Stuff like this annoys me as a keeper of a marine aquaria, a little reading (which should always be done by the purchaser prior to buying any invertibrate, fish or coral for compatability reasons) would have informed them that this was the case, the majority of corals can exude toxins when threatened (as do sea slugs) and as for not knowing it was a living entity why did they think the selling aquarist had this coral species in a tank and plastic copy versions (no doubt) on a shelf nearby - really!! there are even garden plants that are poisonous - does everything have to carry a warning label in this world (i.e. beware of this jellyfish it may sting - other things may sting also), rant over.

With peterL - a tank with coral is just a tad more specialist than gold fish in a bowl.

The story indicates a lack of knowledge verging on negligent - it appears rasing the age at which pets can be bought does not always result in animal protection.

Most shops (and businesses) have never heard of the General Product Safety Regulation let alone put it in to practice - all incorrectly relying upon the previous stage in the supply chain, and when you are an on-line entity registered elsewhere in the world.....

Dogs bite, Cats scratch, Snakes are venomous, even some fish are very aggressive (Red Belly Piranha) - should we safety label them all?

In my extensive experience all specialist marine aquarists never sell livestock without enquiring about tank size, species already within your tank for compatibility reasons, age of the tank (properly cycled) and always have provided advice re Coral, as some fish just devour it, so I think the point I'm making is that the buyer should be aware when buying what was obviously livestock that there may be some element of risk (i.e. handling a Lion Fish could be very painful if not fatal depending on alergic reaction), therefore read up on your pets and take the necessary precautions.

Also Chainsaws can be bought in shops are they are not safe in the wrong uneducated hands

Edited by user 08 August 2019 12:44:56(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Originally Posted by: peterL

Dogs bite, Cats scratch, Snakes are venomous, even some fish are very aggressive (Red Belly Piranha) - should we safety label them all?

My understanding is that piranha in a tank are often rather shy.  On the other hand, I had a comic-looking puffer fish take a lump out of my hand once - one that ate cockles without me removing them from the shell first, so had some serious dentition (I'm told that a big one in the wild can take your toe off - they think it's some sort of slug or worm crawling along the bottom).  I've never kept marines, but even I know stressed corals can produce nasty toxins, and have very little sympathy for anyone keeping them that doesn't know that much.

Only problem with that approach is you can guarantee they won't fully eliminate themselves but end up needing significant care - unless we have a special one-way ambulance service

This is an educational forum.  I did not know this about coral and now I do.  Not everyone is a specialist in everything but if someone asked me in future "what are the risks from having an aquarium in the foyer" I might now have some knowledge.  This would then spur me on to look at other hazards from an aquarium (not just the fish which I think most of us are aware can be dangerous) and, thus, I would be able to complete a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.

Sometimes one should just say "thanks for the information" because no knowledge is ever wasted.