power outage destroyed reef tank

[Charlie1]

Well Hurricane Sandy knocked the power out for about four days. My power just came on yesterday. I was assessing the damage the power out had done to my sw tank. The tank temp dropped to below40 degrees and consequently EVERTHING is dead in the tank, except for a damsel fish. My live rock did not seem to fair too well either. I moved it around to see dozens of little critters dead. My qeustion is should I add new live rock in order to have more hitch hickers recolonize the once live rock or is there still enough hitch hicker that may have survived the ordeal and I should just leave things alone for now?

[arch aquatics]

I would let the alive ones repopulate the rock.

Send me a PM with your address in it, i got an extra frag or two and some rubble to reseed your tank

[TheOldSalt]

Wow, thanks, A.A. Nice to see folks helping out each other.
As for this tank, i'd save the live rock, but brush off all the dead stuff into a bucket. It will be ugly base rock, but it won't be rotting, and the bacteria inside will recover no problem, making it still "live" and useful. New growth will be able to recolonize it easily.

[arch aquatics]

I may sell fish but im still human and a hobbyist at heart!

always gotta keep good folks in the game and its tough coming from a set back.

Just wish i had more stock to send but the salt is a true hobby yet and not in any way a thing i could think about turning a profit from LOL

[arch aquatics]

Thought i would give ya a sneak peek of some of the stuff im fragging this weekend and sending ya frags of to kick start you awesome comeback charlie!

[arch aquatics]

these pics were 15 mins outta the box they will be much better tomorrow

stand by my friend we will get your reef back to a reef again!

[e048]

you have my sincere condolences, I always have at lease 3-4 battery air pumps in case of outages but I live in Texas so I guess the temp always stays pretty warm... I'm sorry to hear that. I had a buddy of mine lose everything but rock when a power surge electrocuted everything in his 300g tank that had been running for 6 years....