Tank Switcheroo - Is this gonna be okay?

[Brit’s Fish]

So I have two tanks that I’m thinking of switching around. Both tanks are over two years old - 20g cube and 13.5g Evo. I have my seahorse and Ruby Red Scooter Blennies in the Evo and a clownfish and a pair of Ascension Priolepsis gobies in the 20g cube. Also in the Evo is a high fin goby and pistol shrimp pair, but they are staying there
I’m going to be moving the 20g cube next week and I’m thinking about actually just moving my clown to the Evo and making her a nice anemone palace. She killed her original mate and attacked a clown I tried to add later on, so she’s a single lady for life now.
My seahorse is growing and I think he’d enjoy a taller tank very much, so the 20g cube seems like a better option.

Here’s the rub… I used black sand in the 20g originally and I can’t stand it. Also, there’s been a bubble algae battle going on for a year in that tank. If I switch the sand to new, live Fiji Pink sand, take the rocks with gorgonians from the Evo and a few pieces of rock that have been cooking in the sumps of my larger systems for months, am I still going to set off a new cycle/ugly stage?? Will it be safe to transfer the Seahorse and Scooter Blennies immediately? The Priolepsis gobies are staying in the 20g, so will they be okay? I will hold them in a bucket while I do all the sand and rock moving, of course. I can also add MicroBacter 7 or even TurboStart if it’s needed.

I feel like I’m overthinking and everything will be just fine, but I need others thoughts to make sure I’m not missing something. Let me know what you think!

 

[Brit’s Fish]

So I have two tanks that I’m thinking of switching around. Both tanks are over two years old - 20g cube and 13.5g Evo. I have my seahorse and Ruby Red Scooter Blennies in the Evo and a clownfish and a pair of Ascension Priolepsis gobies in the 20g cube. Also in the Evo is a high fin goby and pistol shrimp pair, but they are staying there
I’m going to be moving the 20g cube next week and I’m thinking about actually just moving my clown to the Evo and making her a nice anemone palace. She killed her original mate and attacked a clown I tried to add later on, so she’s a single lady for life now.
My seahorse is growing and I think he’d enjoy a taller tank very much, so the 20g cube seems like a better option.

Here’s the rub… I used black sand in the 20g originally and I can’t stand it. Also, there’s been a bubble algae battle going on for a year in that tank. If I switch the sand to new, live Fiji Pink sand, take the rocks with gorgonians from the Evo and a few pieces of rock that have been cooking in the sumps of my larger systems for months, am I still going to set off a new cycle/ugly stage?? Will it be safe to transfer the Seahorse and Scooter Blennies immediately? The Priolepsis gobies are staying in the 20g, so will they be okay? I will hold them in a bucket while I do all the sand and rock moving, of course. I can also add MicroBacter 7 or even TurboStart if it’s needed.

I feel like I’m overthinking and everything will be just fine, but I need others thoughts to make sure I’m not missing something. Let me know what you think!

Bump…
TL;DR… switching some inhabitants between two 2 year old tanks and switching one sandbed completely. Can I still do this in one day, safely? Primarily concerned about seahorse.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Bump…
TL;DR… switching some inhabitants between two 2 year old tanks and switching one sandbed completely. Can I still do this in one day, safely? Primarily concerned about seahorse.

Should be fine. Personally, I'd rinse the new "live"sand before putting it in the tank though.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Should be fine. Personally, I'd rinse the new "live"sand before putting it in the tank though.

Yes, good point! Since I’m not letting the tank sit and cycle, I’ll def be giving the sand some extra rinsing.
As far as the rock goes, even though it’s different rock, live rock = live rock, right? No difference as long as it’s live? (I feel like this is true, I just need outside validation from another brain.)
Thank you!!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Yes, good point! Since I’m not letting the tank sit and cycle, I’ll def be giving the sand some extra rinsing.
As far as the rock goes, even though it’s different rock, live rock = live rock, right? No difference as long as it’s live? (I feel like this is true, I just need outside validation from another brain.)
Thank you!!

