you dont need intense light for the seedlings, but you do... hard to explain, a flouro works great in the situation cause u dont worry about too much light or heat. Im not sure whats wrong with them but the light could get much closer, just watch for heat thats the only thing. Also they stay the same size for a while growing roots, they will pick up how long since they broke soil? it takes about 2 weeks for a seedling to start to really grow.