EcoReefs products and solutions initiate rapid establishment and growth of coral reefs by leveraging key principles from the science of marine ecology.

Corals are complex organisms with important biological, physical and ecological requirements that must all be met for colonies to successfully establish in large numbers and form a reef ecosystem. EcoReefs patented ceramic modules help quickly establish coral reefs in damaged or barren areas by meeting these critical requirements -- cost-effectively, on large scales, and using ecologically-appropriate materials.

Even when basic water quality parameters (temperature, salinity, clarity & purity) are satisfactory, corals have great difficulty colonizing barren, low-relief sites with loose sediment. This is the main reason why coral reefs take many decades to recover from physical damage -- once the live coral cover is gone, reef sediments are no longer stabilized, habitat complexity is lost, grazing fish abandon the site, and algae begin to dominate available surfaces.  

These factors conspire to prevent young corals from establishing on damaged sites.  Even when there is active recruitment of coral larvae, young coral colonies rarely survive because they are either overgrown by algae, buried by sediments, or rolled and killed as soon as they reach a size large enough to catch the current.

EcoReefs installations create the ecological conditions that help young corals survive in otherwise hostile environments by providing:

• Stabilization of loose sediments over the site.  Young corals are easily abraded or buried by moving sand and sediment. EcoReefs are engineered to efficiently cover large areas and slow the flow of water over the entire site, which helps reduce sediment movement.  In addition, the modules are designed with settlement surfaces raised up off the seabed. This provide young corals and other invertebrates safe places to grow that are well-protected from sand scour.
• Canopy habitat to protect small grazing fish.  Corals depend on the presence of small fish, especially grazers (herbivores), for their survival.  Grazers are important because they eat fast-growing algae that would otherwise quickly overgrow and kill young corals.  EcoReefs modules create a dense, protective canopy of interlocking branches that provides high-quality habitat for large numbers of small fish.
• Substrate for coral recruits. Planktonic coral larvae can't settle on algae covered surfaces, instead they need clean, chemically inert surfaces.  The grazing activity of small fish keeps EcoReefs installations clean, and provides a steady supply of bare surfaces for settlement of planktonic coral larvae. EcoReefs modules are made of non-toxic, chemically-inert ceramic which does not inhibit the settlement and of corals and other invertebrates (as does concrete and metal).  
• Complex habitat with high niche potential.  When deployed in large arrays, EcoReefs installations create complex, naturalistic habitats that that mimic those of natural reefs.  EcoReefs habitats offer a wide variety of shade, textures, micro-turbulence, and flow regimes needed by fish and invertebrates. EcoReefs can be used alone or in conjunction with other environmentally-appropriate materials to further increase habitat complexity.

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