[geekdafied]

There is no 100% way to tell if they are aquacultured or not, the only thing you can go by is their word. If its on a plug or disk, make sure its encrusted on it and not just glued to it, that shows that it has been on the plug/disk and in a tank for atleast a little while which would give you better odds then buying something that you can clearly see has been recently glued. Another way you can tell is they will be brighter colored. Most things from the wild are dull looking and not colored up but if they aquacultured under the wrong lighting for that particular coral, they can still be dull looking as well.

It goes back to what Tangy said about knowing your dealer. There are way to many places that get something in and have it available for sale the same day, so who knows what kind of surprises you will also be getting ESPECIALLY if its wild collected. In my personal experience I have got a few surprises from wild collected and aquacultured corals over the years, and most were not welcome.