Downgrade 46 bf to a 24 cube, sand question

[Abiroad]

We have decided to tear down our 46 bf and condense all of our favorite fish and coral into a 24g jbj inorder to make our living room a little more spacious

Any other time i have transferred tanks i have been upgrading, my question is should i use my old sand bed in my nano cube? Or just start fresh with a new sand bed?

I am using everything else the same from my tank, water rock etc. I am just trying to avoid a mini cycle since it is so small

thank you

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

New sand, no reason to start the new tank off with problems from a dirty sand bed. You still may have a small spike in ammonia so I'd have some wc water on hand jic.

 

[Abiroad]

Okay, I was kind of hoping that a new sand bed would be kosher because I want to do more of a crushed coral bottom, as opposed to the really fine sand I have now.

I am luckily setting the cube up right next to the 46 so this is my plan of action (suggestions are appreciated!) :

1. Siphon water out of 46bf into cube to fill it up about half way. Set up heater to keep water temp consistent.

2. Move over lr and rock scape how i want

3. add new sand bed on top of that( any suggestion on how deep for a nano?)

4. transfer fish and inverts

5. top of the rest of the way with the 46 gallon except for about five gallons i was going to add of new saltwater (the 46 was in need of a water change anyway)

Any recommendations for setting up the back of the nano cube? Wc frequency/amount advice? (these questions will probably end up in the nano forum sorry)

Also I planned on moving over my pair of clowns and my watchman goby, am i pretty much maxed out on fish?

Thanks a lot guys!!

(Also anyone in the Dayton area, I will be selling off the rest of my live rock and fish and coral and my entire tank with trickle system and lights if anyone is interested?)

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Okay, I was kind of hoping that a new sand bed would be kosher because I want to do more of a crushed coral bottom, as opposed to the really fine sand I have now.

I am luckily setting the cube up right next to the 46 so this is my plan of action (suggestions are appreciated!) :

1. Siphon water out of 46bf into cube to fill it up about half way. Set up heater to keep water temp consistent.

2. Move over lr and rock scape how i want

3. add new sand bed on top of that( any suggestion on how deep for a nano?)

4. transfer fish and inverts

5. top of the rest of the way with the 46 gallon except for about five gallons i was going to add of new saltwater (the 46 was in need of a water change anyway)

Any recommendations for setting up the back of the nano cube? Wc frequency/amount advice? (these questions will probably end up in the nano forum sorry)

Also I planned on moving over my pair of clowns and my watchman goby, am i pretty much maxed out on fish?

Thanks a lot guys!!

(Also anyone in the Dayton area, I will be selling off the rest of my live rock and fish and coral and my entire tank with trickle system and lights if anyone is interested?)

Sounds like a good plan, only thing I would change is I would use about 50% new water if not all. Your bb population will be on your rocks any way and with the tanks being right next to each other you should have very little die off during the transfer. Be prepared with wc water on hand because you may still have a small ammonia spike as far as sand depth, it's really a personal preference on how it looks. I generally use 1.5ish lbs per gallon and that gives me a little less than 2 inches all the way around. And I would say you could get away with another fish, a perching type of rock dweller would work best IMO. And I do 25% changes weekly on my nanos, and unfournately I've never run an aio so not sure on the best set up, but inTank makes great products and I know they have jbj mods, mediabaskets.com

 

[Abiroad]

wonderful thank you! I really hope i dont regret this switch. I know nanos can be a litle more challenging but my living room just was not made to have a that large of a tank. I went from a 55 to the 46 about a year ago and now to the nano.so i really hope this is the final resting tank haha