When you decide what kind of coral you want to buy, I recommend that you make a list, then go to the store to buy instead of looking at it, take your list with you and stick to it to prevent unconsciously buying other corals that may become problematic later. Never buy corals that you haven't studied or aren't planning. I know this will be boring and take away the excitement of the purchase. However, these are not toys, they are living organisms that need good care. In addition, I (the author) think that buying corals that are easy to reproduce and spread is a better choice.
Below I have listed some guidelines and things to be aware of and avoid when purchasing. Following these tips and taking the time to read them will help you avoid the hassle that follows
1 Do not buy damaged corals
You should always look closely at the sample for possible physical damage during collection or transportation, especially to examine the large, sharp or protruding diaphragm/skeletal structures on the coral body, as these areas are prone to cuts, cracks or abrasions. The most common problem in stony coral is that a disconnected diaphragm cuts open the surrounding flesh
2 Do not buy corals that cannot be opened In the aquarium, corals will open during the day and close at night, and some will always open. You need to be careful of corals that are only partially open or not open at all. Corals that are over-illuminated do not open up because they may be damaged by excessive photosynthesis or sunburned by excessive UV light. Too high or too low temperatures, poor water quality or inappropriate water flow can cause corals to not open. They may also become diseased by being stung by aggressive corals around them or coming into contact with toxins produced by nearby corals.
These problems are generally solved by simply moving corals to places where environmental indicators are appropriate, but there is no reason to take such risks. So I (the author) suggest that the store solve these problems and you continue to shop
3 Do not buy corals that have already been albinized
Just as some corals remain closed under certain conditions, many corals will lose color. Sometimes, when corals remain in an overheated or overcool environment for a period of time or are subjected to rapid light changes, they may either become completely white or even transparent, which is what is known as "coralbleahing" (coral bleaching) that occurs when corals lose their zooxanthellae and pigments. There are exceptions where individual corals can survive by "reinfecting" zooxanthellae, but in my experience this is very rare. So avoid corals that look white or are completely transparent
4 Do not buy artificially colored corals you may encounter a coral color particularly bright looking not like it is true, some profiteers have long found that many corals can be dyed by soaking, generally choose bright pink, fluorescent magenta and yellow. Sometimes used for albino corals so that they can still be sold, but also used on healthy corals and then defined as "special" samples marked with high prices, dyes are toxic to healthy corals and can interfere with the absorption of light by zooxanthellae, and dyes obviously do not help albino corals recover. If the coral survives, it is only because the dye fades over time that the coral's previous appearance is restored. Determining whether or not to dye is difficult because some corals have very bright colors. If you suspect that the coral is dyed, check the coral with doubts and see if it conforms to the general description
5 Don't buy corals infected with brown jelly (Brown's frostbite).
If a coral is injured, it can quickly become a victim of "brown jelly," a type of bacteria and protozoa that attack the injured site and look like a mucous membrane. The number of these microbes grows rapidly, depleting the flesh around the wound and spreading rapidly to destroy the rest of the coral, even if the initial infection is only on small wounds.
Entire samples usually die within a day or two, and extreme examples perish within a few hours. In addition, if the infected coral is under strong water, some jelly will blow away and parade onto other corals, which will pose a potential threat to other corals, and I (the author) am fortunate to never encounter this in my own aquarium, but I have brought home more than one coral that was completely conquered by brown jelly in less than 24 hours. Therefore, to avoid buying even if there are very small wounds of coral special are those who already have jelly on it
6 Do not buy corals with rtn
Some corals suffer from a condition called "rapid tissue necrosis"—rtn (rapid tissue necrosis). In this case, the tissue of the stony coral is shed from the bone, which makes the coral completely clean and visibly dead. In extreme cases, RTNs can spread rapidly and completely annihilate samples within a few hours. Unfortunately, once you start, it generally doesn't stop. It is still unknown what the reason is, although there are many ideas that have not been confirmed
Fortunately, it usually only affects branched hydrate corals. RTNs generally start at the bottom of coral groups and spread to the top of the branches. In view of this, it is important to look carefully (especially the bottom of this type of coral) before deciding to buy. If some white skeleton looks exposed, you should hold it and wait a day or two to see how the situation develops
7 Do not buy corals with organized decay
Sometimes, if you look closely, you'll see some of the stony corals that look like they're peeling off the skeleton, but this one's not the same as rtn. The tissue flesh does not decay, dissolve or become gelatinous, they are slowly retreating from the edges of the skeleton, so that previously unexposed places are no longer protected. This can be a reaction to stress, illness or injury. However, when calcium and alkalinity are too low or phosphoric acid levels are too high, they will often appear on corals that have been raised. This inappropriate water quality will prevent corals from making new bones and will also reduce the coral's ability to attach to the skeleton.
What you need to look at is the exposed or partially exposed skeleton that corals usually have when healthy, and look at where the flesh usually stops to see if they're still in place. Fortunately, this problem is often slow and can be solved by improving water quality. However, you still have to avoid buying corals that have this problem
8 Do not buy corals with known low survival rates
This list will change depending on who you ask, but some corals have been told to die in the aquarium. But there are always exceptions, some of which are strong in a personal aquarium, but these are definitely exceptions. Many will live well for weeks, months, or even a year, but then slowly fade until they die.
In stony corals, matchhead/torch flowers, vase/frog eggs and reel-shaped disc corals are low-survival corals and should not be considered for purchase. In my experience, worm rock (insect-bearing) microporous corals also need to be avoided because the worms will always die and the corals will go with them.
Some non-symbiotic corals such as sunflowers are best not to buy. Many sunflowers have proven to be relatively strong if the feeding pattern is still strong, but there are some, especially tubastrea micranthus, even if you try it, it will not live well. The same is true of leather tree corals, such as white-spiked soft corals, various non-photosynthetic gorgonian corals, and sea chicken heads
Note: This article was reproduced by the user "Sea of Coral" to the Dragon Peak Seawater Fish Forum, the original author: james fatherre / original text: "the super simple guide to corals" / Translation: jackslt / With image selected from the network
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