Zoas on live rock

[Lobot]

so i picked up 100+lbs of live rock from someone breaking down their tank. The rock is now dry but appear to have some Zoas attached. After I establish my setup will the Zoas "wake up?" or are they just basically skeletons now?

 

[andrewey]

Unfortunately they are dead. Anything that does have a mechanism to survive desiccation (e.g. a spore) will die if left out of water long enough. You will need to cure the rock to break down the nutrients left over by the dead zoas and other organisms.

 

[tsouth]

I would not keep my fingers crossed. If they make it, treat them as a nice surprise (assuming you put it back in water). On another note, because the rock was once live, and now dry - there's a significant die off of organisms. I would recommend that this rock be cleansed through proper curing methods before it is used.

 

[Lobot]

since this is my first set up i was just going to cure the rock in the tank.

 

[tsouth]

since this is my first set up i was just going to cure the rock in the tank.

That works!

 

[andrewey]

You can do that, but I highly recommend against it. Curing can stink up a house- really, it's awful. Plus, it's easier to perform water changes if you're curing in a bucket. It's absolutely possible to cure in the tank, however I've found you're more likely to perform the necessary water changes to ensure adequate removal of phosphate if you do it in a bucket- it's too tempting to say "good enough" after a month or so and start your tank prematurely. Either way, best of luck!