Sandra - you are hilarious! Flattery will get you very little with me as I am just a "poor man begging for bread" in the realm of orchid knowledge and most other areas as well.
Yes - I read the post that you are speaking of as well. T5 tube diameter does appear to be (at least approximately) what is wound into a CFL. Keep in mind that you will need to get an
equivalent wattage of CFL however to get the same light output as the T5 four foot tubes - which are 54 watts. Note at this link (which I have not used - just for reference) that the 55 watt CFL's are 240 watt tungsten equivalents -
2 to 200 Watt Compact Fluorescent Bulbs : 1000Bulbs.com The Light Bulb Superstore. I have a fixture with SIX tubes - so to get the equivalent light from these CFL's I would need six of these as well. If you just go to your local department store or home improvement store and purchase a regular 100 watt equivalent you will not get enough wattage. It will be important to make certain that you size the clamp lamp appropriately as well - the bulb will need to fit entirely IN the fixture so that the light output will be directed towards your plants and not "wasted" going into other directions.
Hang in there (no pun intended!)
