Introduction.................................................................................................................... 3
Reef
Balls......................................................................................................................... 3
Coral Propagation..................................................................................................... 3
1- REEF BALL ASSEMBLY................................................................................................. 5
1.1 Aim.................................................................................................................................. 5
1.2
Materials ................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 Attach balls to mold
panels.......................................................................... 5
1.4 How
much do I inflate the side balls?
........................................................ 6
1.5 Pinning your molds together ........................................................................ 7
1.6 Adding sand and sugar ...................................................................................... 7
1.7 Adding the center
bladder............................................................................... 8
1.8 Safety instructions............................................................................................. 8
2 - Cement
Processes.................................................................................................. 9
2.1
Aim.................................................................................................................................. 9
2.2
Materials.................................................................................................................... 9
2.3
Methods .................................................................................................................... 10
2.3.1 Mixing concrete by truck........................................................................................ 10
2.3.2 Mixing concrete by hand......................................................................................... 10
2.3.3 Pouring of concrete................................................................................................ 11
2.3.4 The curing of the
concrete...................................................................................... 11
2.3.5 Removal of molds.................................................................................................... 12
2.3.6 Surface texturing and pH
reduction....................................................................... 12
2.4 Safety instructions........................................................................................... 12
2.5 Problem solving................................................................................................... 12
3 - Coral work............................................................................................................... 13
3.1
Aim................................................................................................................................ 13
3.2
Materials.................................................................................................................. 13
3.3
Methods..................................................................................................................... 14
3.3.1 Coral storage set-up............................................................................................... 14
3.3.2 Coral Collection...................................................................................................... 14
3.3.3 Coral plugs.............................................................................................................. 16
3.3.4 Coral Transplanting................................................................................................ 18
3.3.5 Important Notes...................................................................................................... 18
3.4 problem solving................................................................................................... 19
4 - Deployment of the Reef Balls..................................................................... 20
4.1 Deployment plan.................................................................................................. 20
4.2 Deployment teams............................................................................................... 20
4.2.1 Inflation Team......................................................................................................... 21
4.2.2 Walker Team........................................................................................................... 21
4.2.3 Runner Team........................................................................................................... 21
4.2.4 Receiving team........................................................................................................ 22
4.2.5 Safety team............................................................................................................. 22
5 - Maintenance.............................................................................................................. 24
6 - Tips.................................................................................................................................. 24
7 - Glossary..................................................................................................................... 25
Related Websites....................................................................................................... 25
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................. 26
Introduction
This
manual is produced by a team of employees and volunteers of "Plantages
Portomari. After receiving 10 days of intensive training from Todd Barber and
Larry Beggs from the Reef Ball Development Group the team evaluated the whole
process of building reef balls and coral propagation. The results are put
together in this manual and can be used by new "reef ballers" to
learn about the process or by more experienced ones to use as a reference. To
facilitate use in the field all steps are confined to short bullet points in
the back of the manual. You can print these out, insert it in a plastic
coversheet and take it with you.
If
reef ball building and coral propagation is handled at the same time it is
important to divide the group into two teams, the CONSTRUCTION team and the
CORAL PROPAGATION team with both an experienced leader.
Reef Balls
Reef
Ball mold systems are designed to create stable artificial reef modules
that have variable sizes, shapes, hole sizes,
hole patterns, hole shapes,
surface textures and weights. Molds are also
designed to accommodate a variety
of
concrete mix designs. Variety is the most important
factor in creating a reef with the highest amount of species diversity.
Although
learning how to use the mold to consistently produce usable modules is easy, it
is an art and takes practice to perfect the techniques that produce unique and
interesting modules. However, even "failures" are not bad and can
often be used as reef material. As long as the bottom base of concrete remains
intact, modules produced by our molds will still have the same stable
characteristics as "perfect" modules. First, learn to perfect the
basic casting techniques. Remember that concrete is like a cake mix.
One must have a good recipe, mix the batter
correctly, bake at the right temperature and cool the cake properly in order to
make a nice cake. Short cuts can sometimes still make an edible cake, but too
many changes can doom one to disaster. Also remember SAFETY first and NO HURRY.
Happy
casting!
Coral Propagation
Using
the technique of coral propagation can help the reef because you are using
(part of) one colony to make more. If done properly you increase coral
frequency and help restore the reef faster than when you would use reef balls
only. For coral propagation you always need a good plan in advance, what corals
are you going to use, how many fragments do you want to take of each species
etc.. If not you might end up with collecting more coral fragments than you can
handle. Keep in mind that most of the fragments are going to be fragmented into
even smaller pieces. At the start a diversity of corals is a good thing but
later in the process you might consider to make coral plugs of only a few
specific species. Make sure you don't collect species from deep areas if you
are going to use the coral plugs in shallow water. Think before you act and
keep handling all coral with the greatest care since they will go through a lot
of stress during the whole process.
To
make plugs that fit on the reef balls, Reef Ball Coral Plug cement needs to be
used for quick hardening under water, pH neutralization and hardness. The coral
fragments are put on the cement while it is still wet and put under water as
quick as possible. The plugs can be taken out of the molds within a few minutes
to hours, depending on the type of cement and than put into a frame in a tank
with a continuous flow of fresh seawater till all are ready.
It's
best to have the coral plugs in a controlled environment for about 7 weeks to
grow out. Coral will start growing over the bottom of the plug; later on the
coral will grow upwards (occasionally it will be the other way around). If you
don't have a controlled area use a frame in calm water or put them on the reef
balls straight away (they may not grow well though and than you'll have a hole
of the reef ball filled up with nothing).
Also
here: NO HURRY, 3 mistakes is one too many. Happy planting!!!
