Excel help to prevent algae?

If I can't find the 6700k bulb in the aquarium store can anybody tell me what specs to look for at a hardware store or another lighting center. I'm guessing they won't be marked as clearly as the bulbs in the aquarium store, how will they be marked, what numbers or range of numbers will be acceptable for my purpose of growing aquatic plants?

Thanks for all your help

cool, so if I can't find the 6700k plant bulb in the aquarium store will the be marked the same in the hardware store (XXXX k) ? or will I need t look at other specs onthe bulb to tell if I'm buying the correct spectrum ? Do you know if the excel will help prevent algae?

thanks!