Redoing Aquascape to hold more coral

[Hbohi]

Hey guys I have a 40 gal tank that im wanting to do more coral in... right now I have 2 zoanthids and 1 clown and I wanna redo my rock to have more room on the rock for coral. I only have about 4 large pieces of rock and wanted to add some more rock to act like shelves for the coral...Any ideas on how I can do it with out cycling my tank?

[thegrun]

If you use live rock simply cycle it in a 5 gallon bucket with a heater and a small pump and then simply add it to your tank. You could also use dry rock without cycling it provided the dry rock does not have a lot of dried on organics which could overwhem your bacteria when it decompses and start a new cycle.

[HUNTER1]

You will not cycle your tank as long as you don't stir much of the sandbed. Just be careful pulling out the rocks if they're burried, other than that you'll be ok. If you're adding live rocks and have a die off from them, you might get a mini cycle but if you have enough bio filtration from what you already have, then you're still ok. If they're dry rock, just clean them thoroughly before putting them in the tank.

[Hbohi]

should I remove the 2 zoas while doing this?

[HUNTER1]

You don't need to unless thyre in a way, then you can put them in a bucket with tank water. Shouldnt be any problem whether you take them out or stay in the tank while rescaping.

[crsswift70]

Just find cured live rock that has been in a running tank or bin for a while. Nothing fresh out of the box, or you'll risk a cycle of some sort. I suppose even true dry rock could be used as there shouldn't be anything on there to decay. Stuff like reefrocks sells.