[Coral-List] attaching coral skeletons and shells

Janie Wulff wulff at bio.fsu.edu
Thu Jul 23 13:00:26 EDT 2009


Sponges can bind rubble piles together.  They do it quickly, and are 
aesthetically appealing and inexpensive.  Easiest to use are 
branching species because they can be simply inserted among the 
rubble pieces.  If there's enough current to move unstabilized rubble 
around, just cable tie each sponge piece to a piece of rubble before 
inserting it in the pile.  Most sponge species will firmly attach to 
multiple pieces of rubble in 1-4 days.  The branches from which you 
cut sponge pieces will regrow.  Coralline algae and bryozoans will 
recruit and bind your rubble further, as they grow from one piece to 
another; and coral larvae consider sponge-bound rubble suitable for 
settlement.  A couple of references:  Wulff, J.L. 1984. 
Sponge-mediated coral reef growth and rejuvenation. Coral Reefs 
3:157-163.  and Biggs, B. 2008. Sponge-mediated coral reef 
restoration: efficiency, sustainability, and relative performance. 
Abstracts, 11th International Coral Reef Symposium.

Good luck, Brad! -Janie


At 9:05 AM -0400 7/23/09, Brad Baldwin wrote:
>Hi folks-
>Any suggestions on the best ways to glue coral rubble together
>underwater to make small artificial reefs? Alternatively I would like to
>do the same with empty conch shells. I know many of you do reef
>restoration work and glue coral fragments/cultured juveniles down
>underwater so am hopeful you can share some tips on products and
>techniques.
>Thanks, Brad
>
><><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><  <><
>
>Brad Baldwin
>Department of Biology/Johnson Hall 123
>St. Lawrence University
>Canton, NY 13617
>315-229-5240 (7429 fax)
>bbaldwin at stlawu.edu
>
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