shortcake turning white

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Do you remember any earlier posts or discussion where I can get more detailed side by side comparison of wild cut v/s captive grown corals. How to identify them and other stuffs?

Not off hand I'm afraid, But you have got me thinking and the gears are turning But as a general guide for a buyer, a lot of times a seller will be sure to mention if their stuff is captive grown as its a strong selling point. if not then its more probable that its not captive grown.

And I'm not even saying that all wild cuts are bad. But for someone venturing in sps for the first time you'll be much better served with captive raised sps. I'm afraid no amount of TLC is going to resurrect that guy for you.

 

[Reefer93105]

That shortcake is not going to make it. It's too pale. Looks like it already peeled actually. Unfortunately many retailers get the wilds and start selling them without letting the colony settle more in an enclosed environment. I have hand picked a few Australian shortcakes and always pick the darkest color ones. They eventually brown or gray out but in a month or two they color back up in a deeper color shade. That's when I cut and confidently sell it.
It is hard to tell if it's wild or captive grown. One thing I do notice is that wild acro skeletons are more dense and harder. It's more difficult to cut them with bone cutters.
From what I remember reading many years back I think the phosphate in an enclosed system makes the new skeleton growth more pourous and less dense in captive raised acros.