What Makes the Best Artificial Reef?

Overview

Objectives/Goals Throughout my research on coral reefs, I discovered that there are many factors that are threatening their existence. Some examples are, over fishing, coral bleaching, human impact and climate shifts. I also learned how artificial reefs are one way we can help increase coral population in our oceans. My project compares three different materials; aluminum, concrete and rubber. The goal is to determine which one would make the best artificial reef. My hypothesis is that concrete will be best due to it's porous texture. Methods/Materials First I set up a 20 gallon salt water tank. I then placed in its center, a live rock containing 40 specimens of aptasia (related to coral in both phylum and species). I then placed beside it a base rock that does not contain any aptasia, for use as a control. I then placed four specimens of each material equally spaced throughout the tank. I recorded daily water conditions, aptasia growth on all materials, including control rock. Results My experiment proved that concrete is the best material for use in artificial reefs compared to rubber and aluminum. More aptasia grew on concrete than the others. Conclusions/Discussion I feel that my experiment is of great environmental importance, during my research, I contacted Dr.Milton Love, proffesor at UCSB and a leading authority on the "rigs to reefs" program in which oil companies turn old oil rigs into artificial reefs. I feel this is a great way to turn what would be waste material into a natural resource.

Awards (1)

• Honorable Mention

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Environmental Engineering (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1007

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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