1-
REEF BALL ASSEMBLY
1.1 Aim
Before casting concrete the
molds need to be assembled accurately. To become familiar with the materials
used, a picture of all items can be found in the material list. Make teams of
two persons to work on all steps to work more efficiently. Before casting don't
forget to check if everything is still in place.
1.2 Materials
- Hammer - Pins 3 inch
- Screwdriver -
Pins 5 inch
- Plates -
Wedges
- Rubber plugs - Phillips head crews for plugs
- Tether balls - Coat hanger
- Polyform bouys (A0 or A1) -
PVC collars
- Texture balls - Hollow pin
- Polyform Center bladders (A4 A5 A6) - Hold down bar
- Washers small and big - Chickens,
funny balls
- Scuba tank -
Adaptor to inflate balls
- Fine mist sprayer - Sugar water
For proper identification of items and
amounts of items necessary per mold check Appendix
1.
1.3 Attach balls to mold panels.
There are three different
side balls, A-0 or A-1 Polyforms and
tether balls.
Tether balls fit the 1 1/4 inch holes drilled into the sides of the fiberglass mold panels.
-
Start
from the inside of the mold and push the pin attached to the tether ball
through the hole.
-
From
the outside of the mold, pull the tether until the knob with a hole in it is
sticking out of the hole.
-
Make
sure the inflation hole is directed upwards
-
Put
the pin through the hole in the knob and the tether is locked in place.
-
Put
less inflated tethers near the bottom holes and more inflated ones near the top
(this makes removal easier).
-
You
can color code the inflation rates by under inflating green tether balls and by
inflating the other colors more.
Problems:
§
If
you want to remove a tether ball to make a more solid wall, or if you are
waiting on a replacement for one that has broken, just place duct tape over the
hole on the inside and the outside. (Yes, that will really hold the liquid
concrete in.)
§
If
you break the line between a tether and its pin, just use some string to tie it
back on.
Polyforms and tether balls only need to be attached to the side panels once since they are not
intended to be removed with each casting.
Polyform A-0s or A-1s fit the larger 3-4 inch holes in the mold panels.
-
To
attach a Polyform, insert the top of an inflated Polyform (not over inflated,
just with enough air to take the folds out of the ball) from the inside to the
outside of the mold.
-
Have
inflation hole directed upwards.
-
Place
a PVC collar around the knob from the outside of the mold and insert a hollow
tube pin through the hole in the knob.
-
It
is helpful to have someone pushing on the Polyform from the inside to make
insertion of the pin easy. A screwdriver for leverage and a hammer to tap the
hollow tube pin is helpful.
1.4 How much do I inflate the side balls?
Tether balls are inflated with a needle
valve and an air compressor.
If your tether balls are new
from the factory, we recommend that you
over inflate them just a
little bit and let them sit overnight.
You only have to do this at the start of the
production of a serie Reef Balls. After the first time you just have to check
if the inflation is still correct.
-
For
mold use, the tethers should be at "normal" inflation levels when
placed in a hole at the top half of the mold. Don't leave them over inflated
because the center bladder will pin them against the mold with additional
force.
-
Tethers
placed in the lower half of the mold should be soft enough to grab with one
hand and you should be able to squeeze the ball with one hand to make an
indention. This will insure an easy removal from the module.
-
If
your mold has Polyform side balls, you don't need to worry about ease of
removal because they are deflated before the mold panels are removed.
Polyform A-0s or A-1s are inflated (to about 9
inches for the A-0 or 12 inches for the A-1) by unscrewing the screw caps and
adding
air by a compressor.
-
The
side Polyform balls have a one way valve in them so that they stay inflated
even before you put the screw cap back on them. (However, always put it back
on!)
Near the top of your mold,
you may not even have to inflate/deflate the Polyforms because they spring out
of the mold easily. Near the bottom of the molds, especially the Pallet and
Reef Ball molds, you'll want to inflate them a bit more to make sure the hole
they create goes all the way through the module's wall. HOWEVER, ONCE YOU OVER
INFLATE A POLYFORM, IT WILL DEVELOP A "MEMORY" AND WILL TEND TO
INFLATE TO THE LARGER SIZE FROM THEN ON. If you want a large hole, you can put
as much as 10% more air than normal to make them up to 10 inches across.
On the central bladder Polyforms (A-4, A-5 and A-6) the one way valve is
removed for faster deflation.
In order to let air out of
the Polyform A-0s or A-1s, just insert a blunt pin (A tether pin or a coat
hanger will do).
1.5 Pinning your molds together
The first step after the side
balls are attached is to pin your molds together.
-
Line
up the "A" from one panel with the "A" from the second
panel, and so on, then your molds will be together correctly. The holes will
only line up one way in case the markings have faded.
-
Assemble the molds on a flat surface,
preferably the new mold base
-
Put
a washer on EACH side of the 3inch pins and the insert the steel wedge on the
left side of the flange (make sure all pins are directed the same way).
If a washer does not fit because the hole is close to the body of the mold,
then, leave it out. Without washers on both sides, it is very possible to tear
right through the fiberglass flange during a pour.
-
Don't
tap the wedge in with a hammer until you get the entire mold together. Tap each
wedge down so the flanges are firmly together.
-
Make
sure the molds are at the right bases and line up the markings of the mold with
the markings on the bases.
-
Now
move the base plates over the bottom rim of the molds with one end against the
wall of the mold (so base plates are perpendicular with mold edge) and secure
the plates with wedges. There are plates with 2 different sizes of thickness.
