I really think buying gigs from a LFS is a crap shoot. It really can go either way in terms of getting them to survive. No matter how many questions are asked, we don't know how long they've in transit -- how many days the collector had it, the exporter, the importer, and finally the LFS. We don't know what they were exposed to or how they were handled.
In terms of cost, though green ones are seen less frequently, they're typically cheaper than blues and purples. If it looks yellow, it's most likely a bleached green one. The tan ones are always the cheapest. Sometimes you get lucky and they refract light, making them appear multi-color.
Gigs rarely deflate, so it would be a rare occasion to see one deflate in front of you, unless of course, they're in terrible shape. If it were to deflate, the chances of survival are even less, due to the fact that you know that it's already sick and dying. You would need to start Cipro treatment right away. I firmly believe from first hand experience and from following other people's threads, that if gigs don't show signs of improvement in the first few days, they don't make it.
In terms of magnifica, the common color (reddish brown base, not magenta or purple or red) shouldn't be more than $100. I remember seeing them on wholesale lists for about $30. That said, any healthy mag is worth whatever premium you want to pay for it. Regarding these particular mags, if they're all together in a tank and some are deflated, we can assume that they're all exposed to the same pathogen/infection.
