i run a sf2000 in a 3x2 and its never more than 12" away in veg as well.
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Theyre autos so dont want to have any transplant shock.
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Ah i got ya 
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I’ve started all my autos in solo cups, then move to 3g or 5g fabrics. Just one transplant. I’d say they did fine… I tried starting 3 Dark Devil auto seeds in a 3g fabric pot and lost em…
I read they don’t like to be transplanted… My first were transplanted before I knew they were autos (were sold as photos). They did fine. Read about their dislike for transplanting, so the Dark Devils went right to 3G pots. Didn’t do well at all. Current autos were all started in solo cups, then moved to the 3G pots, doing fine…
I try to let the cup dry a little, just enough that the dirt keeps its shape but not crumble, to minimize any shock when up potting… I want the soil in the cup to be the same shape / size it was in the cup if possible, and let the roots seek out the new soil from there.
To each his own, but its whats worked for me so far.
(ps, I also topped those first photo -turned- autos, and well, they actually made a nice canopy on their own, and yield certainly wasn’t bad!)
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Need to make sure watering at just the base and NOT saturating the entire pot when in an oversized container with a seedling, at least til it really gets going. If youre watering areas over and over with nothing sucking up the water and the temp is low enough that there isnt a whole lotta evaporation then gonna be super soaked.
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I tried watering at the base, but it seemed like the rest of the “dry” soil just wicked the moisture away faster than I was replenishing it… No point watering the edges of a 3g pot with a seedling in the middle, ya just make mud.
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Yeah I started some photo periods in solo cups but when I got the autos I was too excited and just put em in big ass pots 
next run definitely going to start them in a solo cup, I think if the transplant took place early like you said when you start to see the roots hit the bottom, then they should be fine. Overall I’m gonna change the distance of the lights, crank up the power which should in turn make it hotter in the tent, and I won’t water for a few days until the medium dries a out a good amount.
Dropped the lights to a foot now this morning, hoping it makes a big difference as well with the day to day growth the girls put on
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since you have had it so far away and at 70% you may not want to drop it and go 100%. it wont hurt to crank up the power over a little time.
better safe than sorry
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Just found some gnats today 
just ordered some of those nematodes and sticky traps hopefully I can resolve the issue before it gets too crazy. But the plants love the light being closer to them and I’m drying out the soil until I get the nematodes
ive used fish tank gravel and also perlite to cover my soil about 3/4 inch. works like a charm and you dont have to worry about getting stuck to yellow pads when youre playing in the room and its easy to remove when they are gone.
Seedling watering 101…
After coming out of the soil. dont water the seedlings directly. Start with a small watering can and water about 1 inch away from the stem with bout a 1/4 cup of water, water every 2 to 3 days and move to about 2 inches away with the same amount and then slowly increase water amounts and move away from the plant each time. After about a month I top dress and let er rip witha normal watering.
What’s your CO2 like? Sma
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I recomend a liberal top dress of diatomaceous earth, and look into BTI mosquito dunks if things get worse.