Lighting problem...

[RobertA]

I bought my first 20gal. aquarium about a month and a half ago, it came with a heater, a 19Watt fluorescent tube, a Whisper filter and a plastic hood on which the fluorescent tube goes. Anyways, since than I've become more famliliar with aquarium plants and fish, and it seems like I need at least around 50Watts for my tank to keep most plants (at the moment I'm only keeping low light plants). I asked my lfs how much it would cost to put a glass hood and a compact lighting fixture, and they said it would cost me around $180!
Since I'm 14 and don't have have that kind of money to spend on lighting, I'd realy like to know if there would be another option to adding more light to my tank without emptying my whole wallet. :

Thanks in advance.

Robert

P.S. Is it normal that my Blue Powder Dwarf Gourami stays completely immobile and sometimes even leans on a 45' angle?

 

[indiginess]

you could go with a double strip light. Big Al's has them for 24" tanks for under $40 US. then all you would need is a glass top. probably in the $25 or under range.

that would give you around 40W of light (think the 18" bulbs are 20 watts.).

or you could build your own. there are some really good DIY lighting plans out there.

good luck in your quest... if you believe it, i've actually noticed a dramatic DECREASE in compact lighting costs in the last few years. crazy, huh.