Make sure you use the thinnest ones where you have less space for the wedges
(this often is the case with the Ultra ball)
1.6 Adding sand and sugar
-
Mix
up a solution of 1 cup sugar with a quart of water. Put it in a fine mist
sprayer
-
Mist
the inside of your mold including the side balls. A nice, even, LIGHT coat
everywhere will keep the new Reef Ball from sticking to the mold and will give
it a nice looking surface.
-
If the molds haven't been
used for a while also spray sugar water before you put the side balls in
otherwise the concrete will stick to the mold at places behind the side balls.
-
Try
to put the sugar water on in time to let it dry. If you put in too much sugar,
or the surface is still too wet, then the whole concrete mix may not cure on
time. (In this case, leave the concrete in the mold for an extra couple of days
and things should turn out fine).
-
Next,
put a couple of shovels full of sand in the bottom of the mold after checking
for sharp objects on the bottom that can damage the center bladder. The sand
makes an irregular bottom ideal for worms, shrimp, starfish and other marine
critters. Make sure that there is enough sand on the sides to cover all
openings between the mold and the base or concrete will seep out.
-
Don't
put sand in the middle but you can experiment by leaving a few mounds in the
sand for waves or holes in the unit's bottom. This also keeps the center
bladder from coming into contact with deck screw heads or splinters that you
missed.
1.7 Adding the center bladder
The Reef and Ultra Ball use a
Polyform A-6; the Pallet Ball uses an A-5; and the Bay Ball uses an A-4. (Look
just below the neck of the bladder to find this number).
-
Put
the hold down bar through the hole in the top of the center bladder (a short
bar for the Bay Ball or a long bar for the Reef and Pallet Ball). Make sure the
bladder is deflated before you try to insert it. Put it into the mold, from the
top, and position the hold down bar through the hold down bar holes.
NOTE: Newer molds have two sets of hold down bar holes. This is so you
have a spare in case you forget your chickens and the hold down bar breaks
through the fiberglass...really.
-
Spray
sugar water on the center bladder.
-
GET
YOUR CHICKENS or FUNNY BALLS READY & INFLATING THE CENTER BLADDER
Chickens are bricks, smooth
stones, or even poured concrete blocks that are placed in the top of the mold
to make the Reef Balls have whatever thickness you like in the top walls. They
take stress off of the hold down bar because the center bladder will have a
tremendous amount of upward force on it when it tries to "float" in
the liquidy concrete. The funny balls are used as chickens in the smaller sized
molds (Lo-pro and Oyster balls).
THEY ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL POURS, OR THE BLADDER WILL RISE SO MUCH THAT
YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET ANY MORE CONCRETE INTO THE MOLD. IT IS ALSO LIKELY
THAT YOU WILL BREAK THE HOLD DOWN BAR AND INCUR POSSIBLE INJURY
Note: Many new Reef Balls
have "built in" chickens, if your molds have knobs at the top of each
mold piece, then you don't need chickens, however you can still add them if you
want an even thicker top wall.
TIP: You may wish to use 3-4
inch PVC pipes about 4-6 inches long with sealed end-caps as chickens. The air
in the PVC will show up well on a depth finder, making it easy to locate
specific units from the surface.
1.8 Safety instructions
NEVER INSERT YOUR HAND BELOW
THE TOP LEVEL OF THE CHICKENS WHEN UNCURED CONCRETE IS IN THE MOLD. IF THE
CHICKENS WERE TO BREAK, THE FORCE OF THE INTERNAL BLADDER
COMING UP WOULD BREAK YOUR HAND AND PIN IT TO THE MOLD.
2
- Cement Processes
2.1 Aim
To describe the process of
cement mixing and pouring for Reefballs at Porto Mari.
2.2 Materials
Before obtaining all
materials a decision should be made as to whether the
cement is going to be mixed by truck or by hand.
For mixing by hand you need:
-
Concrete
mixer
-
Portland
cement (for strength and glue)
-
ADVA
flow (fluidity of concrete and to keep water content down)
-
Microsilica
(strength and to keep pH down. The pH of concrete is ~10, microsilica will keep
it closer to the pH of sea water, 8.3-8.4) Sand (filler)
-
gravel
(strength and rough surface structure), larger size for larger balls
-
Fiber
(prevent cracking of concrete)
-
AEA
(for trapping air in the concrete for rougher texture on balls)
-
Buckets,
6 or more 12 or 16 lt. Content
-
Hose
and freshwater source
-
Spade
-
Wheelbarrow
-
Newspapers,
wet, (to seal leaks when pouring)
-
Duct
tape (to tape empty holes in the molds)
-
Car
sponges,2 or more, (absorb excess of water on top of balls after pouring
concrete)
-
Water
Sprayer (clean screw holes after pouring concrete)
-
Clothes
hangers,2 or more, (deflate tether balls)
-
Check
board or check slates (pre-pour check of all molds)
N.B. At Curaçao you can't
obtain Type 2 cement, therefore the materials and methods described relate to
Type 1 cement. To compensate for the lower strength of Type 1 cement additional
Microsilica is used.
2.3 Methods
2.3.1
Mixing concrete by truck
The process for mixing by
truck is very similar to hand mixing in regards to materials used and the
ratios they are used. When mixing by truck all but one of the materials (AEA -
see below) will be used as for hand mixing, however, not all the materials need
to be at Porto Mari. Mixing by truck means that the cement will be mixed at
source and will have cement, water, sand and rocks as part of the concrete mix
when it arrives. The AEA (air treatment) will no longer be required as the
mixing action of the truck puts enough air in the cement.
Only ADVA flow and fiber need to be added when the truck reaches place
of pouring.