As far as nitrifying bacteria goes, yes. You're not changing the bioload, just the water volume. If you want to be extra cautious, add some bottled bacteria to the tank with new sand to compensate for what was in the black sand (but I really don't think it's necessary).

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Are you swapping the rocks too or just the livestock?

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Are you swapping the rocks too or just the livestock?

Some rocks will come from the Evo with the seahorse as they have gorgonians encrusted onto them now. And I’m in the process of breaking down a 3 year old 28g nanocube so I will take some rocks from there to fill both tanks and maybe some from the sumps of my two 150g tanks. Planning to play around with the scapes a bit but in the end, there will be no new rock, just all established live rock.
Edit: my Ruby reds eat any kind of frozen or pellets, so I’m not as concerned about keeping pod populations up immediately.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Take a 10g tank, put the Sea Horse in it along with everything that is going back in the 20g with the new live rock and run a HOB power filter, AquaClear 30 or the like. Put the stuff in the 13.5 from the 20g. Clean out the 20g, do not rinse the live sand unless you want to do it in RO water, otherwise the sand may soak up some phosphates from the tap water. So just put the new sand out of the bag in the 20g and use the old pour the new water onto the bag covering the sand trick. It will reduce the clouding by a ton. Aquascape the 20g after a day then maybe 2-3 days later put the seahorse and friends in.
I just finished tearing down my 13.5 and my 6g temperate tanks so I could do 1 RS170 tank. I set up a 16g holding tank for everything and it made my life so much easier.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Take a 10g tank, put the Sea Horse in it along with everything that is going back in the 20g with the new live rock and run a HOB power filter, AquaClear 30 or the like. Put the stuff in the 13.5 from the 20g. Clean out the 20g, do not rinse the live sand unless you want to do it in RO water, otherwise the sand may soak up some phosphates from the tap water. So just put the new sand out of the bag in the 20g and use the old pour the new water onto the bag covering the sand trick. It will reduce the clouding by a ton. Aquascape the 20g after a day then maybe 2-3 days later put the seahorse and friends in.
I just finished tearing down my 13.5 and my 6g temperate tanks so I could do 1 RS170 tank. I set up a 16g holding tank for everything and it made my life so much easier.

Very good idea!

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Take a 10g tank, put the Sea Horse in it along with everything that is going back in the 20g with the new live rock and run a HOB power filter, AquaClear 30 or the like. Put the stuff in the 13.5 from the 20g. Clean out the 20g, do not rinse the live sand unless you want to do it in RO water, otherwise the sand may soak up some phosphates from the tap water. So just put the new sand out of the bag in the 20g and use the old pour the new water onto the bag covering the sand trick. It will reduce the clouding by a ton. Aquascape the 20g after a day then maybe 2-3 days later put the seahorse and friends in.
I just finished tearing down my 13.5 and my 6g temperate tanks so I could do 1 RS170 tank. I set up a 16g holding tank for everything and it made my life so much easier.

Yes, I like this idea very much!! I don’t have a ton of IRL Reefer friends that I trust or a great LFS that I trust, so I come here for validation and suggestions on whether my line of thinking makes sense. Thank you for suggesting this.
Haha, can’t wait to tell hubby we’re getting a 10g “holding tank”… he will not believe me that that’s all it will be. Lol

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Yes, I like this idea very much!! I don’t have a ton of IRL Reefer friends that I trust or a great LFS that I trust, so I come here for validation and suggestions on whether my line of thinking makes sense. Thank you for suggesting this.
Haha, can’t wait to tell hubby we’re getting a 10g “holding tank”… he will not believe me that that’s all it will be. Lol

A10g tank is also good just to have around for QT or emergencies. I usually have some Bio material hanging around in the sump that I can throw in a HOB filter with some floss for an insta tank if I have to.