There has been so much talk & discussion over the yrs. on so many of these Internet bird boards, about F.S. Lighting, that it makes one's head spin. LOL
My two cents & suggestion: Use the search feature on this site and even other bird related board sites to read a lot about FSL (to include the articles in the links provided in those threads) and make up your own mind. As far as I know, Patrick Thrush had done most of the research on the best quality F.S. Lighting to use for our birds. He then started up his own line of F.S. lighting products but soon afterwards kinda disappeared. I am not sure what happened to him or his line - anyone know?
Anyway, from all I read over the yrs., I personally came away with the belief that the best F.S. Lighting to use for our birds was linear fluorescent tubes with a CRI rating of 98 (natural sun is 100). And a Kelvin rating of 5,000 to 5,500. I personally would not even consider using screw in type bulbs of any kind due to all that I have read.
I and many bird keepers that I know had decided (from all the same & other stuff that we each read) to use Phillips F32T8TL950 tubes which I believe come in a 24", 36" & 48" length. We burn them in a simple white metal shop light fixture that uses an electronic ballast and which uses a downward reflector. The fixture we use holds two tubes (I use the 48" tubes) and has a chain-type pullstring on/off switch and a 7 ft. electrical cord which one plugs into a standard electrical outlet - after mounting safely and at the proper distance above the bird cage/flight.
I am sure there are outlets which sell the tubes separately but of course you get the best price by buying a whole box (25) at a time. You could share with one or two or etc. # of other board members maybe, if one did not have a large enough flock to use them all themself.
You can Google where to find the tubes. I ordered a whole box a few yrs. ago from Phillips thru Home Depot's on-line store, out of San Diego I believe it was.
I have always heard and read that sunlight thru pre-1939 window glass does not allow in/thru the beneficial properties of natural direct sunshine. So each of us can believe whomever we like but I personally will go by what the leading researcher said, until I read the findings of some other researcher who makes a convincing argument that contradicts Mr Thrush's findings.
Good luck with whatever you decide but please (for your bird's sake) read all you can on the subject before deciding and I suggest not to settle for less than the best specs out there.
