Quick question

I know t5 is recommended for fluorescent lighting, I just switched over from a halogen light(bad choice I know:/) but the two sets I have are two t12s and two t8s
Will these be good till I can buy ballist for better set up? Or should I just go get t5s now

Depends on where your at in the grow but they should do fine in early to mid veg I use T8s during veg

I just put them in to veg like two days ago . They seem to like the light alot more then the halogen,just from what I can see in the past hr or 2, they had a rough start in the beginning with bad lights, And I messed up with nutes at first,
How close should the lights be
An there three almost 4 weeks old

I veg with 4' f32 t8's (phillips daylight deluxe lamps) and have never had an issue with them infact most of the time they run so cool that my plants can nearly touch without being burned.
I typically have the lights 1-2" above the plants with a small fan blowing through the leaves. They may not work as quickly as a metal halide but they get the job done without the need for an ac most of the time.

these were vegged 100% under f32t8's

Okay right on I have them about two inches away, yours long good spicy, you think I should even get a ballist or just stick to what I'm using to keep it cheep

I use an HPS for flower, but have mostly vegged with t8's and flouros. A MH will grow your plants faster and larger but thats not always a good thing in a cab, you have to deal with lots of heat ( even with a cool tube), If this is your first grow there will be far fewer problems. Keep it cheap your first time, I've seen a $5000 first grow go to shit.

This is my second, first not the best but hey I got some, I'm definitely goin hps on flower, I might go for MH we got a big space so we shall see