Best Approach to Resurrect Nano 20

[HaveFishWillTravel]

Hi All!
Background: I have a Fusion Nano 20 that I set up w/live rock several years ago. Photo attached. Light is an AIPrime 16HD LED, Sera Marin PS 130 Protein Skimmer, Cobalt Accu-Therm 100W Heater and the pump is ~220 GPH. I am adding 2 Hygger mini Powerheads w/Smart Controller, up to 1600 gph. Photos of current day tank attached minus the wave makers.
Tank has been great! Then, the tank tanked due to constant high Nitrates brought on by a Bristleworm infestation. Creepiest thing I have ever experienced. When I fed the clownfish (Thing I & Thing II) and the Damsel, the worms crawled out of every orifice. There appeared to be 100s of them. I made traps, bought traps, starved them, didn’t matter, haven’t been able to get rid of them. Almost certain the infestation was my fault due to over feeding. Live & Learn. But, but, but, they still look hungry every single day...
Thing I & Thing II became immune system compromised, they went blind, stopped eating, had to be quarantined for almost a month. It was a nightmare.
I bought a new tank, a XL200 REDSEA and have been building it and cycling it.
Current Day: The REDSEA is just now ready to start adding Livestock. Once I have transitioned some of the corals and the fishes from the Nano to the REDSEA, I want to DUMP that rock, get rid of the sand and cycle the tank.
Problem: I don’t want to transition everything to the REDSEA and I don’t want to lose anyone. How do I ‘clean out’ the tank, put in newly seeded rock and cycle it and still preserve the anemones and some of the corals or parts of them?

I could set up a temporary tank w/the infested rock and the anemones and corals I want to salvage until the Nano 20 is cleaned out and ready to go. Risks? Benefits? Thoughts? Ideas?

Any help and/or suggestions will be very much appreciated.
JL

 

[Spare time]

I would just avoid bringing any live rock into the new tank and dip your corals if they are on frags. You could chip off parts of the rock that have corals on them and then do a freshwater dip. that would be my best guess as to how to save the coral and not the worms (unless its LPS, in which case I would just carefully remove them and dip them in a coral dip. You may be able to get the anemone off but be careful.

PS be careful with moving shells and what not over since they often lay in those

 

[HaveFishWillTravel]

I would just avoid bringing any live rock into the new tank and dip your corals if they are on frags. You could chip off parts of the rock that have corals on them and then do a freshwater dip. that would be my best guess as to how to save the coral and not the worms (unless its LPS, in which case I would just carefully remove them and dip them in a coral dip. You may be able to get the anemone off but be careful.

PS be careful with moving shells and what not over since they often lay in those

I’m going to use a bone cutter to cut the rock. I’m not familiar with the ‘dip’ other than when I dipped my clownfish in freshwater for 15 minutes when they went blind and I wasn’t certain what was wrong with them. I’ll research it, but from your experience, how long should I keep the coral/rock in freshwater? I’m not familiar with ‘coral dip’ either so I’ll have to look into that as well. Thank you for the input!

 

[Spare time]

I’m going to use a bone cutter to cut the rock. I’m not familiar with the ‘dip’ other than when I dipped my clownfish in freshwater for 15 minutes when they went blind and I wasn’t certain what was wrong with them. I’ll research it, but from your experience, how long should I keep the coral/rock in freshwater? I’m not familiar with ‘coral dip’ either so I’ll have to look into that as well. Thank you for the input!

Coral dips are basically solutions you mix with tank water and sit the coral in for 10 or 15 minutes while stirring a few times. Freshwater dips work for some corals but not others (SPS is not very happy with it). You essentially take ro water at the same temp as the coral and put the coral in for a few minutes while shaking it (the worms and what not usually fall right off).

You can also use a hammer and chisel.

 

[HaveFishWillTravel]

Coral dips are basically solutions you mix with tank water and sit the coral in for 10 or 15 minutes while stirring a few times. Freshwater dips work for some corals but not others (SPS is not very happy with it). You essentially take ro water at the same temp as the coral and put the coral in for a few minutes while shaking it (the worms and what not usually fall right off).

You can also use a hammer and chisel.

I moved couple of my purple mushrooms to the new tank and they have not at all acclimated. They are still shriveled up. They did this once before when the salinity was way off and came back slowly after I decreased salinity to 1.025. The Nano 20 is so small, the water evaporates quickly at my house. I typically add RO water until I do a water change because I do them frequently (~every 4-5 days), I moved the bright green cotton candy looking coral and he seems to be doing fine and I moved a little green Zoa that was being stung and was struggling. I think they are both doing well. No pesky worms made it into the new environment. The rest of the corals are guys that a friend of mine grows. They are pretty small, but very cool. I am going to put Anemones and my fish in the new tank in a couple of weeks. Then, I can work on the Nano again. In the meantime, I need to build another small tank to hold the remaining corals and Anemones so I can trash everything in the Nano 20.