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Hi:

I have a banana plant in my 20 gallon aquarium. I have a nutri grow plantlamp that is 15 watts and flourescent. I don't think it's putting out enough light. That the only size I see that will fit my aquarium hood. It's 18" T 5. What if I use a lamp light and not place it so close to the aquarium to assist in the lighting. I don't think I can find a different wattage. What's a good suggestion?

Banana plants need high lighting to grow; 15 watts in a 20 gallon tank is very low lighting. To get more lighting, check out compact flourescent strip lights, which you can use in place of a regular low-wattage strip. If you want to use a lamp to give extra lighting it will need to have a full-spectrum light bulb in it, not the regular kind which won't help the plant to grow. Banana plants need LOTS of light, so don't be surprised if it doesn't do well.

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Hi:

Where can I find the compact flourescent light strips? What wattage would I need that won't burn the fish?

Banana's need I believe about 4-6 watts per gallon to thrive (i.e. "very high" lighting range). I don't know if goldfish would like this much light though. Check online for compact flourescent lights. Drs. Foster and Smith have a pretty good selection. Just a warning though, they aren't cheap light fixtures! But if you really want to get into growing plants, they're a great investment. With the type of lighting that usually fits in tank hoods you can only grow plants that tolerate pretty low lighting conditions.