Extra precautions:
-
Make
it clear to the mixing company what the requirements are and why
-
Determine
the exact ingredients the mixing company intends to use (e.g. Type 1 vs. Type 2
cement
-
Ensure
the ratios of materials remain the same
-
Do
not let the truck driver add more water upon arrival at Porto Mari (this is
standard practice in many places, but should be avoided as it will reduce
concrete strength)
2.3.2 Mixing concrete by hand
Before mixing starts, ensure
that enough molds are set-up and checked (against the checklist).
-
Add
to concrete mixer
In proportions: ………………… In amounts
(=1/2
of proportion but enough for mixer):
·
About
20 lt. Water ………… ~1,5 buckets
·
4
kg microsilica …………… 1/6 bag or more if you want stronger concrete
·
130kg
gravel ……………… 6 buckets
·
70
kg sand ………………... 2 buckets
·
40kg
Portland cement …… 1/2 bag
-
Mix
until sand is completely mixed in and you cannot see it. At this stage add:
·
1
handful of fiber
·
~40-50
ml of AEA
-
Mix
until it is a little crumbly (i.e. looks too dry for concrete), add:
·
about 0.3 lt.
ADVA flow (as much as to
make it fluid)
-
Test
if concrete is ready:
To test if the concrete is
ready put your hand in it pull some out - after a few seconds if the stones
have fallen to the bottom of your hand and all you can see is the mixture - then it is too wet. If they stay mixed evenly through the
concrete like a sticky paste, then it has the correct consistency. It should
not be too crumbly so that it separates. In regard to the concrete strength, it
is better to add too much ADVA flow than too much water, however, it is more
expensive.
-
Important points to remember:
·
The
concrete must be as dry as possible, too much water will significantly reduce
concrete strength
·
The
ratio of ingredients must remain the same to retain concrete strength. If you
added more water in the beginning - add more of the other ingredients to
maintain the ratio
·
A
lot of the mixing process is eyeballing the mixture. You need to get a feeling
for how the mixture looks as different sand or wet sand, different rock sizes
etc, can all play a part in changing the consistency of the cement and
therefore affect the strength of the concrete.
·
Concrete
must be used within 40 minutes or it will be too hard. Sugar can be added (1
teaspoon) if the molds are too be left overnight before demolding (sugar
retards the drying process).
2.3.3
Pouring of concrete
-
Pour
the concrete as fast as possible.
-
To
aid in the distribution of concrete in the molds, the sides of the molds and
the top bar that holds the center bladder can be hit with a rubber mallet. The
rubber mallet should be used so that all the holes are filled up, but not too
much or you will get cement between the tether balls and the molds which will
make it difficult to remove the molds after the concrete has set. Don't bang
with hammers on molds when pouring concrete, start hammering carefully when 3/4 full and use rubber hammers,
with smaller balls can hammer from beginning.
-
When
the mold is full of concrete, clean up the screw caps from the center bladder
with as little water as possible or with the use of a tooth brush so that they
are easy to remove once the concrete has set. Rubber plugs (as used on the
inside of the molds) can be pushed into the cement at the top of the ball for
additional coral plugs.
2.3.4
The curing of the concrete
-
After
every hour check the center bladder has not expanded too much - release air for
10 seconds.
-
Don't
forget to take the rubber plugs out before the concrete has hardened
completely. They can be taken out as soon as the shape of the plug staysin the
conrete.
-
There
must be at least 4 hours of curing before demolding. (Do not let balls cure for
more than 12 hours in the molds, as this will make the molds very difficult to
remove).
-
To
test if the concrete is ready for demolding release air from the center bladder
and it should separate from the cement.
·
If
there is cracking between the cement and the mold, stop releasing air as this
means the cement has not cured enough.
·
If
there is a crack from the center bladder to the mold, then the bladder has
expanded too much and air should be released.
2.3.5 Removal of molds
-
When
you are sure it is ready, release the air out of the buoys/balls (except for
the tetherballs - A0).
-
Remove
the hold down base plates, one at a time from the bottom and put wedges in a
small bucket.
-
Remove
the screw caps from the polyform side balls and put them in a small bucket.
Coat hangers should be placed in the holes of the buoys, as this will allow any
residual air to escape while removing the molds and make the removal easier.
-
Remove
the side pins of the molds and put them, with wedges and washers assembled
again, in a bucket
-
Remove
the panels by gently pulling on the mold till the balls pop out. (Remove the
pins from the tetherballs if they don't pop out and release air from the
balls).
2.3.6
Surface texturing and pH reduction
-
After
removal of the molds, the reefballs should be sprayed down with water
immediately. This is important as it increase the likelihood of settlement by
marine organisms in two ways:
·
adding
texture to the surface of the reefballs
·
reduce the
surface pH to closer to sea water
(spraying the balls removes cement from the surface and increase the amount of
rock on the surface area which has a pH
closer to seawater)
-
The
first 12 hours are the most important for the curing of the concrete. In this
time period the reefballs should be kept wet (80% humidity) with freshwater.
After 12 hours saltwater can be used.
-
After
2-3 days they do not need to keep wet anymore, as they will have cured enough
to be transported.
N.B. Not following the curing
procedures correctly influences the pH of the reefballs and is likely reduce
coral settlement!!
2.4 Safety instructions
-
Never
put your hands between the concrete and the center bladder
-
Protect
skin when working with concrete (mineral oil / gloves)
-
Never
pick up a module by the holes in the
top of the unit or brakage and possible falling concrete hazards will occur.
2.5 Problem solving
|
Problem |
Solution |
|
Concrete too wet |
Add more concrete |
|
Concrete too dry |
Add ADVA flow (NO WATER) |
|
Concrete leaking from
bottom of mold |
Put wet newspapers |
|
Concrete leaking from
smaller holes |
Use duct tape |
|
Concrete cracking from
center bladder to mold |
Release air (check every
hour) |
|
Difficult to remove molds
(concrete drying too fast) |
Add sugar (1 teaspoon) to
next concrete mixture |
3 - Coral work
3.1 Aim
The aim is to describe the
process of coral propagation within the Reefball framework. This includes the
collection and storage of corals, making coral plugs and how to attach the
plugs to the reefballs.
