OUR METHODS
BOTTLE NURSERIES
BOTTLE NURSERIES
Join us to create and deploy dozens of bottle units to help rehabilitate and restore coral reefs!
Bottle nurseries are not only very simple to make, but they are highly effective for sustaining healthy coral growth, which is why we love them. The nurseries only require 2 materials: glass bottles and concrete, which are thoroughly cleaned and carefully deployed by our expert marine biologists and volunteer divers.
PROCESS
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Concrete molds are made to secure the base of the glass bottles on the ocean floor. Acting as a weight, the concrete blocks prohibit the bottles from floating away or from accidentally getting knocked over by marine animals. Concrete is also thinly spread onto the sides of the bottles, reducing reflection and smoothness which facilitates coral growth. The rough surface of the concrete makes it more likely for coralline algae and eventually coral polyps to attach onto. Furthermore, the calcium bicarbonate in concrete is a similar substance to the calcium carbonate individual coral polyps secret as they start to form basal plates for their hard skeleton structure. This means that concrete forms a good substrate for coral to attach to, as the substances will happily bond together.
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Coral in a bottle upcycles glass bottles that liter our land and ocean floor. These glass bottles provide a solid structure for the corals to flourish and are lightweight. They are also made up of sand, a natural material that corals stems from. The bottles are collected then thoroughly cleaned, getting rid of dangerous toxins and poisonous chemicals, which sickens and halts the growth of corals.
RESULTS
ARTIFICAL METAL STRUCTURES
ARTIFICIAL METAL STRUCTURES
Join us to construct and deploy artifical metal structures to help grow and restore coral reefs!
Artificial reef structures require careful consturction and deployment in order to successfully promote coral growth. These structures provide many attachment areas and last for approximately 8-10 years underwater. Once they collapse, the sturctures are usually covered in so much coral that the reef becomes self-sustaining.
PROCESS
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The artificial reef srtcutures are then carefully deployed underwater. Divers scavenge the sea floor for broken coral fragments to replant, working together as a team to tie the viable corals onto the reef structures. Corals are placed onto the structures in a manner that maximizes surface area, allowing the corals to take in as much sunlight as possible.
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Metal rodes (rebar) are wielded together to form the triangular arrangement of our artificial reef structures. These metal rodes are also bent to form a horseshoe shape, which acts as the weight for our coral nurseries, further preventing the concrete bases from moving around. The triangular metal structures provide an easy place to attach corals and allow waves to pass through without overtuning the corals.
