Inheriting a tank. Need advice.
Hi everyone, I’m a long time lurker but new to reef keeping. I am inheriting a tank from a buy nothing group on Facebook the definitely needs some TLC. It is a 32g coralife biocube, all original hardware, has two clowns and a dottyback and some crabs. It has been running for 5 years. I have a couple questions about moving it and then what to do when it’s all set up again.
The move, from what I’ve read/watched online we want to put livestock in one bucket, live rock in another, then save as much of the water as possible. The sand it seems is disposable, since that’s where the bad bacteria is. He says that the sand is actually small rocks, does this mean that the good stuff is going to also be in the sand/rock bed? I want to replace the sand anyway with white sand so not upset about tossing it but want to make sure I’m not tanking the system.
And what would be your first steps once I get it into my house? Put it all back together? What should I watch for besides changes in any water quality. Should I try to work on the algae immediately or wait a day or two? Any steps would be helpful. I’m still reading things online but figured it wouldn’t hurt to have advice for my specific scenario.