3.2 Materials
The
following is a list of materials required, split by process:
Storage set-up
-
Tarpaulin
-
Rope
-
Tent
pegs
-
2
large plastic tubs (>1x1x1m)
-
Hose
(~15m long)
-
Water
pump
-
Hydrostatic
glue or silicone to attach hoses
-
Sharp
knife or drill
-
Cross
head screw driver to open up the pump when there are failures.
Coral
Collection
-
Plastic
bags
-
Collection
bags
-
Clippers
-
Dive
gear
-
Plastic
cups (>12)
-
Medicine
cups (>5)
-
Wooden
stirring spoon
-
Hydrostatic
concrete
-
ADVA
flow
-
3
Buckets
-
Freshwater
source
-
Clippers
-
Sugar
-
Mixer
(optional)
-
Egg
crate
-
Table
or work bench
-
Baby
oil
-
Stainless
steel screws (various lengths, see text)
-
Plastic
tray
-
Marine
putty
-
Latex
gloves
-
Dive
gear with extra weights
3.3 Methods
3.3.1 Coral storage set-up
-
Before
collection of corals can begin, the storage area for the corals must be set-up.
This area should be protected from the sun to keep water temperature within
acceptable limits for coral survival and to prevent coral bleaching. This is
done by using the Tarpaulin, with ropes and tent pegs to hold it in place.
-
The
coral storage set-up is an open system with seawater pumped from the sea
through two tubs and then out to sea again (figure 1). Seawater is first pumped
into Tub 1, which is connected by hose to Tub 2, water flows into Tub 2 and a
hole in the side of Tub 2 serves as an outlet for the system from where the
water flows back to the sea. The tubes between tub 1 and tub 2 should be
secured with silicone or hydrostatic glue. Ideally, the water should be tested
for pH (8.3 -8.4) and temperature (keep between 25-28ºC, 77-82,4ºF).
-
To
ensure optimal survival conditions for the coral plugs, each tub has a separate
function.
·
Tub
1 is the holding area for completed coral plugs as this will be the cleaner
tub, with freshest and most oxygenated water - giving the coral plugs the best
environment to survive and grow.
·
Tub
2 will hold the collected coral fragments - this is the main working area and
the aim is to keep the corals in here for as short a time as possible.
-
When
the system is full of water and the pump is working with water flowing through
the system it is time to start coral collection.
3.3.2 Coral Collection
The
reefballs at PortoMari will serve to attract fish species and regenerate the
areas of reef and species of coral that were present previously. It is ideal if
corals can be collected from this area with a ratio similar to what is
available. Before collecting, a plan should be made of what species of corals
are needed and how many. This will be dependent on the research that is going
on and therefore need to be determined by the research supervisor. You can
divide the species as follows:
Fast
growing species:
·
Branching
gorgonians
·
Staghorn
coral
·
Elkhorn
coral (not available at Portomari)
·
Greater
star coral (relatively fast and a reef builder)
Easy
use for fragmenting:
·
Finger
coral
·
Yellow
pencil coral
·
Sheet
coral (lettuce coral)
·
Flower
coral
·
Fire
coral
·
gorgonians
·
Shallow
areas (up to 10 feet): brain corals, elliptical, starlet coral
·
Deeper
areas (more then 10 feet): Star coral, pillar coral (need good water flow),
lettuce coral
Extra
diversity:
·
Maze
coral
·
Mustard
hill coral
·
Elliptical
star coral
·
Blushing
coral (deeper)
·
Cactus
coral
In
dark areas:
·
(Orange)Tube
coral
·
sea
fans (need good water flow)
Obviously
while collecting coral it is better to collect healthier specimens, however, we
should aim to avoid doing this at the expense of existing coral colonies. Plus
there are some basic rules of care that should be adhered to in order to give
the corals the best chance of survival:
·
Collect
healthy but vulnerable specimens (i.e. those that may be disturbed by future
storms, not those that are part of a secure colony)
·
Try
to work with one coral species at a time - this will reduce mistakes from
unfamiliarity and prevent species touching each other in the storage tank.
·
Decide
on how many coral plugs you can make in one day, then collect only as much
coral as is required
·
Take
care to wave your hand in front of the corals before touching them, this gives
the polyps a chance to retract out of harms way
·
Wear
latex gloves at all times to prevent contamination from any residues on your skin,
e.g. sunburn cream (if no gloves available wash hands before any other action
taken)
-
To
collect coral fragments you will need dive gear, collecting bags, plastic bags
and latex gloves, plus you may need clippers to cut off dead segments that you
don't want to carry back with you.
-
When
you have located the coral you wish to collect place it inside a plastic bag
with some water
-
Collect
just one fragment per bag, fragments of different colonies can harm each other
when they touch!
-
When
you have enough for the day swim back as close to the storage area as possible
and with assistance remove each plastic bag with coral from the collecting bag
and place corals in tub 2 removing the plastic bags underwater.
If
corals need to be moved to different (light) conditions do this gradually (e.g.
from dark deep water to bright shallow water you should move it every day a
little during an entire week).
3.3.3 Coral plugs
-
Cut
corals up into pieces that can be used in the coral plugs. This is different
for each morphology type (to get a viable piece of coral that will survive and
ultimately thrive), which can be split into the following groups:
·
Brain:
No splitting, use whole colony or tear drops.
