Your buddy is wrong. Clones like light that is BLUE, and WEAK. My personal favorite light for cloning is called an Ott Light- it's a very very blue CFL. You just need one, in a clip light, maybe a foot or so from the clones. But lately I just leave them in the corner of a room that has a Hortilux MH daylight going. The indirect light is very nice.
For you, do what you have seen working.