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Liuminomanams

Fluorescent lights have been gaining alot of ground in the growing industry, so I thought maybe I'd do a quick guide to fluoros. I've used fluoros in almost every grow I've done, sometimes as sidelighting, sometimes as the main light source. Right now for example I'm using HO (High Output) T5s, for both veg and flower with very good results. I've used an assortment of CFLs as well along the way, including UVB bulbs.
Fluoros run cooler than HID, allowing you to keep them closer without having the lights themselves ventilated. HID however have superior efficiency, they create more light per watt than any fluorescent fixture. So for those that argue fluoros save you power, it is simply not true when you do the math
Now the real advantages of fluoros come from there selection of sizes, bulbs, and power use. It gives the grower the chance to really customize their lighting the way that suits their needs, by mixing spectrums for example, or adding a few UVB bulbs. CFLs can be great for lighting up any dim spots on the plants as they are relatively easy to move around, and can stay within a few inches.
Fluorescent tubes generally have better efficiency, and they come in all kinds of sizes and spectrums. Generally speaking growers can get good growth from T12s, T10s, T8s, and T5s...but they do have their own advantages. Most fluorescent lights run at about the same temp (roughly) so the size of the bulb really comes into play, the more glass, the more the heat is spread out. So with that in mind let's talk about T12s...
T12s, and to a lesser extent T10s are the biggest bulbs out the mentioned few, therefore the heat is dispersed on a larger surface, so the bulb stays cooler. That means these bulbs can literally touch the plants, the glass stays cool enough to keep from burning the leaves. That can be a huge advantage when it comes to cloning espescially, the lights won't wick the moisture up like an HID or even T5s would. These lights can also be pretty effective for veg, though they are less efficient than T8s and T5s.
T8s and T5s are skinnier bulbs than the others, and because of that the bulbs get hotter. They are also more efficient that any CFL, T10, or T12. Many T8s and T5s produce about 85 lumens per watt, pitiful in comparison with HID but they are the next best thing (other than pricey LED, and Plasma lights) They can be used for both veg and flower as they are both available in a wide variety of spectrums, and can produce good results in both.
CFLs on the other hand have the unique advantage of being small, and screwing into any light socket...which can be nice. They are also your cheapest bet, for anyone on a tight budget CFLs could be for you They do get hot though, so you need to keep them a couple of inches away from the plants. They come in virtually every spectrum you'd ever want these days, so finding the ones you need shouldn't be hard. A plug and socket kit costs about $5, a splitter will be about $2, and a couple of 42w CFLs no more than $15...so 84w of CFL for about $20, it's relatively cheap.
I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention some stuff, so if anybody's left wondering anything please ask