RBTA Flurescent Pink Shipping Water?
- Thread starter Jillyfish
- Start date
gilweb
Member
Here is a quote from the FAQ
"Sometimes bland-colored anemones are dyed at the exporter to give them a brighter color
(and justify higher prices). Dyed anemones exhibit a universal bright color over their
entire bodies, and the tentacles are the same bright color as their columns. Bright yellow
or pink anemones have almost certainly been dyed and should not be purchased."
"Sometimes bland-colored anemones are dyed at the exporter to give them a brighter color
(and justify higher prices). Dyed anemones exhibit a universal bright color over their
entire bodies, and the tentacles are the same bright color as their columns. Bright yellow
or pink anemones have almost certainly been dyed and should not be purchased."
First, we need to get away from concentrating on the tentacle color in the first picture. RBTAs will often exhibit highly flourescent "bright" tentacles when the anemone is shriveled/shrunk/deflated. Although pretty bright, the first pic looks normal to me - I wouldn't use it to show evidence either for or against dying.
Second, pink bag water really, really strongly indicates the presence of dye. A few years ago there were a bunch of RBTAs being sold that turned much more brown once they were settled in. The belief at the time was that the importers were dying them more red to make the sale, and the anemones were returning to their normal color over a period of a few weeks. Unlike the yellow-dyed sebaes, this reddening of red/brown RBTAs didn't seem to affect their health (ie, most anemones survived).
You're in a hard spot. Anemones can change color somewhat due to differing tank and lighting conditions, so it might be next to impossible to "prove" that your more brownish anemone a month from now was originally dyed by the seller, but based upon the bag water color, that woudl be my suspicion. All you can really do is take some pictures now, and take some more four, six and eight weeks out and compare.
Kevin
Second, pink bag water really, really strongly indicates the presence of dye. A few years ago there were a bunch of RBTAs being sold that turned much more brown once they were settled in. The belief at the time was that the importers were dying them more red to make the sale, and the anemones were returning to their normal color over a period of a few weeks. Unlike the yellow-dyed sebaes, this reddening of red/brown RBTAs didn't seem to affect their health (ie, most anemones survived).
You're in a hard spot. Anemones can change color somewhat due to differing tank and lighting conditions, so it might be next to impossible to "prove" that your more brownish anemone a month from now was originally dyed by the seller, but based upon the bag water color, that woudl be my suspicion. All you can really do is take some pictures now, and take some more four, six and eight weeks out and compare.
Kevin
Gosh, thanks for all the replies! My anemones look better every day. The color is natural looking to me. Much more so than at first, and I don't think just when it was deflated at first. They are a lot more orangey now.
That is really interesting, Kevin, about the brown anemones being dyed pink without being bleached. I wonder if that is what happened. I guess I'll just keep taking pictures like you said and watch the color progression.
That is really interesting, Kevin, about the brown anemones being dyed pink without being bleached. I wonder if that is what happened. I guess I'll just keep taking pictures like you said and watch the color progression.
Flighty
Premium Member
I was moving some stuff in my tanks and thought of you. I had a bucket of water that got some flakes of bright red coraline algae in it from the scraper and in the morning the water was bright pink. If those anemones were mounted on glass in a prop tank and he scraped them off the glass with some coraline it might explain your the strange water.
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