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Whether lit by the bluest of blue LEDs or just 10,000K metal halide bulbs, a truly remarkable reef aquarium look great no matter the lighting thrown at it and this stunning reef from Beijing confirms exactly that. With more-and-more reef aquariums being dominated by saturating the tank with blue lighting, this reef is a great reminder of the results that can be achieved less blue light overall.  Welles’ reef is lit by 400 watt 10,000K XM bulbs and by 10,000K XM bulbs only. No Actinics, no blue LEDs, just straight 10K MH bulbs and yet he has remarkable result to show for it.

Massive colonies dominate the aquascape giving the system a very balanced and natural feel. The viewer isn’t overwhelmed by dozens upon dozens of corals to look at and instead can dwell on the beauty of individual corals. Somehow the system has something very relaxing about it, yet the great colors of the corals aren’t underwhelming. This reef hit the sweet spot between color and a balanced simplicity, something not many systems can boast about.

The main tank measures 78 x 28 x 28 in. (2oo x 70 x 70 cm) and has a volume of approximately 250 gallons (950 liters). The system is illuminated by three 400 watt 10,000K XM bulbs with an IceCap ballast and Lumenarc reflectors. Water movement is provided by two Tunze 6101 and a Tunze 6201 on a Tunze 7095 controller, a Tunze wavebox and a Vortech MP40W. Skimming is done by a Bubble King 300 Internal Deluxe and additional filtration is provided by a combination of KZ Biophos 2 Phosphate Adsorber, Seachem Purigen and a refugium with Caulerpa serrulata and Gracilaria sp. A to-part dosing regimen keeps Calcium in check through a GroTech dosing pump. NaCl free salt from Tropic Marine is used in combination with the dosing . A 2HP chiller is used for cooling and a Neptune AC3 keeps all the electronics in check.