problem with growing

I have a germinated seedling, its above the soil, with the cotyledons spread out, and i can see the first true leaves in there. However, the stem is bent to the side (it was like this when I finished germinating it) and hasnt bent upwards yet. Its been like that for 3 days now, how long should I wait until it goes upright? also, Im using 2 cfl lights on it for now, to establish growth, ive got them about 5 inches away from the pot, as if i have them closer, feels quite warm, and dont want to overheat the seedling. I had the seedling closer last night, and this morning, the cotyledons were pointing upwards, not spread out, so I think it def was too warm. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

You can always just prop it up with a tooth pick or a straw. I wouldn't worry too much, it will continue to grow upwards towards the light.

Also, you could replant it with the stem in the soil right up to the cotyledons. It should straighten out after that.

if i replant it, how long would it take to grow, would it upset the growth for a while?

It will still grow as it would if you had not re-planted it. The only difference is that the stem will have more support if you bury the plant up to its cotyledons. I do this with all of my plants to ensure stronger growth of the stem. Also, put an oscillating fan on the seedling. The movement of the air will strengthen the plant. Obviously, don't put the fan on high, but just enough air movement to make the stem sway.

thanks, i was wondering how long it would take if i replanted it to grow, as the other day, i accidently knocked the pot over, and did replant it, as i had no choice, i buried it to the cotyledons then, however, its growing with bent stem still lol

usually this sort of thing has to do with there being too little light for the plant

ive got 2 cfl lights on it, they get quite warm too, should i put more on?

cfls usually don't cut it, unless you've built yourself a 100% mylar'd grow box that leaks 0 light, and you put enough of them in there to equal the amount of wattage you would get from an HID anyway. in really small grows this can be a blessing, as you can choose where to put certain quantities of light. however it stands that CFLs have a very low-penetrating light and usually need to be within 1" of the plant for the plant to actually use the light. even high output fluorescent bulbs do a much better job.

thanks monkeybones the problem i have putting them really close is that the heat gets hot from them, and dont want to burn the seedling