·
Star(let)
coral: Can be fragmented but make sure fragments have healthy individual polyps
·
Hard
branching: Most can be cut in pieces
·
Leaf
and plate: Can be cut in pieces.
·
Pillar
coral: A small piece with healthy tissue is enough
·
Flower:
Use one cup (coralite).
·
Gorgonians:
Depending on coral. Fragments of seafans need to include the "vein",
seaplumes need tip of main branch, for sea rods any branch can be used.
-
To prepare the corals for the
placement in the plugs…
·
Brain corals can be difficult to cut up, plus there are a number of small brain
corals in the sand at Porto Mari. The smallest of the brain corals should be
collected. Once in storage a stainless steel screw can be drilled into the
underside of the coral, taking care not to pierce the upper (live) side.
Approximately 1 inch of screw should remain protruding through the underside of
the coral for insertion into the cement plug.
·
Hard branching corals, such as Staghorn or Elkhorn corals can be cut up
into quite small fragments no smaller than an inch long. The main thing to
remember is to keep the growing tip out of the cement and with smaller
fragments it may be useful to lie them down to get best adherence to the cement
and the majority of polyps exposed. Always
place fragment with the polyps directed upward or the coral will mot grow out!
·
Leaf and plate corals can be cut up into pieces 1/2-inch square and placed
flat on the cement with any damaged or dead areas facing down.
·
Flower corals- care should be taken not to cut the corallite. These coral have large
corallites that must remain intact for survival.
·
Gorgonians are the hardest to handle but the strongest to survive.
Cut up into about 1 inch lengths. The flesh should be
removed carefully down to the woody skeleton of the bottom 1/4 of the stem. The
stem is the only part that should be inserted into the cement as any of the
soft part will die and disintegrate causing a loose connection to the cement.
-
Branching
hard corals and gorgonians will grow best if dead part from top and bottom are
removed first! New tissue will grow over the top.
-
In
all cases the corals collected and the fragments made should be placed in the
cleanest part of tub 2 which means away from sand and debris. If you have space
in tub 1 it is best to keep the fragments made in there since that is the
cleanest tub with the freshest and most oxygenated water. You can also siphon
the sand and debris out of the tub with a small piece of garden hose. This is
especially important if you leave the whole set up for more than a day (make a
habit of cleaning the tubs at the end of the day)
To make the cement plugs
-
For the molds use plastic cups with small holes in the
bottom (for drainage) and fill them 2/3 full with just wet sand. (NB just wet
enough sand to keep imprint of medicine cup, but not so wet that the imprint is
difficult to make.) Use a medicine cup
to make a hole in the sand (the plugs put on the inside of the reefballs fit
perfectly into the medicine cups). Make another thinner hole in the center of
this hole with the handle of a wooden spoon. This second hole will help with
the stability of the coral plugs when they are placed in egg crates after
drying.
-
Premix hydrostatic cement with 25% microsilica.
-
For slower hardening add a few grains of sugar (not more
than that!) but skip this step if it goes fine.
-
Add ADVA flow - one drop per medicine cup cement
-
Add water - 1 part water (from bucket 1) on 3 parts
cement, and stir immediately till liquid consistency.
-
Pour it quickly into the ready-made holes,
-
After a quick fresh water dip (have
bucket 2 with fresh water ready) coral fragments can be pushed into the drying
cement and held in position until the cement dries enough that they are held in
place.
Make
sure the cement covers no coral polyps!
Ensure
coral polyps are pointing upwards!
-
Put the cup with the plug back in Tub 2 (or better a
separate tub of salt water) to assist in the drying of the cement.
-
After a few minutes, when the cement is hard, the coral
plugs can be removed from the cups by rinsing them under the water outlet of
Tub 2. (As much sand as possible is kept in the cups for use with the next
batch of coral plugs - the hole in the bottom of the plugs makes drainage of
the water possible so that the sand is not too wet)
-
Place the coral plugs in Tub 1 until you are ready to
plant them on the reefballs.
-
Make sure that different species are separated and
aren't too close, some species have long tentacles that will kill other corals
-
If you need to clean your hands quickly use an
additional bucket (#3) with fresh water to prevent other water or the tubs from
getting polluted
TO GET FAMILIAR WITH THE WHOLE METHOD FIRST MAKE SOME TEST PLUGS TILL
YOU'RE SURE TO HAVE THE RIGHT MIX AND TO SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR THE CEMENT
PLUGS TO BECOME HARD ENOUGH TO REMOVE IT FROM THE MOLD.
[A mold is being designed by the
Reef Ball Foundation for quicker and cleaner construction of coral plugs]
3.3.4
Coral Transplanting
-
Place coral plugs on a tight tray inside a box or tub.
Diving gear and some additional weight for stability makes working under water
easier.
-
Activate marine putty by kneading it in your hands till
a solid grey color (we wore latex gloves to protect us).
-
Put the putty
into the plug hole for a mechanical attachment and push the coral plug
into the putty - very firmly.
Placement of corals on the
reefballs can be very important.
·
Keep
in mind where the coral fragments comes from. Does the coral need lots of
sunlight or more shade (North East south or west side placement), lots of
current or hardly any.
·
Don’t
put sensitive corals near the bottom where it is more likely that they get covered
by sand now and than.
However, as we used fragments
and not large colonies their morphology is more adaptive and they are therefore
more likely to survive.
(A
different chapter on coral propagation will be written later, research has to
point out more facts and for now common sense has to be used as much as
possible. That means keeping the original place of the coral in mind and look
for spots where the species normally
occur, that's the kind of spot tat they favor)
3.3.5 Important Notes
·
Brain
corals take 5 months to grow out (not all). Other corals should be ready for
transplanting in 7 weeks.
