Understanding that I am a Solaris gal; I think that with a 12" the 150's would be enough. As I understand it,
actinics are really more for us and for the possible benefit of creating a dawn and dusk effect. However, I also know some people who have said that some of their corals do better with
actinics so there you go.
When I was saying
T5 I was really referring to something like this light
Tek Light T5 48" 8 Lamp: Aquarium Supplies -
Aqua Buys with just
T5's and no
MH. I have not used them, but before I got my Solaris that was the direction I was heading. I am always looking for ways to save on the power bill and a
T5 fixture would have had lower power consumption, potentially less heat meaning the chiller would not operate as much and growth equal to
MH. What's not to love?
