Your thoughts on dyed corals
 

After searching through some online fish and invert sellers i found this
http://www.marinecenter.com/corals/c...fingerleather/
i was surprised to find them selling artificially died corals,this has always been a issue with me,not wanting to surport such practises,but is dyeing corals truly harmfull,other than the fact the customer will be surprised when there once neon pink turns back it it's normal brown colour ?

Anyone know how they dye them? Im guessing its not like sticking a celery stalk in a cup of food colored water..

I dont believe in anything artificially changed like that BUT I must say it is a little better then doing it to fish....or....I..think....so

THey use a dye in the water they are grown in.. soft corals which take in water, take in the dye and slowly change colour.. tell tale sign is when a coral comes in and the bag of water it came in is coloured like the coral :) The stress causes the coral to release some dye. The dyes usually last weeks if not months..

I have read of stories that Japan is the biggest importer of such corals, and when they loose their colour they are merely discarded and replaced with another one.. this is a sad practice indeed...

I am not sure the marine center is actually selling the dyed coral, but warning that come may be floating on the market. The wording is a alittle confusing..

Mike

The dye eventually fades, but it takes forever and does not harm the coral at all.Sounds like they are selling them to me.

like food perhaps ?

Thats why I answered the way I did, it is almost impossible to get away from it nowadays, but when it comes to my Aquariums, All natural!!

reply
 

I don't believe its really bad for the creature itself, as no real ill effects have been recorded, at least not that I've found.

My problem with the concept of dyed corals is that vendors don't tell people they are dyed. So when people take them home, and the coral looses it resiliant color, which could be the very reason the customer bought it in the first place, it will result in a pretty upset customer. Its really a case of false advertising.

I think Eric Borneman has stated that the dye inhibits photosynthesis, which would be a bad thing.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...ht=dyed+corals

http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewto...highlight=dyed

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