sorry i didnt get back to you on my results, mine were shipped in a special bag with no water, and so i just dumped them in a 1 gallon container i had and then set up a drip line, and let them drip for a while..
As for survival, well, i ordered like 20 i think, but i got more like 60+ of them... as far as i can tell, they have all pretty much survived, i know that a few died cause my clownfish keeps pick'n at them, and i saw him suck one out of its shell, so i'm sure that there are a few dead, but for the most part, i think i got one heck of a good deal, paid for like 20, got like 60, put about 40 in the 75 gallon main tank, put 10 or so in the fuge, and then the last 5 or so i dropped into the sump...