Dayne Lyn
Toronto, Ontario Canada
There are some truly spectacular reef tanks in the world and EcoTech Expert Dayne Lyn certainly has one of them. His 500 gallon system sits centrally located between his kitchen and living room and is home to huge colonies of coral as well as a selection of fish which will make even the most seasoned hobbyist salivate. While pictures and video hint at the scope and the beauty, they barely do justice to the masterpiece Dayne has created.
I knew I was a reef keeper when my son turned 18 years old and my marine Beta was older than he was.
The Hobbyist
Dayne has been in the hobby for literally decades. For him it started with a turtle tank for his youngest son which over the years has predictably evolved into an ever larger and more complex system.
I find love in the reef keeping experience in many aspects of the hobby. On a daily basis watching the coral and fish feed and go about their lives. Over time watching the corals grow from small frags to large colonies.
Dayne’s corals do indeed grow. So fast in fact that he makes trips to his local distributor sometimes multiple times a month to exchanges frags for supplies which helps to offset the operational costs of his system.
My favorite part of the day is when the Radions ramp down for sunset and the 4 auto feeders kick off. The coral fluorescence peaks and the fish go crazy.
The main tank is a Miracles 374 and is now almost 16 years old. Dayne has run this aquarium for a little less than half of his 32 years in the hobby.
While the main display is located in his living room the overflow feeds a sump and refugium system in the basement. This is where the support equipment for the main tank is located.
Predictably with coral growth comes additional frag systems and Dayne has a couple of them running in the sump room downstairs.
He has had his share of failures as well. Some years ago a Kalkwasser mishap wreaked havoc and almost wiped out his entire system. Dayne’s advice to the new hobbyist is the old adage be patient and don’t be discouraged by the occasional setback.
Lots of Tangs
One of the less usual aspects of Dayne’s tank is the number of Tangs that share it. While a larger tank increases the opportunity to have territorial fish co-habit the number and size of these fish are surprising. The source of these fish is mixed as some were inherited from other hobbyists which you would not know as they all look so fat and happy. Dayne claims the secret to his success with a Tang harem comes from making sure that feeding is regular and plentiful to reduce territorial animosity competing for food.
Whatever the secret seeing 9 Tangs in the same tank is certainly impressive.
Dayne's Equipment
A large tank needs a substantial amount of equipment. Lighting on the main display currently comes from 6 XR30 G5 Blues and flow from a pair of MP60s.
Dayne uses the onboard Ab+ spectrum that the Radion Blues are built for. The tank was previously lit by Gen 3 Radion Pro’s that were running the AB+ spectrum.
I have had great success with EcoTech equipment. Multiple generations of lighting as well as powerheads have contributed to the coral health and growth that you can see in my tank. I particularly like EcoTech as the support has been top-notch both in instruction and equipment maintenance.
The tank filtration is provided by the standard array of mechanical and biological filtration in the basement sump. Dayne is particularly fond of his filter socks which he rotates regularly.
