Hi Sandi, A rather unusual problem you have there - a coral that somebody tried to improve by making it look more like coral? - but I'd be optimistic about getting your specimen cleaned up. Hard corals are made of essentially the same calcium salts that shells are, and the only chemicals likely to harm the coral are those that would harm shells, particularly acids. Fortunately, almost all of the solvents that remove paint most effectively are non-acidic. A piece of coral could safely be soaked in paint thinner or paint remover, kerosene, turpentine, mineral spirits, or other commercial products of that type, or in purified solvents such as xylene, toluene, trichloroethylene, acetone, etc. It's hard to know which solvent might work best, because you may not know what kind of paint you are dealing with. But they all mix readily and safely with one another, and if one solvent doesn't work well, the coral could just be transferred directly into another. Caution - the vapors from some of these solvents can be harmful if breathed - best used outdoors. Use a covered pail. If you live in a northern area, wait until spring. Also, a coral head like a brain coral is quite porous, and can absorb a LOT of solvent. It may take a week of good ventilation OUTDOORS to completely dry after soaking. Hopefully the paint will be removed by one solvent or another. If necessary, residual bits could be removed with a stiff bristle brush. If you are handling the specimen while wet with solvent, wear good quality rubber gloves (not thin latex gloves - some solvents may soften them to the point where they are worthless). Once the paint is removed (or in the event that you have an unpainted coral specimen), good old chlorine bleach (Chlorox) is the best thing to clean it with, if it needs cleaning. I'd use it fairly strong, maybe 1 part Chlorox to 4 or 5 parts water. This will help: (1) if it's an old, gray or dirty specimen; (2) if all the coral polyps have not been removed; or (3) if there is any odor (especially in massive forms like brain coral) from the remains of worms, mollusks, etc. that have burrowed into it. Don't use the bleach until the solvent has thoroughly evaporated from the specimen (no solvent odor remaining) because bleach is an aqueous (water-based) solution, and water won't mix with any of the above solvents (except acetone). So, if solvent remains in the coral, it will act as a barrier to the bleach. After bleaching, the specimen should be soaked in several changes of water, for at least 24 hours, to remove the bleach, then just dried. If there is a mild odor, don't worry about it. Once the specimen is thoroughly dried (which again may take a week or more), the odor will be gone. If you intend to place the coral in an aquarium with fish or other live organisms, it is of course especially crucial that all traces of solvents and bleach be thoroughly removed! Paul M.