Dyed Corals!!!! Don't buy them!!!

[Aquafan]

Here's something you won't see everyday.........a store telling you NOT to buy something in their store.
I recieved some dyed corals on my last shipment. I know this sounds strange, but I am requesting that you DO NOT BUY THEM!!

They are not what I ordered, and in no way reflect my approach or attitude to the hobby.
You may also see them at other stores as we got them from a local transhipper, and they may appear elsewhere in Vancouver and Western Canada. I intend to send a very clear message to the transhipper and exporter that this is not an acceptable practice!
Unfortunately many hobbyists are unaware of this practise and believe they have found a amazing color morph. Instead they are sold a coral with a poor chance of survival.


DON"T BELIEVE ME?
Please read this article by ANTHONY CALFO

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dyedcorals.htm

[Aquattro]

Good to see you sending a message. Especially when that transhipper reads this board.
I hate seeing this happen...realy nice hot pink colt coral in a bag of really hot pink water!! Gee, how did the water get pink? My LFS would rather not believe me when I tell them this.
no,no,no, they say, this is the neon pink sub-species....very rare and expensive. Of course, they're always the first pieces to sell!! :roll:

[Mak]

Just curious as to what Corals are commonly dyed? And which Corals you recieved? so we know what to look out for. :)

[eposer]

Dyed corals in Calgary right now as well!

I was just in Oceans yesterday and saw both a vibrant yellow pagoda and a bright purple colt. They must have come from the same place i'm guessing.

I did manage to pick up a really nice pair of rare flour. green clowns though. :lol:

http://www.rmounsey.com/clowns.jpg

Evan.

[Pansy-Paws]

You're bad! Had me going . . . just for a sec though :o

[naesco]

I really appreciate your posting. You have a high ethical standard.

We reefers have the right to demand ethical suppliers.
My concern isalso with the issue of cyanide caught fish. Many reefers on this board tear their hair out trying to save their fish not knowing that they are cyanide caught (and that is why they are so cheap), If they are cyanide caught as most angels, tangs and triggers are from the Phillipines and Indonesia there is a couple of things we need to do.
Whether online store of LFS we need to always ask where the fish came from. If we don`t trust the answer we should ask to see their invoice.
If the fish is from PI, we need to see that it is certified net caught.
FYI cyanide caught fish are prone to ich, bacterial and fungal infections and because their internals are affected cannot recover and often die even though they are eating. Sound familiar?

[saltcreep]

Naesco,

Not to throw a wet blanket on your post...but remember the certification of net caught fish is still a hot topic of discussion that is apparantly getting even hotter yet.

Kyle...CMA

[Aquattro]

And here is another wet blanket!! If I asked any of the three local suppliers of marine fish where the fish came from, they'd say the ocean. If I asked to see the invoice, they'd tell me to get stuffed!
I don't know where you shop, but I would certainly like to see the typical LFS owner/employee showing customers invoices.
The best you'll get at any LFS around here is advice to go shop somewhere else. And since all three of them are at the airport the same time picking up fish, they all buy from the same supplier.
And to be really frank. my usual LFS neither knows nor cares how the fish was caught.
And not to be a pessimist, but unless I saw my fish pulled from the sea in a net, I wouldn't believe anyone anyway.

Luckily for dyed corals thee is a visual sign for us to judge by.

[EmilyB]

I was looking forward to meeting you at the meeting naesco.....why didn't you come? :? :(

I don't seem to have any problem getting healthy fish, or haven't over several years now. That includes local and MO fish.

Without an autopsy, how is cyanide proven as cause of death?

[saltcreep]

Autopsy...how about a blender and a really good lab.

[Captainhemo]

Hi
I keep reading about all these dyed corals and not to buy thme etc etc. Can someone tell us ralitvily new " keepers" what exactly we should be looking for and what corals are most commonly subjected to this practice ? I am ralitively new to all this and have been purchasing some of my first corals. , Now I'm wondering if I've been buying anything that is dyed w/o even knowing it :( I'd really appreciate any tips/pointere anyone can give regarding what to watch for and any particular coral that maybe dyed

TIA

[Quinn]

The WWM link in the first post of the thread is probably the best place to start. :cool:

[albert_dao]

Common dyed corals:

Yellow toadstool leathers (if you can get someone to touch it and yellow rubs off on their fingures, dyed)
Yellow, purple, blue, red, green colt corals (no such thing)
"Candy" yellow pagoda corals (Again, rub test usually works)
Non-irridescent, single colored fungia (red, purple usually. if the skin of the coral looks 'funny' under atinics compared to normal corals -- think star polyps -- suspect dye)
Straight yellow goniopora (No such thing as far as I've seen)

[UnderWorldAquatics]

Autopsy...how about a blender and a really good lab.

what he said....

[ghztew]

I hate seeing this happen...realy nice hot pink colt coral in a bag of really hot pink water!! Gee, how did the water get pink? My LFS would rather not believe me when I tell them this.
no,no,no, they say, this is the neon pink sub-species....very rare and expensive. Of course, they're always the first pieces to sell!! :roll:

Yeah I'm really happy to see LFS owners discouraging this practice. I made the mistake of not fully researching a Colt coral purchase and mistakenly bought a "special yellow colt coral" from a LFS here in Victoria. I went as far as going back to the store a few times to let them know the colour had disappeared, that I was sure it had been dyed etc.. and they stood firm that they had sold me a legitimate yellow colt.

It's unfortunate that the aquatics business is the way it is here in Victoria.. :sad:

[Invigor]

I picked up a super neon green leather coral from pc a while back.. it melted, disintegrated, and now it's grown back as what it used to look like when I first bought it....but now it looks like a normal leather coral...

I find it pretty neat that it died and somehow regrew again.