Move 20H contents into 60G cube?

[siskiou]

I purchased a used 60G cube/stand/canopy/sump/skimmer/return pump/lights set-up. It will take the place of my current 20H which has been running for about 5 years now.
Everything in the 20H is doing great under 130w of pc lighting (candy cane, monti cap, various leathers, red shrooms, brown polyps, xenia, GSP, an occellaris clown, a yellow watchman and his pistol shrimp friend).
There is a HOB fuge with macro and a PCI skimmer on it, it has about 30lbs of LR and a 3" sand bed.

I've got a little more live rock ready to go from my 120G set-up.

First question: if I put most of the water from the 20H into the cube and add another 20G from my 120G, can I immediately shift everything from the 20H into it (minus most of the sand, since it's been in there for 5 years), plus the other cycled live rock?
Or should I cycle the cube for a few weeks first and keep the 20H going until it's ready?

Second question: the cube comes with a metal halide pendant (250w HQI). What would be the best way to acclimate everything to the new lighting (Length of lighting period etc.)?
I'm planning on adding a few SPS once the tank is stable.

Third question: I'm planning on adding a couple of T5s or VHOs for actinics.
Can I use the workhorse 7 ballast I have for two 18.5" VHO bulbs or T5 bulbs?
Or should I cannibalize my current pc fixture (cheapo from ebay) instead.

I'd also like suggestions for water movement.
The set-up comes with a Gen-X 4100 return pump (are these noisy?)
Can I use MJmods in a 24x24x24 tank, or are they too powerful for the 2 feet length?

And is a Euro-Reef 5-2 skimmer a good choice for this size tank?

Also, what type aquascaping would be a good choice?
Pile of LR in the middle, with swimming room around it?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[ReeferMonkey]

1. Yes, transferring everything over should be OK if your LR is already cycled. I transferred a BB 20L + 50# of cured LR into a 60g system with 100# of fresh sand and everything was hunky dory. You have mostly sfoties so your corals should be fine.

2. Some folks like to use window screen in layers over the tank but I prefer to just raise the fixture and cut the photoperiod way back. Every 3-5 days, drop the fixture (a link on the chain, perhaps?) and add an hour to the photoperiod. In two or three weeks you're back up to your regular pattern.

3. Can't help you here.

4. For water movement, the MJ Mods might give you some trouble with the sand - if you have some spare cash, the Tunze nanostreams might be a good choice as there flow is strong but diffused.

5. The PCI skimmer should be pretty solid, I've heard good things about them.

6. You've got the right idea, don't let the rock touch the back or the sides. I think you can search for "cube aquascape" and get some decent threads to read through.

 

[siskiou]

Thanks for the input!
I'll try a search for the aquascaping.

And regarding the skimmer: I have a choice between the PCI skimmer I have on the 20H now, and the Euro-Reef 5-2 that comes with the cube.

I have a Tunze 6025, modded for more flow, in the 120G, plus a Tunze 6055 and a 6000 on a controller.
I may get another 6025 and put an MJmod into the 120G instead.
Would 2 modded 6025s provide enough flow for a 60G cube with mostly softies, but some sps later?

 

[ReeferMonkey]

Which PCI is it? Whichever skimmer has the biggest diameter and greatest height is the one I would use.

I think that two 6025s would be OK; they're rated for 600gph although I don't know how much the mod improves them. If you have a return on that it would probably work out all right. SPS placement would really depend on how the circulation patterns worked out due to your aquascaping. Worst case scenario: add another Tunze down the road or step up to a controllable one in the 60g.

 

[siskiou]

The modded 6025s are supposed to get around 1000gph, I think.
Maybe a little more.

I don't know which PCI it is (no writing on it and I bought it used years ago). It's definitely on of the smaller ones.