I was at my LFS yesterday, and saw a beautiful Bright yellow Goniopora. He told me that the distributor dyes them and that they will eventually in about 8 months or so loose their dyed color and return to normal, with no harm whatsoever to the coral. The distributor refuses to disclose any information on how this is done. Anyone ever see exactly how this is done? I'd like to experiment a bit with this. Thanks....
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Dyed Goniopora ?
- Thread starter Reefguide
- Start date
Sure, just put the coral in a bucket of saltwater and vegetable dye. After a period of time, you have a dyed coral. Now, how anyone could believe that changing the spectrum of the light entering a photosynthetic animal (by applying a colored filter) could have "no effect" is beyond me.
No studies have been done (that I know of) of the effects of the dye itself on the tissue of the coral (the wholesalers who dye corals certainly don't keep them around long enough to see if they survive, much less do any type of longitudinal study or invest in a tissue study of the changes brought about by the dye), but at the very least you'd be altering the sugar-producing efficiency of the zooxanthellae and stressing the coral.
Kevin
No studies have been done (that I know of) of the effects of the dye itself on the tissue of the coral (the wholesalers who dye corals certainly don't keep them around long enough to see if they survive, much less do any type of longitudinal study or invest in a tissue study of the changes brought about by the dye), but at the very least you'd be altering the sugar-producing efficiency of the zooxanthellae and stressing the coral.
Kevin
:lol: Actually I've had mine since day 1 & I've never had a problem with it.... I've heard of them not being very hardy, but even My clowns have even taken up residence in them and the coral seems to love them.... It's grown to more than double its original size... And actually it's a Alveopora...
Its not so much that they are not hardy, but that they do not survive in the long term. Frequently they don't start to fade away until after 6 months. How long have you had yours?
Frankly, I can't imagine why someone would want to dye a coral. Might as well just buy a plastic one and spray paint it.
Frankly, I can't imagine why someone would want to dye a coral. Might as well just buy a plastic one and spray paint it.
hi.
My take on dyed coral is that if one bother to do it, just get a plastic one instead. The japanese have great plastic modeling stuffs. Just go to one of their restaurants, and see the fake food "samples." Look very real, and if not careful, I would have bit into one! It puzzles me when it is the same group of people who like to show off dyed coral... but I guess I should not be because they always have a very particular sense of humor/taste. :wink:
My take on dyed coral is that if one bother to do it, just get a plastic one instead. The japanese have great plastic modeling stuffs. Just go to one of their restaurants, and see the fake food "samples." Look very real, and if not careful, I would have bit into one! It puzzles me when it is the same group of people who like to show off dyed coral... but I guess I should not be because they always have a very particular sense of humor/taste. :wink:
Reefguide":1bvymh6i said:You guys aren't getting me.... I'm not interested in Dying the corals in my existing setup.... I just thought it would be cool to buy a piece and try it and see how the coral does.... just something to play with...
Same advice stands (I don't see how it's much different): Don't dye corals. It's an idiotic practice that greatly increases mortality (this is already known). Playing with life shouldn't be purely for one's amusement (my opinion only, of course).
Not trying to flame here but in my opinion I don't think a living animal is something to "play with". Please don't dye any corals. I have read about the ill effects when people dye fish such as arowanas. I am sure there are ill effects to corals as well. Why take a chance with a living creature? There are reasons why corals have the colors they do, to absorb at certain wavelength and messing with that I would think could have dire consequences. I am not an expert on the photosynthesizing of corals but someone else on this board may be able to enlighten on whether their color has anything to do with it. In any sense I just think its wrong.
Erica 8)
Erica 8)
Dyes are absorbed and assimilated into a coral's epidermis and dermis, effectively attenuating photon energy before it reaches the zooxanthellae in the gastrodermis. This has dire effects on photosynthesis. Attenuation of lights means there is less energy for photosynthesis (often times below necessary compensation points). I can't comment about whether the dye itself possess any chemical traits that might damage coral tissue, but it is a possibility. Attenuation of light alone is good enough reason not to dye corals, especially in our plankton deprived captive ecosystems where light is key to metabolism.
FWIW, no offense was intended, reefguide. I merely wanted to state my opinion that the practice of dying corals is unethical and illogical.
FWIW, no offense was intended, reefguide. I merely wanted to state my opinion that the practice of dying corals is unethical and illogical.
I've had my big round green goni for close to three years. I do nothing special. I don't EVER do water changes. Two year old VHO's. Top off bout once a week. No additves or Kalk (once under a blue moon). IME the Goni is super hardy despite what many people have said. Mine likes to eat. I think it is important to their well being. Most people think that they can't eat.
FWIW
FWIW
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