·
When
using glue a grow out aquarium is essential
Coral
fragments
·
Super
glue and putty can be used to attach coral fragments to concrete plugs but they
need a 7 week grow out period in controlled area (preferably an aquarium).
·
Coral
prefers concrete compared to the marine putty, so best not to have putty where
coral needs to grow
·
Don't
put fleshy part of fragments in concrete.
·
Keep
contact fragment and base as large as possible
·
If
a brain coral is larger then the mold surface make the concrete flow over the
mold so that there is a larger surface contact for the brain coral.
Transport
of coral plugs
·
Short
transport: Put plugs in tight tray or frame. Keep under water.
·
Transport
over longer period: Put plug on Styrofoam in plastic bag with little water and
filled up with oxygen. Close bag tight with rubber band. The plugs will float
up side down with coral in water. Pure oxygen will prevent oxygen depletion in
water and thus rotting of coral.
Outgrow
of coral fragments
·
Keep
coral plugs in clean water with extra Ca2+ . Keep for 1hr on cold water(?). A drip system in tank (?).
·
There
are 2 filtration systems, a wet-dry system with use of bio balls (semi open)
and a system where the green algea Ulva
sp. And Caulerpa sp. do the
filtration work. A combined system can be used. Filtration systems are used to
absorb the ammonia/nitrates and nitrites.
·
PH
water should be between 8.3 and 8.4. For fresh water dip use water with same
PH.
·
Cover
tank with black plastic if near spawning time. Spawning takes a lot of energy
and affects the grow out time.
Coral
diseases
·
Smell
coral. If it has a rotting smell you're dealing with a bacterial infection.
·
Look
for bleaching (water temp to high, too much sunlight)
·
Bleaching
but does not mean corals are dead, it means that the zooxanthellae are dead
(over time zooxanthellae can repopulate coral polyps)
Other:
·
Coral
can also be attached to a reefball where it is found - straight away without
plugs but this is more time consuming
·
Clean
old plugs (before reuse) where corals have died in case of disease
·
Choose
to make plugs with pins on bottom or not
·
Try
to make same size plugs
·
Before
you pick up a coral always wave at it
so the polyps will retract and won't be damaged.
· 3 times stressed coral it might die (rule of 3)
3.4 problem solving
|
The
pump breaks down |
1-Get spare pump or…. 2-
Keep water temperature under control with ice in well closed plastic bags. 3-
Remove any debris from water 4-
Test water quality and continue if
quality is fine. 5-
Put everything in a protected place under water as soon as possible (Don't
leave any corals over night, they will damage or die. |
|
Cement
plugs don't harden |
1-Don't
use sugar. 2-
Add microsilica 3-
Leave plugs in for few hours and don't place outside within 24 hrs. |
|
Bleaching
in tank |
Check
temperature and add ice (see above) |
|
Dying
corals |
Remove
from tank immediately, they can contaminate the water. |
4 - Deployment of the Reef Balls
4.1 Deployment plan
Depending on the goal where the reef balls are used
for a deployment plan has to be set up. For Portomari there are 3
possibilities:
Reef reconstruction:
-
A normal
distrubution for the reef balls is to use 50% Bay Balls, 35% Pallet balls and
15% Reef or Ultra Balls. The other smaller balls can be placed randomly.
-
The density or
the number of Reef Balls over a given area will have a great affect on how the
reef functions. With the "default goal," the best rule of thumb is to
mimic the density of the natural reef system in the area
·
Average 1 unit
every 3 meters or less will create a high diversity coral reef like
environment.
·
Average of 20
meters apart will create a reef system better for foraging fish such as
grouper.
It is important to note that density is an
overall average of units per area, not specific spacing between each individual
unit.
Snorkel trail:
Balls should be placed in logical order
according to the plan of the trail.
Break water:
Balls should be placed more precisely
according to drawings made in advanced.
In any case, before the actual deployment, the area of where the reef balls should go
has to be marked. The next step is to discuss the deployment pattern. In case
of snorkel trail and break water it is most likely that more places need to be
marked.
4.2 Deployment teams
To start the deployment all
the reef balls should be by the water edge. Everybody should help bring the
reef balls to the water edge. Then the teams can be set up.
-
First a briefing needs to inform all helpers in what team they are and
what each team does.
-
Every team will have a ‘leader’ who knows exactly what to do, so if
there are have any questions during the deployment the helpers can go to the
team leader.
-
Five different teams will carry out the deployment of the reef balls.
The teams are Inflation-, Walker-, Runner-, Receiving- and Safety team.
4.2.1 Inflation Team
Task:
To inflate the center ball
Materials:
-
Tank
-
Air nosal
-
Screw driver
-
Rope (strong enough to attach a bowie to the reef ball)
Put the center ball in the
reef ball and inflate it. Make sure the center ball is inflated enough to make
the reef ball float in the water, but don’t inflate it too much because the
heat will expand the center bladder during the deployment which can cause
breakage of the reef ball.
4.2.2 Walker Team
Task:
To get the reef ball to
floating point.
Materials
-
Gloves
-
Old shoes (no open sandals) that can get wet.
-
When the center ball is inflated, the walkers role the reef ball into
the water until it floats. This must be done very carefully and make sure you
don’t role the reef ball over rocks because it could easily break the reef ball
-
The walkers give the reef ball to the runners.
-
When the runners come back they give the deflated center ball to the
walkers who in return give it back to the inflation team.
4.2.3 Runner Team
Task:
To get the floating reef ball
to the place of deployment
Materials
-
Screw drivers (attached to BCD to prevent loosing it)
-
Knife
-
Snorkel equipment
-
BCD (for safety)
Methods
-
The runners swim the reef ball carefully to the receiving team.
