Migrating from a fish only to a reef Tank

[kgalliher]

I am in the process of converting my 55G FO tank to a reef. What I currently have is a sump with bioballs and a rio 1700 pump in the sump (which I am considering upgradding because with the 4" head on it, I am only getting around a 3-400GPH Flow rate), I also have a maxijet 400 and 600 in the tank for circulation.
My Questions Are:

Can I mix Live Sand in with the crushed coral I already have or should I remove it completely?

Should I remove the bioballs from my sump and add a skimmer? If so what is a good one on th inexpensive end of the price scale.

I am planning on going with a 4x96 light fixture.

Any other input would be greatly appreciated.

[OrionGirl]

Any livestock in there?

I would completely remove the CC, put it in nylon bags. Put in the sand, and rest the bags of cc on the sand for a few weeks, gradually removing the bags. Complete tear down of the tank is best--reduces the milkshake effect, allows you to put the LR in securely on the bottom of the tank rather than on the sand.

For the bioballs--is there a good prefilter in advance of them?

[kgalliher]

yes, I do have livestock in the tank. And yes there is a prefilter sponge in the prefilter cup. There is also another sponge/filter before the water hits the bioballs.

I do not have live rock in the tank yet, well I have base rock that has been in there for 3 months. I just ordered my light today and I must tell someone what a deal I got. I found a fish store in CA (I'm in FL) that sells refurbished Orbit fixtures and was able to get a 48" 4x96 outer orbit for $280 + SH. The guy said they are right down the road from the manufacturer and they have no shipping costs.

Anyway....My original thought process was to remove the livestock, then the CC and base rock. I will put the livestock in a 20 gal container I use for water changes (with a powerhead and air stone). Put the sand in then the baserock back in and run overnight and return the livestock. I will be buying the live rock at a later date. (All I could spend right now was for the light, sand and skimmer)

Does this sound like a good idea?

[OrionGirl]

Yep, that should work. I'd even go so far as to put the fish back in the same day, if you can get the other work done in the morning and them in the afternoon. Just would minimize the time they are stressed in the smaller setup without filtration.

With a prefilter, you don't have to worry about solid wastes becoming trapped in the bio balls, inaccessible to the cleaners. You may find that they promote more nitrates that you want--that will be a long term monitoring project. If this is the case, you'll just want to gradually remove them from the system. Shouldn't be a big deal though--the prefilters will trap solids where the cleaners can get to them and remove them from the equation.