How can you tell if a coral is (or has been) dyed?

[AttackDonut]

The LFS here gets some pretty wild things in, but sometimes I have to wonder.

For example, I saw a colt coral that was neon green...never seen that before.

Ditto a Maxima clam, the colours on it were *insane*, absolutely stunning, but compared to the other clams in the tank, it was less money...same size so I was not sure what was going on with it.

How can you tell if they've been dyed?

[mr294]

the best way is to look for discoloration on the rock its attached to or areas of attachment where the dye didnt take right at the base. color in general is a pretty good indication as well; if it looks too good to be true, then its probably dyed :D . he does sell dyed coral, i have seen yellow sebaes, bright purple tubastrea, neon yellow colts, bright yellow pagodas, neon pink colts etc. in his tanks before. as for the clam, i dont think its possible to dye a clam, or at least i have never heard of it being done.

[pi]

...If your water starts truning the same color as the coral