The Reef Ball Foundation

Riffball is the name for a hollow, provided with many holes hemisphere made ​​of concrete. Riffbälle are to be used to grow artificial reefs.

History

In 1993, the Riffball by Todd Barber was invented. He founded the Reef Ball Foundation to preserve the coral reefs for future generations and to protect. Barber patented the idea to build artificial reef modules with an inflatable air-bladder. This makes it even then it was possible to draw the modules of a small boat through the water. Locally one needed only to let the air out of the balloon and the Riffball sank to the seabed.

There were other attempts previously to create artificial reefs. So already ships, steel structures, car tires, car wrecks and even disused tanks were sunk for this purpose. The artificial reefs from car tires developed in the U.S. for the ecological disaster. They tore itself loose from its anchorage, destroying healthy reefs and spread over hundreds of kilometers.

Benefit

The Riffball is used to revive dead reefs to provide new or a sandy, lifeless seabed with an artificial coral reef.

Even a week after the sinking to green algae settle on the concrete hemispheres. Shortly thereafter, one can discover the first animals such as snails, worms and amphipods on them. These animals feed on the part of the algae. Two more weeks later, barnacle larvae and mussel larvae settle. Also starfish colonize the Riffbälle in large numbers. Search in the artificial caves crabs and lobsters protection. Fish take cover and coral settle on the surface at. Is even faster colonization when mounted in the first time broken corals on the Riffbällen. They grow out strong and spreading.

With the Riffball you can in almost all seas improve the microclimate for the sea creatures. Even robbers hold up in the vicinity. You can find the Riffbällen easy prey. Other animals find refuge here to protect flow or enemies. Substituting many Riffbälle together, these sources help to build a wall. Such walls are used on endangered coastlines to stop their erosion as a breakwater. Currently, you can Riffbälle on almost every part of the coast of the United States and on every continent, including Antarctica, see. Riffbälle also be used in the tropics to re- planting mangroves.

Pay

In total, more than 500,000 Riffbälle were used worldwide to date.

The size of the Riffbälle ranges from 0.3 m in diameter with a weight of 15 kg to 2.5 m 3500 kg.

• In Malaysia so far over 5,000 Riffbälle were erected.
• In Campeche, Mexico, more than 4,000 Riffbälle were established to increase the fish stocks.
• In Tampa Bay, the Riffbälle were used as a breakwater.