In the past, fluorescent lamps were typically not a good choice for lighting indoor gardens. Today, with improvements in technology and increases in light output, fluorescent lamps may be successfully used for growing indoors. The introduction of the T5 H.O. (high output) lamp has proven to be a lamp nearly rivaling (and in some ways surpassing) MH lamp technology. (NOTE, do not confuse T5 H.O. lamps with "standard" T5 lamps, as the latter are too low in light output and efficiency to be considered for indoor gardening). Generally, a T5HO fixture may be placed closer to an indoor garden because the heat produced by the lamp is spread throughout a longer tube than HID lamps. For example, a 250 watt MH lamp has a lumen output of 28,000 lumens, while a 4 lamp, 4' T5 HO fixture has a lumen output of 20,000 lumens; however the heat output of the T5 is spread evenly throughout nearly 16' of fluorescent tubes, while the MH lamp has the heat concentrated in a tube less than 1' long. Therefore, in typical use, the T5HO fixture could be placed within a few inches of the garden, while the MH fixture might have to be placed 1 or 2 feet way. The closer placement of the T5 fixture would allow for increased light intensity for this garden. Typically these fixtures are used mostly for smaller sized gardens or seed starting applications.