What are some tips for purchasing healthy anemones and corals?
First, know what the organism looks like when it’s fully opened and healthy. You should research the animal in a good reference book. The coral colony, hydroid or anemone should be fully-opened and upright. Not all aquarium reef environments will support all types of sessile invertebrates due to differences in lighting, current, and water conditions compared to the organism’s natural environment. Try to shop for sessile invertebrates in a store that displays them in ideal conditions. Surprisingly, many stores do not invest in proper lighting or water flow in aquariums used to display corals, so the animal you want may not be fully opened. Look for tears or rips in the outer integument (“skin”) of the animal. Avoid purchasing hard or “meat” corals that are not open or when the soft tissue has peeled away from the hard exoskeleton (“shell”). Look for moldy-looking white growths on the tissue of soft corals. With gorgonian colonies (and many sponges), avoid buying specimens that aren’t at
