you can jumpstart a tank by adding mature media from one to another. its what i generally do each time i setup a new tank and QT tank. I keep extra media in my sump at all times for just such occasions.
don't expect to skip the ugly phase, but i generally haven't had to deal with any bad algae...
so it was running for some time quielty, and just recently starting making noise? Does anything change at all if when you opened the primary wide open? did you make any changes with your return pump?
what else is in the tank and not doing well? IME torches can be quite sensitive and the extended low temp (stacked with the other items on the list.....). While low temp is better than high temp - the extended time doesn't do anything any favors.
Doing corals only to start can definitely be done...
what are you interested in (for the long polyp toadstool), I have various acros, anacroporas, some montis, koji wada, pulsing sinularia, japanese deepwater napatheas as well as z & p's.
-rob