reef balls

Me and my group is very much active in rehabilitating reefs here in the Philippines where in dynamite fishing and other distructive fishing methods is still being practiced.
One method that seems to be quite effective is deployment of reefballs.
We use cement to make this reefballs or cement tubes with holes to be an artificial habitat for fishes, does anybody here have any suggestions for an alternative cheaper material to be used as reefballs that will not harm the environment. Thanks:)

We have an artificial "reef ball" reef here too ... The design we used was primarily to attract lobster (the American lobster with the claws), but lots of fishies and soft corals seem to like them too.

I don't know about cheaper materials. But it does seem anything that lands in the ocean, it doesn't take long before the sea takes it over. One of our best dive sites is this train bridge. The supports for the bridge are completely carpeted in anemones and such. Amazing . . .

Ron

Thanks Ron, what we do here is we put it at a depth of around 20-30ft and in a bay not facing an open sea it holds well. But im sourcing out cheaper materials that can be used so we can produce more. Thanks again:)

I hope this works ... It is a link to my club's yahoo group, a picture of our reef balls before they went in the water. They were placed in 30fsw, a protected nook, on a mud bottom. Around here, concrete is relatively cheap, for this type of project I can't imagine anything cheaper.


http://f9g.yahoofs.com/groups/g_hr_1...wzM1FBZT1HcOoh

Whatever you use DONT use tyres. There was one here like that and it broke up and they all washed ashore and made a mess.

Matt

Might be a long shot but have you tried going to a cement yard and asking for their leftovers? Out here when the trucks come back with a bit left over they put it in a mold and make big blocks out of them. Some are upto about 2000kg. They dont have to be perfect or any set shape as long as its a bit porous so the tiny life can cling on at the start and theres hidey holes for the smaller fish things will start to happen. Or theres always the option of a wreck. Even if its not a ship. Get an old stripped car, bus or truck and clean it out. Weld the doors shut, take them off or whatever you need to make it safe. Remove the driveline and fuel tank. Its a small start if you use a car but if its the cheapest option maybe you can get more of them. Even wrecked cars and ones that are chopped in half will do. They get pulled out of the river close to me all the time and some have only been there for days and already show signs of life. You could even try the local police for cars that have been impounded and never claimed. The army might have a few old tanks even. They might donate them for a decent cause. But you never know till you ask someone. Hit up local businesses that will also benefit from more people come to dive it. Just dont take no for an answer.

Matt

Also i forgot try places where they make cement drain pipes. They might let you have the damaged ones. Also concrete demolitions. Might get some big slabs of old concrete no one wants.

Matt

Good ideas Matt. Locally the police actually sank some cars so they could train on them ... maybe if you offered to do the cleaning and the sinking so they had a training spot ... And sinking ships as artificial reefs is done all the time with great success ... but I know here in Canada the environmental clean up of the item before sinking can be expensive. But like you say, anything would probably do ... a train car, drain pipes, small airplanes ...
One local shop owner, albeit kind of circumventing gov't regulations a little, started a little "park" at one of his favourite dive sites ... he sank a couple of fishing boats, one of those reef balls, a fake "treasure" chest, a bunch of odds and ends like dishes and stuff ... a dolls head floating on a stick (creepy) and even a 7 foot statue of a dolphin carved with a chainsaw out of a chunk of hemlock. Oh yeh, there is even a mock submarine made from pieces of metal drain pipe. The drawback is he sunk them in a location that is basically a mud hole, but the fish really seem to like everything ...

I'm a member of the local Reef Research Team. Part of our mission is to
assist in the creation of artificial reefs. Cement is your best material to use.
It will last 100's of years. Do not use rubber, like tires.
Earlier post mention seeing a local cement company. Sometimes they will
need to get rid of cement (ie. bad pour) and could donate it (maybe a write off for them). Just make sure you have molds ready for them if they call last minute. Vary the size of the balls. Remember to document the coordiants of where they are placed and monitor them through out the year(s). Taking pictures of the site before, just after and throughout the year will help in
documenting your progress. Note the species that come around and live on, in and near the balls. Involve the local dive community as well. Once they see
that something they helped build can be exciting, they will help promote more
artificials in the area. Good luck...

Ah .... a slight misunderstanding over the title of the post ....... I was going to recommend some very effective cream. :)

Best wishes for the 'venture'.