56 gallon Rebuild

[reefbum517]

Ok, my 56 gallon FOWLR aquarium is not going anywhere near as well as I want it to be going. From problems with ick to nuisance algae, I am not all that pleased with how things are going. So, as a result, I am wanting to rebuild the tank to make it better. I need to get a better protein skimmer, add a refugium, and get way more accurate test kits. Eventually I want to even introduce corals to make it a reef tank. The only problem is I do not know what to do with the current fish I have in the tank (2 4-striped damsels, 1 yellow tail damsel, 1 green chromis, 1 purple dottyback, 1 fire clownfish, and 1 cleaner shrimp). I know that keeping the fish in the tank while I do this rebuild process is way out of the question considering I am going to replace all the water and add dry pukani dry rock as opposed to live rock. Should I set up a temporary tank for the fish While I do the rebuild, or will the cycling of the new set up take too long to keep the fish in a temporary tank. If that is the case, where do I take the fish once I get them out of the tank to do the rebuild process. If anyone has any suggestions I would greatly appriciate it. Also if anyone has any suggestions as to starting a reef tank that would also be greatly appriciated. Thanks!!!

[muttley000]

Do you have a reefer friend that could keep them in his QT system? Some LFS will take them on trade also. Lastly you could set up a system and cycle it, that would only put you back a couple weeks, and you would have stuff for a QT when you were done.

[reefbum517]

I'll check with my LFS to see if they could trade them in, if not I will set up another system like you said to keep the fish until I get done with the rebuild and cycling of the 56 gal. Thanks for the advice!