-
While swimming it is important to keep the center ball wet, to prevent
it from warming up by the sun and expanding. If it expands it can break the
reef ball.
-
The runners have to take back the center bladder from the receiving
team. (easiest is to hand over the ball and take back the bladder from the
previous ball)
-
Never wait above the reef ball in case something goes wrong
and the reef ball comes up with speed.
4.2.4
Receiving team
Task:
To place the reef ball at the right spot on the
bottom.
The
divers of the team can only be very experienced divers that know how to do this
work.
Materials
-
Dive knife
-
Screw driver
-
Extra screw caps
-
Wetsuit
-
2 complete dive
sets (or more if more divers are involved)
Methods
The receiving team takes care of the placement of the
ball.
-
The team leader
tells where the ball should go.
-
Deflate the
center bladder for a few seconds untill it start to sink. Don’t take the whole
screw cap of, just untighten it a little bit so the air can come out.
-
The divers
guide the reef ball down to the bottom to make sure it sinks in the right
position. Make sure not to get above the ball if possible.
-
At the bottom
the divers deflate the center bladder further so they can remove it from the
reef ball, make sure that the water doesn't go into the center ball.
-
The snorkelers
from the receiving team wait at the surface, but like the other snorkelers they
should not hang above the reef ball but keep a safe distance.
-
If the center
bladder comes up they give it to the runners.
4.2.5 Safety team
Task:
To help in emergencies
Materials
-
Whistle
-
Radio/ mega
phone
-
Snorkel
equipment
-
Dive set ready
to go
Methods
-
Communicate
with the different teams,
-
The leader has
to stay on land at a spot where he can overlook all situations.
-
The others stay
somewhere close, in the water or on land, to stand by other teams or help in
emergencies.
-
One whistle
means communication between safety team.
-
Two wistles
means communication between safety team and one of the teams.
-
Three wistles
means danger, everybody allert.
In case something goes wrong or someone is feeling
tired, the safety team will deal with those situations.
Please remember that safety is most
important!!!!!
5 - Maintenance
Maintenance
for prolonged use of reef ball molds
-
Metals
plates for attachment to bases need to be rinsed of and sprayed with CRC or
WD40 before storage.
-
Always
store molds (and other materials) in shade. Keep molds out of the sun when possible!!!
-
Let
concrete cure no more than 12hrs in mold, then unpin balls first.
-
Always
have sugar water sprayed on inside of molds before pouring concrete
-
Keep
small buckets next to bases to collect pins, wedges and washers during
demolding.
-
After
1/2 year: Hammer off concrete build up from molds
-
After
1 year: Pressure gun molds to clean and spray with liquid wax.
-
Store
small parts in mineral oil (baby oil) or spray with DW40/CRC if not used for
coral fragments).
-
All
metal tools should be rinsed off and dried with fresh water and sprayed with
DW40. Clippers and other metal tools
used for coral fragmentation only in mineral oil!!!
6
- Tips
-
You
can hammer stainless steel nails in concrete right after demolding so coral
fragments, tags or other things can be attached to it after .
-
To
prevent (gill)netting in area with reef balls, the balls can be equipped with
nails or other sharp items on the top. Attach these to the top during the first
hours of concrete curing before unmolding.
-
Usefull
as chickens: Small, thick-walled (40) PVC pipes.
-
Holes
can be drilled on the inside of the reef ball, just after demolding, for
attachment of orange tube corals on the inside of the ball. The holes should be
slightly bigger than the stainless steel screws used for the corals.
-
Sponges
and soft corals can be transplanted with the use of tooth picks/ rubber bands
and bridal veil.
7 -
Glossary
|
Term |
|
|
Biological
active |
|
|
Bentic |
Living
in or on ocean bottom. |
|
Biological
inactive |
Doesn't
react with natural environment (impermeable, pH neutral etc.) |
|
Cultivation |
Reproduce
under controlled circumstances (e.g. breeding, grow out) |
|
Organisms
such as barnacles, bryozoans, and algae that live on the surface of man made
or introduced objects. Usually in large numbers |
|
|
Habitat |
Where
animals live. Includes property, food, nutrients and shelter. |
|
Pelagic |
Living
in the open water |
|
Propagation |
Reproduce
(sexual or asexual). For corals that means divide 1 colony into more
colonies, asexual or sexual) |
|
Recruitment |
Here
Settlement of new coral. This can be at larval, post larval, juvenile and
adult stage. |
|
Reef
assets |
Biological
and economic value of the reef (diversity of inhabitants, tourists, diving
and snorkeling) |
|
Reef
efficacy |
Micro,
mini, macro scale |
|
Reef
restoration |
Act
of restoring a reef system to it's natural species diversity and population
density. |
|
Reef
species |
Species
that depend on reef (bentic). |
|
Replanting |
Planting
at same position |
|
Stability
of reef balls |
|
|
Sustainability |
Without
impact to environment. (here harvest coral fragments without impact) |
|
Transplanting |
Planting
at different position |
|
Zone
of biological impact |
Interacting
of species |
Related Websites
For more information
on policies and projects of Plantages PortoMari see
For more information
on the Reef Ball foundation and
their work see
For pictures of Reef
Ball projects see
http://www.artificialreefs.org/Photogallery/gallery.htm
Acknowledgements
List of contributors to the manual:
Maureen Kuenen
Ardy van Grootveld
Sophie Koppes
Marjo van der Bulck
Jonathan de Beus
Nina Johanssen
With special thanks to:
The reef Ball Foundation and in particular
Todd Barber and Larry Beggs for all their help and advise
Julia Taylor for reviewing and correcting
where necessary
