Question
Hey Jeff, Jason from AZ here. I wanted to ask you about the cool white tubes for grow lights. It has come time too replace mine for my Heliamphora tank. I see the tubes in the 40w range as mentioned in volume two of your dvd series. My wonderment is I see different Lumens ratings, such as 2350-2600. I also see 32w ratings at 3200 lumens. I'm a little confused on what's better. Any help I greatly appreciate. Also, just a side note. The Regia I bought from you guys is outside in full sun and I have had it out there since early October when day temps were in the mid 90's and humidity under five percent and It's VERY happy!

Answer
We use wattage because it tends to equate with higher lumens.  However, manufacturers are now making more efficient fluorescent lights that have higher lumens per wattage.  It also depends on the the type of quality of light.  You'll need to compare them according to the brand, quality of light and quality of tube.  When all things are equal, 40-watt tubes will always have more lumens than 32-watt tubes.  If the 3200 lumen tubes are the best you can find, then go with those.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin